Guthrie Junior High teacher Bryan Dearing was selected to spend seven weeks in Brazil working along side teachers and other industry leaders.
“My friend asked me back in December if I wanted to go to Brazil. I said sure if someone would pay for me,” Dearing said. “He handed me an application for the Rotary International Group Study Exchange. Now I am off to Brazil.”
The purpose of the GSE program is to promote international understanding and goodwill through person to person contact. As a participant, Dearing will follow an extensive and rigorous schedule of international travel and team activities. Vocational visits will provide opportunities to observe his profession in another country. This experience will allow Dearing to study the country of Brazil and the state of Santa Catarina, and its people, language, and institutions through different cultural experiences.
While in Brazil, the team will give 15 to 20 club presentations about their team and the state of Oklahoma to Rotary clubs in Santa Catarina, as well as other groups, 10 to 15 formal visits and social events, two to three days at the district conference, three to four hours per day of cultural and site tours and three to four hours per day with host families.
“You can imagine how excited my family and I are to have this opportunity! This is truly an experience of a lifetime that will change my life and enhance my leadership skills. As a teacher and a leader in my community it is my responsibility to do everything I can to grow professionally. This Exchange to Brazil will give me tons and tons more professional development than I can from a conference.”
Dearing has set up a Peerbackers site, a blog called: Here Comes Sunshine, and a tumblr account: okiedeadhead, to share his experience with everyone. On his journey through the southern state of Santa Catarina, Brazil, he will learn about the Brazilian culture, discover new places, and forge new friendships that will aid him in the professional growth he needs to better his students.
For more on Dearing’s trip visit http://peerbackers.com/projects/gse-brazil-2012-1220251762/
Just a note and a chuckle, he has a Peerbackers site, not a Peebackers site 😉 The link is right though. Congrats Mr. Dearing! What a wonderful opportunity. Your students will be forever changed by your experiences!
Thank you Stacey – I imagine those are two completely different sites.
Thank you Chris for posting this story! With the amount of support I have gotten already from Guthrie, I am sure that this Exchange will forever change my life as well as those in this community. Thank you again!
http://peerbackers.com/projects/gse-brazil-2012-1220251762