Master Teacher Develops Skills and Shares Expertise

One of Parker’s goals in educating students is to create “lifelong learners”—individuals who realize that growth and development don’t end after graduation, but instead continue throughout our lives. And few understand this better than French teacher Lorin Pritikin, who perfectly embodies this belief for her students.

Beginning in the fall, Pritikin volunteered to participate in global competence certification through AFS-USA. As part of the Global Competence Certificate (GCC), educators started with an inward look at their own identities, home cultures, communication styles, learning styles and personal context. Next, the participants looked outward at how to curb stereotypes, understand spiritual diversity, recognize structural inequalities and handle various conflict styles. Finally, GCC moved educators toward coping strategies for their own self-care and taking action with their newfound learning and skills. The GCC engages participants in thinking about these modules on a personal level and as educators who support students in the classroom that represent varied cultural values, perspectives and communication and learning styles. “Lorin fully engaged in the online forum and activities and our live dialogue sessions,” AFS-USA Director of Educational Outreach Jill Woerner said. “The Global Competence Certificate included both synchronous and asynchronous learning, and she was a great contributor to both environments. Her background as a world language educator has given her tremendous perspective that she readily shares with others. She operates with a strong sense of equity for her students.”

However, simply taking in these new educational experiences wasn’t enough for Pritikin. And so, on Friday, April 9, she volunteered more of her time to present to an audience of school and organizational leaders about the importance of global competence for educators and its impact on students in the classroom environment. “[Parker] should be very proud of having a teacher like Lorin on staff,” Woerner further shared. “She’s knowledgeable, passionate and student-focused…not to mention globally minded. All of these are tremendous qualities in a classroom educator.”

At Parker, we strive to create future global citizens who understand the importance of participating in opportunities that stretch us beyond our current selves. We are extremely proud and lucky to have an educator like Pritikin who exemplifies this belief for her students and our wider school community.

Please click here if you’d like to see her and other educators in action during the April 9 presentation.