GSE Alum and Fulbright Scholar becomes Global Ambassador
Shifting perspectives to build a more inclusive society begins in the classroom. Driven to make a difference in government and politics, Clare Kelly sought a career in education at the Rutgers Graduate School of Education (GSE).
During her undergraduate studies, Clare realized the importance of children and teenagers learning about the government. Through the Eagleton Institute of Politics’ Darien Civic Engagement Project, she worked with high school students, registering them to vote and teaching them how to be involved with their local government.
“I started to look at education to help students become more aware of the history of our country,” Clare said.
Clare found the GSE’s Five-Year Program with Certification in Social Studies Education (K-12) to be the perfect match after searching for a program which incorporated urban education and culturally responsive teaching.
“I was passionate about making the classroom a place where students are empowered based on their identities,” Clare said. “It’s something I believe in, and the GSE resonated with those ideas and values regarding education.”
As a student at the GSE, Clare’s professors and coursework impacted her desire to become an educator.
“Once I entered the program, I saw how much the GSE goes beyond the general ideas of education to integrate culturally relevant teaching into the curriculum design of all classes and how students are treated,” Clare said. “It reaffirmed everything I had hoped the GSE would offer.”
Clare started student teaching in 2020. It was the beginning of the COVID-19 shutdown when schools transitioned to remote instruction. Although her student teaching experience was limited to Zoom at the time, Clare believes the GSE intentionally matched her and other cohort members to schools that valued them and were willing to help new teachers.
“I still think about those students I taught on Zoom,” Clare said. “They were an amazing group of kids. When I finished my student teaching, my cooperating teacher made me a secret Google classroom where the kids had written letters to me or made little videos and drawings.
Reflecting on my experiences, I always think about how I was so touched by their efforts to show me that they appreciated me, even though I was just beginning my career.”
After graduating from the GSE’s Five-Year Teacher Education Program in 2021, Clare applied for the Fulbright Program, a US government educational and cultural exchange program, to teach abroad in Taiwan.
“I was interested in becoming a teacher in Taiwan because their democracy is new, and I wanted to see how the education systems adapted based on their changing government,” Clare said. “I was inspired by their perseverance and way of life.”
By 2022, Clare began a two-year teaching assignment at an elementary school in Taiwan, where she gained valuable insights from her coworkers as she adjusted to a new culture. She worked with a Taiwanese co-teacher who encouraged her to practice speaking Chinese while the students practiced their English with her.
“It felt like we were all learning together,” Clare said. “One time, I attempted a particularly difficult word. All the kids, who are second graders, gave me a round of applause, which was such a heartwarming moment.”
Clare said she noticed key differences and similarities between Taiwanese and American classrooms. For example, both are affected by outside influences and pressures, such as community, government, and teachers.
“In Taiwan, there’s a big emphasis on collectivist culture and harmony in the classroom,” she said. “There’s a lot of collaboration, and students monitor each other and will tell me immediately if another student is off task as they want to be unified. American classrooms tend to focus on the individual student and cater to their strengths and weaknesses. It’s an interesting shift to witness.”
Typically, the Fulbright program lasts one year before the participant returns to the United States. However, the Taiwanese program, also known as the Foundation for Scholarly Exchange, created more opportunities for professional growth and opened positions for a Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) Advisor.
“When I applied for the advisor position, I thought it would be helpful to leverage my experiences and give back to the program,” Clare said. “Since I would be working with people entering the teaching positions I previously held, I could empathize with them and understand how they were adjusting to the cultural differences of being in a new country.”
In her current position as a TEFL Advisor, Clare creates a collaborative environment for other adults to attend workshops and presentations, offering advice and support to one another as they grow professionally.
“It’s different not being in the classroom, but it is also rewarding to serve as a facilitator and share knowledge on how to handle the situations or challenges other Fulbrighters may face,” Clare said.
She added that as she navigates her new path, she recognizes that every situation has a learning curve.
“As a teacher, I noticed that the first year is always about learning the ropes and figuring out how everything works. During the second year, you start to thrive and make a more meaningful impact,” she said. “Since I am currently in my first year in this new position, I know that by the second semester, I won’t just be treading water—I will be able to swim, too.”