TCLP alumni have made an impact in their home countries through collaborative projects and trainings that benefit their fellow educators and students. Working together alumni have been able to deliver workshops or cultural exchange opportunities for their local communities. In helping to facilitate collaborations and communication between fellow alumni, cohort leaders play a special role in sharing program opportunities and information. Alumni cohort leaders also reach out to their peers for updates on their professional careers or initiatives they are pursuing. Alumni cohort leaders help support TCLP goals in China and Egypt. TCLP is pleased to announce the new alumni cohort leaders for the 2017-2018 group: Zhang Wenjie and Anas ElNahriry.
Ms. Zhang is originally from Chongqing, China. She taught Chinese language and culture to approximately 134 students through regular classroom teaching, and conducted some 94 hours of interdisciplinary outreach at North Warren Regional High School in New Jersey. Ms. Zhang was committed to outreach throughout her year in the United States and enjoyed the opportunities she had to share her culture. She presented on various aspects of Chinese culture at a local church, the Rotary Club, and the Lions Club, among other venues. She also prepared outreach presentations for other classrooms at her host school and for the Chinese club. Additionally, Ms. Zhang took advantage of opportunities to promote cross-curricular learning, co-teaching with English, science, and social studies teachers. One of her high school students found “learning Chinese became a lot more personal and impactful from a native speaker.”
Mr. ElNahriry is originally from Monofiya, Egypt. He taught Arabic language and culture to approximately 503 students through regular classroom teaching, and conducted some 177 hours of interdisciplinary outreach at J.W. Reason Elementary School in Ohio. Throughout the year, Mr. El Nahriry demonstrated his commitment to his students, as well as to his professional development. He consistently incorporated his creativity into lessons through art and music and brought the culture of Egypt to life by teaching his students about Egyptian food, songs, celebrations and landmarks. His principal found Mr. El Nahriry “has proven to be a dynamic and inspirational part of our staff.” Outside the classroom, he held many outreach events for J.W. Reason, the school district, and the wider community. Notably, Mr. El Nahriry created a course for teachers in his district to learn about Arabic education and culture in order to better reach students of Arab heritage in their classes. Additionally, he volunteered at the local mosque and organized community Arabic classes.
Ms. Zhang and Mr. ElNahriry are looking forward to reaching out to their cohorts and building supportive links between alumni. One great way to begin collaborating is with a CLP project! Check out the alumni resources pages for information on applying for the next round of CLP alumni grants. You can also find the profiles for all TCLP alumni cohort leaders by clicking this link: http://tclprogram.org/alumni-resources/cohort-leaders