September 21, 2006 Issue                                       

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©2006 The Chestnut Hill Local

Hill Fulbright scholar pioneering ‘a new exchange’
by LOU PERSEGHIN

Adam Bailey, 39, and his Mexican exchange teaching partner, Graciela Pérez, 55, prepare for this precedent-setting experiment. (Photo by Lou Perseghin)

Dealing with over 200 kids a day in any high school is a daunting prospect. Imagine doing just that, only in another language. For Chestnut Hill resident Adam Bailey, it’s an experience he’s been looking forward to for three years. Bailey, 39, is the winner of a Fulbright Teacher Exchange grant, an initiative started by the government in 1946 to send teachers to other countries throughout the world to foster understanding among the global community.

Bailey isn’t the only one experiencing a different language and culture firsthand, however. Graciela Pérez, 55, is Bailey’s Fulbright counterpart from Mexico who will be team-teaching with him throughout the first semester. When he leaves for Mexico, she will take over his classes full-time, immersing herself in the American classroom experience as he takes over her classes back home.

“There’s nothing better than the actual immersion experience,” said Bailey. “I heard about the program from a flyer in my mailbox, and I thought it would be a great experience for me to go work and live in an area I am teaching about.”

Bailey currently teaches Spanish 1, AP Spanish and AP Spanish Literature at Plymouth Whitemarsh High School. In January, however, Bailey will travel to Tizapan El Alto Mexico to work as an English teacher at Escuels Secundaria Federal Constituyentes de 1917 for six months.

“It was hard for me to interact in English when I came here on my first trip,” said Pérez, “despite knowing the language. When I went back to my school, I tried to teach my students about practical things in English. The students here have a lot of vocabulary and grammar, but they can’t speak. I would like to try to help them.”

The two teachers are pioneering a new exchange for Fulbright winners, in that instead of a direct switch of teachers, Bailey and Pérez are working together for a semester, and then splitting up. This is a first in Fulbright history, but it could set a precedent for future exchanges. The potential is there to make it easier on teachers selected to participate in the exchange, easing the transition from country to country, as well as shortening the time away from their home school in some cases.

Both Bailey and Pérez had a tough time cashing in on the Fulbright grant, running into a school board on each end that was reluctant to let them leave.

“I teach 12 groups of 40 students each,” said Pérez. “It isn’t easy to find a person to take that on. Right now there are two teachers covering my classes.

At Plymouth Whitemarsh, Bailey had just been promoted to department head the year he won the Fulbright, so he was not able to attend. The grants are good for three years following their awarding, so both teachers are finally getting to participate in the exchange.

“For the first week I will teach the classes so she can see how things go,” said Bailey, “and from then on we will be splitting things up. I see it as a great opportunity, since we have a native speaker here and the kids have a chance to learn from [Pérez].”

Bailey is looking forward to the benefits that he hope will be reaped from his immersion in a new culture.

“I can’t wait to get back and help break down some of the stereotypes that exist,” said Bailey. “Kids will ask me what kind of music do kids like to listen to in Mexico, or if they have certain things. By going there to live, I can use that in my classroom and be able to talk about cultural things and the things high school teenagers want to learn.”

Pérez will take over Bailey’s classes on her own in the second semester.

“She will be teaching the advanced classes, but also the level 1 classes, so she will see both ends of the spectrum,” said Bailey. Pérez is living in Chestnut Hill during her time here, and is looking to share her culture with the community, including the Mexican Folkloric dancing which she teaches at home in Tizapan El Alto.

When he travels to Tizapan El Alto in the spring semester to teach, Bailey will take over Pérez’s spot at Escuels Secundaria Federal Constituyentes de 1917. He is excited for the opportunity, despite having the responsibility for “only eight groups of 50 students each,” as Pérez put it.