School of Education Marks 10-Year Collaboration with Partner Schools in Belize
09/03/2024
In the summer of 2024, three 麻豆传媒 School of Education faculty members traveled to Belize to continue helping to improve the country's educational policies surrounding special education and support the teachers who work there full time.
For two of these SLU faculty members, Jeannine Butler, Ed.D., and Jessica Leonard, Ph.D., this was a return trip to Belize. For Kristi Baker Patterson, Ph.D., this was her first opportunity to engage with our terrific colleagues working as educators in Belize.
Background of the Partnership
In 2014, Archbishop Robert Carlson of St. Louis, who has since retired, requested that professors at SLU's School of Education provide support for educators in Belize, particularly in the areas of early childhood and special education. Assistant Professor Jessica Leonard, Ph.D., was one of the leaders of the inaugural SLU team that visited Belize and spent several days observing children and listening to their stories, fostering a partnership. Now, 10 years later, the partnership continues to flourish.
10 Years Later: Positive Updates
As a result of the Belizean Inclusive Practices Certification (BIPC) program that they helped create in 2023, Butler and Leonard were invited back to provide professional development focused on inclusive practices for teachers across the country of Belize.
鈥淥ver the space of a week in June 2024, we reached over 250 teachers and administrators who have a commitment and interest in providing accessibility and equity to all of their learners,鈥� Butler said. 鈥淒r. Leonard and I expect to return to Belize indefinitely to continue to provide ongoing professional development and also to work as partners at the school level to provide requested support for individual administrators and teachers.鈥�
While the leadership of experienced participants who have been involved in this trip for years is invaluable, it is equally important to have fresh perspectives on the programs and potential areas for improvement 鈥攕omething Baker Patterson was able to delve into on this trip.
鈥淭his was my first time visiting Belize and participating in this partnership,鈥� Baker Patterson said. 鈥淏eyond being a beautiful teaching and learning experience with some of the kindest people I鈥檝e ever met, it is one that I believe was mutually beneficial. For their teachers, I was able to provide professional development on supporting struggling readers and providing strategies to work with learners exhibiting characteristics of various disabilities.鈥�
Overall, SLU School of Education faculty members look forward to continuing this partnership. This trip continues to make clear that, while there are differences between the schools in Belize and SLU, educators also share many values in working to ensure the best outcomes for students.
Traveling to Belize each year renews my teaching spirit.鈥�
Jessica Leonard, Ph.D.
鈥淭he people are kind, friendly, and so thankful for little things we might take for granted every day, Leonard said. I am thankful to SLU and the Belize 2020 project that continues to support this amazing partnership of love, unity, and teaching for a higher purpose and the greater good.鈥�
The words spoken by Leonard ring true for all attendees and the partnership as a whole.
For more information about the Belize 2020 project, please contact the School of Education at 314-977-3292 or slued@slu.edu.