CHS teacher to share 'best practices'
October 29, 2009 2:30 PM
Julie Williams, a social studies teacher at Corvallis High School, has been selected from a national pool of nearly 120 educators to participate in the Conference on "Best Practices in Education for Sustainable Development (ESD)" hosted by Fulbright Japan. The meeting takes place Nov. 1-5 in Portland.
Williams is one of 15 teachers chosen from across the country in order to reflect the rich cultural, institutional and regional diversity of the United States. Fifteen teachers from Japan also were selected to take part in this innovative event.
The sharing of "Best Practices" from both countries is designed to raise awareness of ESD-oriented school programs and enhance ESD-related curricula in both countries. Organizers also hope to deepen a sense of global interconnectedness between teachers in Japan and the United States in four vital areas of ESD focus: food and sustainable nutrition; environment; energy and resources; and international understanding and cooperation.
"I'm very fortunate to work in a school district that is so open to innovation and creativity in the classroom and to be in Corvallis where the Sustainability Coalition and City of Corvallis have put such a high priority on sustainability issues," said Williams. "I also feel blessed to work with students with such great commitment to sustainable practices for a brighter future.
"I think it was this combination of realities that put me in this honored position, to get to share what we are doing in Corvallis around sustainability and to find out what other schools are doing," she said.
The "Best Practices" conference is jointly sponsored by Fulbright Japan (the Japan-U.S. Educational Commission), the Institute of International Education in Washington, D.C., the Educational and Cultural Affairs Bureau of the U.S. Department of State and the Japanese Government's Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology.
