Educators from secondary schools across the world recently traveled to the U of A as part of the U.S. Fulbright Teaching Excellence and Achievement Program.

They returned home after the six-week immersive experience with more than just academic insights to help their students thrive.

The 19 teachers — hailing from Tunisia, Venezuela, Chile, India, Nepal, Costa Rica, Panama, Jordan, Latvia, Nigeria, Malaysia, Ecuador, Vietnam, Armenia, Mongolia, Russia and Burkina Faso — also gained new approaches to address their students' mental health needs.

Faculty in various College of Education and Health Professions programs prepared courses for the educators who teach English as a second language in their respective schools. The goal of the Fulbright exchange is to develop educators' practice so they can take global knowledge, skills and perspectives back to their classrooms. Teachers take academic seminars for professional development at host universities. In exchange, they observe classrooms and share their expertise with teachers and students at the host university and local secondary schools.

Faculty in the college's counseling program were integral to the program, sharing mental health lessons with the international teachers so they'd be better equipped to help their students.

A teacher from Vietnam was grateful for new ideas. He said mental health issues are a heart-breaking problem among Vietnamese students.

"A 15-year-old boy in Hanoi committed suicide by jumping from his family's flat last week," he said. "That was the second student suicide in a month, shocking the public and sparking a fierce debate about how teens deal with stress, as well as communication and interaction issues between parents and children, teachers and students."

He said Vietnam schools don't have professional psychological counselors. Instead, they rely on homeroom teachers to function as counselors.

He was particularly moved by sessions that counseling associate professor David Christian taught on mental health in schools, and Cindy Rauth taught about using storytelling and creative arts to improve students' mental health.

"I'll never forget what David said on the importance of listening," the Fulbright teacher noted. "Even though I am not a psychologist, I can assist my pupils by sincerely listening to their tales and, in certain situations, bridging the gap between them and their parents. I'm going to try to incorporate art and storytelling into my lesson plans based on what I've learned."

Another teacher appreciated the storytelling strategies and put them into practice immediately upon returning to his home school. "I treat my students' stress during courses by letting them sing, exercise, tell a short story or listen to music," he said.

Christian, director of the U of A Adventure Therapy Lab, also focused on the mental health benefits of nature. Several courses included walks at Lake Atalanta in Rogers. He taught mindfulness sessions as an effective practice for decreasing anxiety.

Christian and Jennifer Sugg, a school counselor at Har-Ber High School, taught additional mental health training, offering practical preventions and interventions.

Several teachers reported that the mental health emphasis helped them personally.

"I appreciate that there were several sessions to cater to the mental health and psychological well-being of my fellow participants and me," one teacher said. "So many amazing lessons about teaching English as a foreign language and being a better teacher, but those mental health sessions helped me deal with some of the baggage I had carried around for years."

At Har-Ber High, participants were asked to recall their saddest and happiest moments. One participant thought of the death of her father and how it changed the course of her life forever. "When we were asked to go to our happy place, I thought of an ex-partner and how that period was the happiest in recent times," she said. "Those two peaks gave me insight and helped me put certain things in context."

She said the art sessions were also profound. "I started to cry almost immediately after I started painting. I named the mask 'the hidden face,' a kind of Janus. Inside was painted in black and red, the pain and insecurities. The outer, visible face had bright colours and all the 'sass' I like to present the world in my everyday life," she said. "To be sure, those sessions were relevant and crucial, holding up a mirror and helping me reflect in a way not done prior, either because I didn't know how to look or because I didn't want to."

Another educator said he appreciated the time to reflect. "Being a teacher is a 24/7 job. Even at nights, on weekends or on holidays, most of us keep working and working. Very little time for ourselves or our families," he said.

A participant from Burkina Faso, who arrived late to the program due to social and political unrest, stated, "[The Fulbright Exchange] has influenced positively my vision of the future and enhanced my critical thinking."

Another added, "During the mindfulness sessions, I had the opportunity to cry, think, breathe and work to set my mind for healing."

The Fulbright Exchange was a collaboration between the U of A and the Spring International Language Center, a professional academic organization on campus that provides English language training and cross-cultural education. Faculty members from the College of Education and Health Professions; Fran Hagstrom, interim associate dean for international education; and professor Chris Goering were instrumental in working with international teachers throughout their six-week visit.

Another program highlight included a trip to Little Rock, where teachers met Gov. Asa Hutchinson and visited the Little Rock Nine Memorial at the Arkansas Capitol.

The Fulbright Teacher Exchanges are sponsored by the U.S. Department of State with funding provided by the U.S. government and administered by the U.S. International Research and Exchanges Board. The programs are governed by policies established by the Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board.

Each year approximately 400 educators from more than 80 countries participate in these exchanges. These fellows teach a total of 75,000 students annually when they return home. If each fellow teaches an average of 15 additional years, they will reach approximately 1.5 million students.