Classroom Visits Program

The Classroom Visits program brings UW international or returned study-abroad students into K-12 classrooms as invited guests. The studentst give interactive presentations about culture or gloabl issues. Teachers are asked to prepare their class with background history and information on the designated country, and have their students prepare thoughtful questions for the visiting international student. Classes are roughly 45 minutes long. A FIUTS representative will accompany the international student to facilitate discussion as needed.

See photos from Classroom Visits on Thailand, South Africa, and HIV/AIDS/Global Health

TOPS Elementary School Visit

On April 9th, 2008, 33 UW students from 20 countries around the world spent an afternoon at TOPS Elementary school in Seattle sharing their culture. Nearly 300 TOPS students, grades 1-5 had the chance to sing songs from Singapore, eat crepes from France, learn Arabic and much more.

See photos from FIUTS' visit to TOPS Elementary school.

Read about FIUTS visit in the TOPS Elementary school Newsletter, page 16-17.

Here are some quotes from those who participated in the event:

"We taught the students Australian slang and they were amused by the meanings behind these very colloquial terms. … (I learned) that all children, regardless of where they are from, are naturally curious and engaged by other cultures. … It was a fantastic and memorable experience." – Daniel Nguyen, undergraduate student from Australia

"I hope they learned that children and people everywhere have similarities and differences, that we are part of one community called the world. … (I realized) that young students could be the toughest and friendliest audience any speaker can find. … The best part was doing something with both the UW and TOPS students. It felt good doing something for the children of Seattle, a city that has been hospitable to me since I arrived last year." – Arnel Banas, Hubert Humphreys Fellow Scholar from the Philippines

"I just want to say thanks so much! This is one of the coolest things we have done all year. Every grade 1st through 5th had such a great time and was really excited about what they learned. Also, the UW students did an excellent job...they seemed so natural and confident! ... I would love to make this an annual thing if you are interested!" – Sarah Marks, coordinating teacher at TOPS

"It was fabulous. The students learned so much-- it was fun to see them so engaged in games, singing songs, dancing dances, and speaking languages that they didn't previously know existed. The teachers raved to me about how inspiring it was to see their kids learning about the world from people of the world. Two parents honked their horns and waved "thumbs up" while driving away after the event, and the international students I led around seemed genuinely excited to have had the opportunity to spend the afternoon inside an American school. It was a perfect educational program: educational while fun. As a board member, I was proud." – Nancy Bacon, FIUTS Board Member and parent at TOPS