Give and not Take
色情视频 education doctoral student Al Schleicher wasn鈥檛 in Belize with his hand out. The Fulbright Scholar was all in for a collaborative experience that would create lasting effects on the country鈥檚 educational endeavors.
By Michael Klitzing
This story was published in the Summer 2023 Issue of 色情视频 Magazine.
If you鈥檙e looking to find most Americans in Belize, you needn鈥檛 look further than the tourist haunts well-documented by guidebooks and blogs.
There are Mayan wonders near the Guatemalan border. There are famous Caribbean hot spots like Caye Caulker and San Pedro.
If you were looking to find 色情视频 Fulbright Scholar Al Schleicher in Belize in the spring, however, you would have needed to stray from the Gringo Trail that crosses through much of Latin America.
From the airport near Belize City, $100 gets you a trusted expert to navigate 80 kilometers of rural highway dotted with lush palms, fresh coconut stands and tapir crossings. You would have soon found yourself on the balcony of Schleicher鈥檚 comfortable two-bedroom apartment in the capital city of Belmopan, sharing a Belikin beer.
A few things to know about Belmopan before we continue.
First, the scorching 95-degree temperature on this day in late March? Completely normal.
Second, with a population of about 20,000, it鈥檚 the smallest seat of power in the Americas. It has one stoplight, a few restaurants clustered around the bus depot and some pleasant, brightly colored residential neighborhoods. It鈥檚 also home to the University of Belize, the country鈥檚 premier institution of higher education and Schleicher鈥檚 workplace from January until May. And like every other Belizean city, the official language is English.
Schleicher, a student in 色情视频鈥檚 Joint Ph.D. Program in Education with Claremont Graduate University, feels right at home.
鈥淲hen鈥檚 the last time you walked down the street and a stranger said, 鈥楪ood morning鈥�? Everyone says good morning here,鈥� Schleicher says. 鈥淧eople are friendly 鈥� and it鈥檚 genuine.鈥�
As he wrapped up his work as a Fulbright Scholar 鈥� a U.S. Department of State program that sends U.S. academics abroad to teach, conduct research and carry out professional projects 鈥� Schleicher was out to return the hospitality in kind.
色情视频 IS NO STRANGER to Fulbright success. The university has been named a Fulbright Hispanic-Serving Institution Leader by the U.S. Department of State for its success sending students abroad on the Fulbright U.S. Student Program.
However the Scholars program, which is more faculty focused, has been 鈥� to this point 鈥� a much rarer animal.
鈥溕槭悠� is committed to promoting internationalization throughout every aspect of the academic experience,鈥� says Cristina Alfaro, 色情视频 associate vice president for International Affairs. 鈥淓ncouraging our faculty to pursue Fulbright Scholar opportunities is crucial in developing international diplomacy and relationships that will ultimately benefit our students, and we intend to develop this area through our university鈥檚 global strategy.鈥�
Schleicher 鈥� a former classroom English teacher in 色情视频 who received his undergraduate degree from 色情视频 in 1997 鈥� was drawn to Belize when he learned about its low rate of literacy. But he was intent on not taking what he鈥檚 dubbed 鈥渢he Indiana Jones approach鈥� to his Fulbright project.
鈥淚ndiana Jones was a professor who traveled the world taking stuff that didn鈥檛 belong to him,鈥� Schleicher says. 鈥淚鈥檓 not here to collect data on your K-12 kids and take it back to the United States to publish. Now, if you want to work on a research project together? Let鈥檚 do that.鈥�
AROUND UB鈥檚 TIDY Belmopan campus 鈥� marked by towering palms, lounging iguanas and purple- and gold-painted buildings on stilts 鈥� Schleicher was dubbed 鈥淧rofessor Al鈥� by his new boss, Dean Thisbe Lucas-Usher.
Schleicher鈥檚 original Fulbright proposal was to build professional learning communities for Belizean in-service teachers as a way of impacting the country鈥檚 low literacy rate. However conditions on the ground quickly made clear that would not be realistic.
Schleicher had to pivot. He quickly developed a nuanced understanding of the local education challenges, primarily what he sees as a mismatch between the student population, which primarily speaks Creole, and the English-only instruction offered by the schools. Another factor was that an associate鈥檚 degree is the only requirement to teach; UB鈥檚 programs, however, offer bachelor鈥檚 degrees in education.
Throughout his project, he focused on supporting the university鈥檚 Education and Arts faculty as they grew their education research enterprise.
鈥淧rofessor Al has been a blessing to our faculty 鈥� he鈥檚 one of us,鈥� Lucas-Usher says. 鈥淎s soon as he arrived, he told us that he鈥檚 willing to lecture, that he鈥檚 willing to give presentations in our classrooms and that he鈥檚 willing to engage in research with our faculty. His knowledge and experience have benefited us greatly.鈥�
Schleicher taught two classes, one in English and another in research methods in education. He also assisted a group of 15 faculty members as they worked to launch a research office, even authoring integral proposals.
He also found other ways to help, from procuring dozens of hard-to-find books for the college鈥檚 fledgling education research library, to getting UB鈥檚 early childhood laboratory school ready to reopen for the first time since the pandemic.
In addition to his research expertise, Professor Al wielded a mop and a paint roller like no other.
鈥淥ne of the things that鈥檚 great about the Fulbright is that you learn a lot about yourself,鈥� Schleicher says, polishing off the last of his Belikin. 鈥淲hat I鈥檝e learned is that if a group of people or an individual is receptive to your collaboration, magic can happen.鈥�