The New Librarian: How to set up a Global Citizens program

At Tudor Elementary School in Anchorage, Alaska, “show and tell” has an inspiring twist.

Instead of sharing an interesting rock or a favorite toy, they are sharing messages of peace and personal commitment to making the world a better place. And, through live video conferencing, they’re sharing their messages with students in Argentina, Pakistan, Brazil, Canada, and the United States, as well as locations throughout Europe, Africa, and Asia.

Tudor’s 346 K-6 students are part of the school’s “Young Global Citizens” project spearheaded by school librarian Michelle Carton, a long-time educator and founder of Global Education Alaska. Carton runs the program, which was recently named the Grand Prize winner in the 2018 Follett Challenge, earning $60,000 in products and services from Follett School Solutions for the way it showcases what it means for her students to be global citizens, how it impacts their learning, their perspectives on the world, and the impacts they can have on it.

As students learn about the world, the United Nations, sustainable development goals, global challenges and opportunities, and how perspectives can be different but honored, they ponder how peace may be different to each other and to people in other parts of the state, the nation, and the world.

Carton developed the project as a way to expose her students to the wider world and to inspire them to really think about what peace means to them personally, what peace means in Alaska, and what peace means to kids in other locations and cultures. Here are some steps for other schools that want to start a program like this.

1. Determine your purpose in setting up a global citizens program. What do you want to achieve by the end of the school year? What’s best for your teaching style and for your students? “I’ve always wanted my students to be able to navigate the interdependent complex world with confidence and an open mind,” says Carton. “Everything I do includes lessons and messages that illustrate how interesting other cultures are and how much we can learn from each other.”

2. Rethink how you teach everything (regardless of subject, math and science included). Think about how you’ll discuss topics with these four things mind: teach students about the world; help them understand and appreciate other perspectives in the world; connect students to the world beyond your town, state, and country; and practice what you preach.