How My Students Found Their Voice Through Global Learning

This story was published by a Voices of Change fellow. Learn more about the fellowship here.

Consider the scene: I am an English teacher in a Title I school in Chicagoland with a predominantly Latino, immigrant and first-generation student population. It’s a diverse environment where the stakes are high for students. Because of this, I carry more than just content and pedagogy into my classroom. I carry the culture, resilience and a responsibility to ensure that my students, many of whom are navigating linguistic barriers and often feel invisible in a curriculum that is almost entirely English-based, don’t just survive school, but thrive in it.

In today’s evolving global society, creating a culturally responsive and globally competent curriculum is essential. For students who often feel disconnected from dominant narratives that are taught in classrooms, a curriculum that acknowledges their history, honors their lived experiences and positions them as global citizens is truly transformational. This I have seen firsthand.

Before I came to Morton East High School, I got to experience how powerful global education can be in building bridges between students and teachers across borders. As a Fulbright Global Scholar through the Teachers for Global Classrooms program in India, and later as a Youth Ambassador Mentor in Argentina through World Learning and the U.S. Department of State, I got the opportunity to examine the school systems in these countries while engaging in the local culture. In India, I taught poetry and identity with high school students; it was magical to hear their finished poems regarding their unique individuality in that part of the world. In Argentina, I was able to lead a group of ambitious teens, and I also observed the school system in Puerto Rico. Staying in host homes, observing the culture and creating an education justice project inspired by my travels left a significant impact on me as an educator and practitioner.

These explorations showed me that education isn’t confined by state lines or country borders. It is a shared human pursuit, and my students deserve to feel part of that. Once I got back to my home school, I was determined to bring that international energy into my classroom. Our student body was already rich with community cultural knowledge and lived experiences that mirrored the complexities I discovered in education communities abroad. I saw an opportunity to leverage that and build a curriculum rooted in culturally responsive teaching, with global competency at the center.

Global Perspectives in Practice

This past school year, in AP Seminar, my sophomore students explored the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as part of their research projects. Working in collaborative groups, they selected a specific SDG that resonated with them, examined its global implications and how the goal can be localized for sustainable impact. From gender equity to climate action, students dove into the history of these issues, identified which communities were most affected and brainstormed how they could make change. This also broke open some of the most colorful conversations about how it impacted their communities in real time. For example, students discussed immigration and how our communities are often discriminated against in the workforce and the justice system. These issues were connected to multiple SDGs, including reduced inequalities and decent work and economic growth.

One of the most powerful moments came when we partnered with nonprofit United Planet, collaborating with students and educators in Nigeria. Sitting together in our school library, my students connected virtually between continents. They listened, shared and asked questions, not as passive learners, but as equal participants in a global conversation. The joy and empathy that emerged from this exchange were palpable. Their curiosity regarding this part of the world moved them and inspired them to think of a world outside of their own, which, in and of itself, rendered a powerful outcome.

We culminated this project with “Advocacy Day” in Springfield, Illinois, where my students decided to focus on quality education, one of the SDGs, and brought it to life through civic engagement and social responsibility. Local organizations like Corazón and Advance Illinois sponsored our field trip and even came into our classroom to train us on advocacy skills and how to effectively communicate with our state representatives.

Once we arrived in our state’s capital, I took the mic and spoke at the rally in front of my students and a sea of dedicated school communities across Illinois. Then, we all gathered inside and the students spoke with their elected officials and advocated for increased evidence-based funding for Illinois schools, turning global learning into local action while I stood by in admiration.

To see their confidence rise as they communicated their recommendations for better schools and protested with their signs was inspiring and electrifying. They found their voices and their power without teacher instruction, and I was here for it.

Building Global Roots in My Local Community

For many of my students, this curriculum is the first time they’ve seen themselves as knowledge-holders, problem-solvers or even leaders. By exploring issues that reflect their lived realities and seeing how these connect to global issues, they are not only learning, they are becoming more courageous, empathetic and civic-minded. They’re developing research skills, practicing public speaking and understanding that their voices matter, both in and beyond their communities.

Perhaps most importantly, they’re developing a global lens, one that encourages critical thinking, cultural curiosity and collective impact. These are not just academic outcomes — they are tools for life in a global society.

As a Latina educator, daughter of immigrants and someone who lives in the same district I currently serve, this work is deeply personal. Incorporating a global and culturally responsive framework has reignited my own sense of purpose and unwavering passion. It has reminded me why I chose this profession, not just to teach English, but to affirm, equip and amplify the voices of the students entrusted to me.

This framework has also challenged me to collaborate more with outside networks and organizations, and advocate at higher levels for the tools and policies our students need to triumph. It’s reminded me that transformation is possible, not just in our students, but in ourselves as educators.

There is no magical equation for equity in education, but global education is a powerful starting point. When we establish our curriculum in cultural relevance and global competence, we open doors for our students that systemic barriers often try to close. When we take bold steps toward dismantling a curriculum that is singular in voice and void of civic and global frameworks, we create incredible learning opportunities for students. It’s not about exposure for exposure’s sake. This is about cultivating belonging, agency and critical hope one lesson at a time.

For my students and for our futures, I will keep pushing forward as I continue to deconstruct a curriculum that no longer serves us. Culturally responsive, globally-minded education is not just good pedagogy, it’s justice personified.