This three-week travel seminar for teachers, which begins in Bangkok, Thailand, offers a powerful cross-cultural learning experience that will broaden perspectives and transform teaching. Participants experience the rhythms of daily life and work through a weeklong homestay and by job-shadowing teachers in Thailand; learn about the impact of globalization and change through discussions with political and business leaders and social activists; explore the varied histories and cultures of Southeast Asia by visiting key historical and cultural sites, including the magnificent temple complex of Angkor Wat; and explore the dynamics of changing society in Asia today through interactions with local people in their communities, including hill tribes in the Golden Triangle region of Chiang Rai. In Cambodia, participants will learn about the country’s painful recent history, meeting “Killing Fields” survivors and hearing their heartrending personal accounts.

Thanks to support provided by the Freeman Foundation, the fee for this travel seminar is $1,250, which covers all regional and domestic travels within Southeast Asia, all lodging, most meals, entrance fees, in-country guides and interpreters, and teaching materials. International travel to/from Bangkok and passport and visa fees are not included. Participants are eligible to receive a $250 follow-up grant to develop program-related curriculum units.

This program is open to full-time U.S. classroom teachers in public, private, parochial, and charter schools teaching in grades 3-12 in any discipline as well as school librarians, curriculum specialists, and administrators.