A Great Falls High teacher, Craig Gaslow, has been selected as into the Fulbright Teachers for Global Classrooms program for this school year.

It’s a year-long global education professional development program designed to assist teachers to build a global education culture in their classrooms and beyond, helping prepare students for a more interconnected world by guiding them to develop the skills to communicate, collaborate, and compete in the 21st century, Gaslow told The Electric.

The social studies and Spanish teacher is among more than 800 U.S. students who will teach, study and/or conduct research abroad for the school year, according to the U.S. State Department.

“I feel very proud and honored to represent Great Falls High School and the broader community this upcoming year,” Gaslow told The Electric.

Chief Joseph Elementary receives national recognition

During the Sept. 9 school board meeting, Great Falls Public Schools Superintendent Heather Hoyer said the award is “huge” and she couldn’t remember the last time the district had a Fulbright recipient.

“It’s a big, big deal,” she said.

Gaslow said that his cohort will go to Washington, D.C. for a global education symposium in February and will be sent abroad sometime in the spring or summer.

He said they’ll find out their destinations in the coming months, but it could be anywhere in Europe, Asia, Africa or Latin America. Last year, participants went to Ghana, Uruguay, Morocco or India, and in years prior, were sent to Colombia, Indonesia, Finland and Senegal.

GFPS using tax credit funds toward field trips, learning center, athletic mental health program

Gaslow and the other participants will teach lessons in their host countries, visit schools, learn about their host country’s culture and educational approaches and build ties with educators abroad.

“There’s a lot to learn about global education. And there’s tons that I don’t really understand just yet. But I’m hoping to help my students recognize their own and others’ perspectives, communicate their ideas, and investigate the world beyond Great Falls,” Gaslow told The Electric. “I couldn’t be more excited to learn about global education and bring these insights back to my students.”

The Fulbright program is the U.S. government’s flagship international educational exchange program and is funded through an annual appropriation made by the U.S. Congress to the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. Participating governments and host institutions, corporations, and foundations around the world also provide direct and indirect support to the program.