Gallaudet University, Partners in Education in China, Summer 2000!

Kathy Johnson Teacher for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, Apollo High School  St. Cloud, MN  Through my years of teaching and working with the deaf and hard of hearing, I have developed a passion for connecting the deaf cultures of the world. This interest has lead to the development of travel opportunities to connect students with cultures from around the world. In addition to all the other wonderful responsibilities of teaching, this last year, we were able to travel to Hawaii, participating in the Close Up Program. The opportunity also provided the students with home stays with students who were deaf in Hawaii. It was an awesome, once in a lifetime experience, to say the least!

My interest in international relations led to participating in the Partners in Education experience in China with Gallaudet University. 

This experience was priceless, and has led to participation in a Ph.D. Program in Comparative International Development Education at the U of MN. My goal is to continue to promote cross-cultural understandings for the deaf and hard of hearing communities in the world. My advice for those interested in traveling with students is watch out! You never know where it will lead you! 

Looking for a great way to capture your travel experiences? 

Two examples of travel journals are found at the Apollo High School web site.

The trips that were taken were both with deaf and hard of hearing programs. 

One was with our high school program, participating in the Close Up Program in Hawaii, spring, 2000. The other trip was with Gallaudet University in Washington, D.C. participating in the Partners in Education conference in China. For more information on either program or how to develop these projects, feel free to e-mail Kathy Johnson at kemjohnson@aol.com.