Inspiring Teachers through Fulbright-Hays

In June, we welcomed back 12 of the 16 elementary school teachers who attended the 2021 Fulbright-Hays seminar in Iceland. This 10-day follow-up seminar gave grantees an opportunity to deepen their connections, explore Iceland further and add to their learning experience. There was an Arctic seminar at the University Centre of the Westfjords, a meeting at the Primary School of Ísafjörður, meetings with education officials in Hafnarfjörður and Reykjavík and a meeting at the Ministry of Education. The U.S. teachers also had opportunities to connect with Icelandic teachers for discussions on art education, the use of technology in the classroom, teaching students from diverse backgrounds, teaching the local language to students of foreign origin, and more. The group also toured the Westfjords and the Snæfellsnes Peninsula. Former MP Sigríður Anna Þórðardóttir and her husband Jón Þorsteinsson gave the group a tour of Grundarfjörður and generously invited them to their summer house for refreshments.

The teachers had a very special surprise guest at their farewell lunch. Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board Chair Donna Brazile joined them at the old Reykjavík harbor and the group was excited to share experiences with such a distinguished representative of the Fulbright Program.

We thank the U.S. Department of Education for making this follow-up seminar possible. We look forward to following the curriculum development that comes out of this and are grateful for the opportunity to work together to create value for children.

Interested in reading the full schedule for the seminar? Click here.