On Saturday, August 29th the Center for Slavic and East European Studies, in partnership with the Area Studies Centers from The Ohio State University’s Office of International Affairs, began their fourth year of organizing the K-12 Global Fellowship Program. The Global Fellowship Program first started during the 2017-18 academic year with the aim of connecting teachers from across the state of Ohio in a series of discussion group sessions that focus on contemporary issues from a global perspective. Over the past three years, the K-12 Global Fellowship Program has focused on topics such as global minority issues, global migration, and global pollution. The theme for the 2020-21 program is the “Intersection of Coffee and Tea Around the World: History, Culture, and Global Impact.” This year, the program will be held virtually, and K-12 educators will learn about the history, culture, and politics surrounding coffee and tea consumption in East Asia, Latin America, and Eastern Europe/Eurasia under the guidance of regional experts.  

This year 15 K-12 educators from across the state of Ohio are participating in the program. Their teaching covers a wide range of disciplines including language arts, Spanish, Chinese, mathematics, agriculture, animal science, history, and more. This program will allow them to learn more about this topic and bring it back to their classrooms to discuss with their own students. Over the course of the program, the participating teachers will receive educational resources to use in their own curriculum development and upon completing the program they will receive a Continuing Education Unit (CEU).