Bronzeville Classical Elementary School Educator Prepares for Enriching Fulbright Experience

Most teachers look forward to summer vacation, but, this year, Ms. Nia Curtis is anticipating a summer unlike any other. Through the Fulbright-Hays program, she will be spending four weeks in South Africa. While she’s been there before, this trip will specifically focus on bringing Zulu culture and healing practices back to her school. 

She’s the only primary school teacher on the trip, so she offers a unique perspective that will benefit her fellow travelers, who are college professors and secondary teachers. Her days will consist of lectures, exploring museums, and even directly connecting with members of Zulu tribes. 

We connected with Ms. Curtis to learn more about how this experience will positively impact her first-grade classroom and school as a whole. Read more below.

What is your vision for incorporating this experience into your classroom and school?

One of our units is about ancient groups of people, so I think this will be a great opportunity to incorporate the Zulu culture into its lessons, since it has been around for a long time. We can explore how the Zulu people gathered and grew their population. Our school is also big on adult SEL, so I think learning about the Zulu people’s healing practices would allow me to bring that information back as a lesson for our staff. 

Why is adult SEL so important at your school? 

We all know that the job of a teacher is never-ending. I’m grateful that my administration values taking care of your mental health. It oftentimes is hard to step away from our jobs because we’re so passionate about our students. However, we need to take care of ourselves first so that we can be there for them. 

Why is exploring different cultures in the classroom part of your approach to teaching? 

It’s important for my students to be global learners. As a first grader, you’re developing your worldview, and, at first, that worldview is just Chicago. Teaching them about other parts of our world can help them be more tolerant, more compassionate, and become better leaders. Having diversity and cultural awareness being the basis of their learning can help them contribute to creating a people-first world. 

What is your message to your students for the rest of the school year? 

I want them to remember that it’s very important to be intentional and value others. While I haven’t told them about this trip yet, I want to emphasize to them that I’m taking advantage of this opportunity because I want to value other cultures and be intentional about learning more about them. I am exhibiting our core values, and I know that they can, too.