Burnsville High School teacher participates in learning fellowship to empower students to become global citizens

Last year, Burnsville High School (BHS) social studies teacher Mollie Bousu was one of fewer than 50 teachers across the country selected to participate in the National Education Association (NEA) Foundation’s Global Learning Fellowship.  

The fellowship helps teachers develop the knowledge and skills they need to integrate global competency in their classroom and help students thrive in an increasingly interconnected world. 

Last October, Bousu attended a conference in Washington, D.C., and through monthly readings and module work, she developed a capstone project with a small group of teachers. Much of her group’s learning and capstone work centered on the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, which established goals for achieving a better and more sustainable future. 

Bousu’s project focused on creating lessons on perspective-taking as part of global competency. These lessons have been incorporated into her social studies classroom and work to promote teaching students how to be civic-minded and culturally proficient, aligned with the District 191 Profile of a Learner which provides a clear explanation of the knowledge sets, skills, and abilities that District 191 students will gain as they progress from pre-kindergarten through high school graduation. 

The fellowship culminated in a 10-day field study in Costa Rica, where she learned about the education system in the country through school visits to a technical and vocational school, primary special education school and general education secondary school. She also visited the University of Peace (UPEACE), which was established to promote peace education by the United Nations.

Through these visits, Bousu was able to see firsthand the country’s commitment to sustainability, education and diplomacy, despite inequities and development constraints. She also gained a unique perspective that will help her to teach more about the interconnectedness of global issues, education and inequities.  

“My human geography courses will be centered on exploring the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, their challenges and solutions at multiple scales, and how they can be used as a framework to promote peace, global citizenship, cultural diversity, and sustainable development,” said Bousu. 

“Overall, this fellowship helped me develop the knowledge to teach students how to be culturally proficient and civic-minded – not just in their school or community, but globally – which are two key elements of the Profile of a Learner.”  

Bousu’s project website is Perspective Matters: A Global View.

The NEA Foundation is an independent national philanthropic organization founded by educators to promote the absolute best in public education.