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AUGUST 2004


Reach the World:
Connecting Classrooms with Travelers Worldwide
by Heather Halstead

Imagine a geography assignment that lets kids roam the globe in search of interesting places and learn about the people who live there. That’s exactly the case for many students who attend under-funded public schools in New York City. Reach the World (RTW), a New York City-based nonprofit, offers exciting, online journeys to low-income, elementary and middle school classrooms throughout the City. These journeys connect students to the world in a meaningful way, train educators how to teach with technology, and greatly enhance traditional textbook geography and other subjects.

On May 22, 2004, Makulu, a 43-foot sailboat chartered to Reach the World, sailed in to North Cove Marina in New York Harbor after completing a 30,000-mile, three-year voyage around the world. On the docks, more than 200 students, teachers, friends and supporters gathered to welcome Makulu and her crew home. The John J. Harvey fireboat sprayed towering jets of water as Makulu rounded the jetty, and students threw handfuls of flowers and blew bubbles onto the crew as they approached. Students from Brooklyn’s PS 297, supervised by teachers Sarah and Duane Jonker-Burke, placed leis around the crewmembers’ necks as they disembarked onto dry land.

Students and teachers from more than twenty New York City public schools began working with the Reach the World crew in 2001. Over 2.5 years, together they created hundreds of online, primary-source resources in Social Studies, Sciences and Literacy to complement the required curriculum, while also connecting students to a global community. Students and teachers sent the Makulu crew on expeditions to discover evolution in the Galapagos Islands; traditional village homes in Sulawesi, Indonesia; and the culture of the Cape Verde Islands, among other projects. All of these real-world, up-to-date resources appeared on Reach the World’s web site, www.reachtheworld.org, as free materials for all to use.

The New York City public school classrooms in Reach the World’s network received support from Teachers College/Columbia University interns and professional development opportunities for teachers, free of charge. It’s critical that teachers in under-funded schools receive more support on-site. Placing graduate students into our classrooms as interns is a win-win for all involved.

Over the summer months, Reach the World will refit the schoolship Makulu and hire a new crew. The next Voyage of Makulu, the company’s third, will depart from New York City in early winter 2004 for another 30,000-mile journey around the globe. To find out more about becoming a Reach the World partner classroom, or to volunteer with this exciting global studies project, please visit www.reachtheworld.org.#

Heather Halstead is the Executive Director, Reach the World.

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