Teaching Beyond Borders: A service learning initiative that transforms lives

Not long after Daytona State College student Lauren Marshall first stepped foot on Haitian soil, she felt like she and her fellow travelers were living in a fish bowl.

Daytona State's Teaching Beyond Borders team

“It became a situation where everybody was staring at us,”she said. “We were the minority. We were the ones who were different. Suddenly, you’re seeing everything from a new perspective and realizing that this is a whole new world.”

Marshall, who will earn her Bachelor of Science in Exceptional Student Education in December this year, was among a group who traveled recently to College Susan Schuenke, a pre-K through grade 13 school in the city of Cap Haitien, as part of Teaching Beyond Borders, a service-learning initiative founded by Daytona State School of Education Prof. Donald May.

Teaching Beyond Borders is not your typical study abroad program. Students don’t tour museums and art galleries. Planted in the most impoverished country in the western hemisphere, they roll up their sleeves and work to make a difference in the short period of time that they are immersed in the Haitian culture. “This is a great model for what study abroad can be when you add a service learning component,” said John Brady, associate director of Professional Development & Global Education at Daytona State, “especially with programs that target our immediate area such as the Caribbean. It has relevance for the students, aligns well with our strategic priorities and is a lot more affordable for the college and the students compared to many other study abroad initiatives.”

Vice President of Academic Affairs Amy Locklear has convened a Service Learning Committee at the college that is identifying best practices and activities on campus and cataloging available resources to expand service learning into the college-wide academic culture. She also has arranged for Daytona State to become a member of Florida’s Campus Compact, whose mission is to “advance the civic purposes of colleges and universities by deepening their ability to improve community life and educate students for civic and social responsibility.”

Research shows that competencies students develop when they participate in study abroad programs, particularly those with a service learning component, make them more employable when they graduate and enter the workforce. Studies also suggest that students are more comfortable working in a multicultural environment, have more self-confidence and become more self-reliant.

The May 29 through June 5 trip to Cap Haitien was the first time May and his colleagues, education professors Margie Hensler and Maryann Gromoll, brought students with them. During a prior visit, the professors met with school staff and faculty to conduct a needs assessment and iron out logistics. “We wanted to listen to them first and develop a program that would have the most positive impact,” May said. The College of Susan Schuenke serves over 900 children living in poverty and is entirely supported by donations.

The Daytona State team included primarily education majors, but also several associate of arts majors and a nursing student. Together, they challenged their preconceptions and learned about the issues faced by a society they knew little about, as they immersed themselves in the classrooms and daily lives of the Cap Haitien teachers, students and community. They spent a majority of their time co-teaching English lessons and conducting special events for the students.

The group and their accompanying professors also shared strategies with the school’s teachers on differentiated learning, classroom management and using technology to enhance teaching and learning.

During a symposium held June 24, the students shared their experiences, with many noting that the trip was life-changing.

“It opened my eyes and made me think about some of the kids I will be teaching when I start my career as an ESE teacher,” said Marshall,“what it’s like to feel different, how to connect and help students grow when there are barriers like language and cultural differences. Working with these kids helped me learn more about how children learn.”

Epiphanies such as Marshall’s are precisely among the learning outcomes May said he hoped for when he established Teaching Beyond Borders, adding that several of the AA students who joined the Cap Haiten initiative returned with new or renewed callings to pursue teaching as a career. “Seeing what the students got out of the trip motivates me to sustain the program,” he said, noting that another visit to Cap Haitien is being planned for fall.

Teaching Beyond Borders welcomes donations to help provide needed classroom equipment for the Haitian schools it serves, as well as to help offset the expenses of participating students.

View a short video documentary on the Haitian trip.