The BEF’s October board meeting, which was a potluck dinner held at the home of gracious Board member Erin Meyer and her husband Nat, featured presentations on two fascinating grants. First, BHS math teacher Julia James told the Board, Advisory Board, and staff members present about her grant-funded trip to Nicaragua, where she studied Spanish and prepared to lead a student trip to teach math to younger students in the Dominican Republic later this year. Her experience in the restrictive political climate of Nicaragua was profoundly impactful, as were the connections she made with her instructors and local people she got to know while there. The students participating in her upcoming student trip to the Dominican Republic are a diverse group in terms of ethnicity, language of origin, and socioeconomic status – they will hone their own math and language skills by tutoring younger Dominican students. Next, Brookline’s Superintendent of Schools Dr. Linus Guillory spoke about his BEF-funded trip to Ireland, from which he returned only the night before. Dr Guillory participated in an educators’ tour of Ireland alongside school and district leaders from all over Massachusetts as well as other regions of the country. They learned about Ireland’s highly successful approach to literacy instruction, and visited schools in diverse sections of the country, speaking to students and educators about their experiences in schools with differing levels of economic stress. Both grants were hugely rewarding for the participants, and will impact their work throughout the year and beyond!
