Lauren A. from South Africa is a great example of an Au Pair who embraced Global Awareness when fulfilling her presentation requirement for her UCLA course. Lauren is in Jennifer Harris’s Minnesota cluster.
Lauren’s own words: When I found out that I had to do a Global Awareness Presentation for the online course I am doing I was excited. It is always great to teach others about my country, South Africa. I knew that I wanted to do the presentation at the school that the children I au pair for attend, so I contacted their teachers and they were very willing to have me there.
I did a PowerPoint Presentation that showed pictures of myself, my family, my country, where I live, the flag, languages, the food, sport, the currency, national symbols and the wildlife. As I went through the slides I explained all about my country and then I asked if anyone had any questions. The children really enjoyed the presentation and they were eager to ask questions. Some of them asked about the wildlife and the weather, some asked about sport, some asked about pets, some asked me to speak Afrikaans.
I handed out the activity sheets, with questions about South Africa, for the children to do and they enjoyed that. I did the same presentation for the 1st Grade class and the 3rd Grade class. They didn’t want me to leave, and the teachers asked if I could come back when the new school year begins to spend more time in the classroom, so I will definitely do that. From conducting this presentation I learned that children are very interested in learning about other countries and other cultures. I also learned the importance of making others aware of different cultures. I am proud of my country and I will continue to teach others about where I come from.