The development of citizenship traditionally has been the major goal of American education. While the meaning of citizenship has long been debated by American educators, today it is often associated with global awareness. Limiting citizenship by political boundaries is no longer acceptable, and where yesterday the responsibility for directing their students' attention to the world lying beyond the borders of their own nation was assigned primarily to teachers of languages and the social studies, today all teachers need to prepare tomorrow's citizens to live in a multiethnic, interdependent world. Today all teachers must accept a responsibility for opening a window on the world for their students, and for the communities where they live. At this point a teacher may ask: How can my teaching show the world to my students, and to my community, when I sometimes question how effective I am in influencing my own classroom? The purpose of this article is to present practical ways for teachers to reinforce concepts of global community locally. While most teachers will never travel the globe as ambassadors of international good will, they do have the opportunity to open a window on the world by exemplifying global citizenship in the context of their school and community. Opening this window on the world means that teachers provide experiences for students, parents, and the community which develop awareness of unique customs, other ways of thinking, and the diverse patterns of living in various nations of the world. The goals of such a program are: 1) to develop an awareness of the rich and varied cultures of the world, 2) to recognize that each culture has dignity and purpose in its cultural characteristics, 3) to integrate the total curriculum while focusing on a single cultural theme for a designated period of time, 4) to enrich and supplement an existing program, and 5) to provide an opportunity for students to lea n from other students and community members, as well as from teachers. After these goals have been determined, the first step toward opening the window is to evaluate the classroom resources. Are there local or exchange students who could explain the customs of their countries of origin, talk about their great painters and writers and national heroes, perform their songs and dances, and describe the complexity of their heritages? Second, evaluate the community. Perhaps there are large numbers of residents who are of Czech, Polish, Danish or Mexican descent. If so, there will be people in the community eager to share their cultural legacies with the students and teachers. Third, evaluate the school staff. Perhaps there are teachers who have traveled abroad and could share their first-hand experiences. For instance, travel to Spain could yield such experiences as eating the mid-day meal at 2:00 and taking supper at 10:00, with never a sign of a taco or enchilada. Spain, rich with great painters, magnificent cathedrals, unique music, and modern cities, is just one of the countries students could enjoy vicariously through an open window on the world. After school and community resources have been evaluated, select a unifying theme or event around which to structure a celebration. If possible, take advantage of an existing commemorations such as Foreign Language Week or Pan-American Week. Every nation has special holidays on which it remembers its great traditions, and one of these could be chosen for this special observance. The length of time to be spent on the project is important. Something less than a week should be about right. A day usually is not enough. A week or more is difficult to organize and may prove exhausting for everyone involved. Plenty of time for preparation
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Jun 1, 2002
Santiago Tomás I Justribó 
Open Access
