The Fulbright Distinguished Awards in Teaching Short Term Program, also known as Fulbright DAST, is sending some of America’s best-and-brightest educators to Uzbekistan in a program sponsored by the U.S. Department of State and Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board. One of those best-and-brightest, unsurprisingly, is coming directly from the Kenai Peninsula Borough School District. She is set to be abroad for six weeks in 2021.
Amanda Adams, a teacher in the district’s Distance Learning department, says that her past working with the Peace Corps has made her all the more eager to travel to help educate abroad: “It all started back in the day in the Peace Corps in Kazakhstan which is in Central Asia. I taught English there for two years, and I fell in love! I fell in love it – it was my calling, if you will. I developed a real passion for it. Throughout my years as an educator, I’ve taught everything – every subject you can imagine. Small Alaskan villages, urban high schools, at-risk kids, you name it, I’ve taught ’em all.” She added: “Along with that, I’ve always been a lover of culture and travel and that stems from my time in the Peace Corps. I have continually worked with building global collaboration with other educations throughout the world.”
Her familiarity with the area makes her a great match for Uzbekistan: “I have a familiarity with former Soviet educational system. I speak Russian. I have a variety of skills that they needed. I primarily have been an English language arts teacher, they’ve wanted that, and they’ve wanted to have someone to teach innovative techniques for teaching English, and so it seems to fit. So, I gave it a whirl! I figured, why not.”
How will this experience impact Adams as an educator back on the Kenai? She addresses that: “My job is district-wide, and so I do a lot of professional development with teachers across our district. So, I’ll have the opportunity to bring back with me all the variety of impact. Whether it’s strategies or building cultural relations, whether it’s working with second-language English speakers, all of those things will come with me.”
Superintendent John O’Brien issued a statement saying: “This Fulbright fellowship is a well-deserved distinction for a truly inspiring instructional teacher leader. It is refreshing when the very best in a profession get the recognition that they deserve and can benefit others through an experience such as this. Amanda Adams will share her talents and gifts with others through this fellowship and continue to grow as a professional educator. We are so proud of Amanda and supportive of her continued professional growth.”
Recipients of Fulbright grants are selected on the basis of academic and professional achievement, as well as record of service and demonstrated leadership potential.