Approximately 15-20 student teachers from the College of Education participate each year in the Consortium for Overseas Student Teaching (COST). The unique association allows the opportunity for students to complete student teaching requirements in English speaking and non-English speaking schools across the globe for an entire semester. Popular sites visited by students include New Zealand, Australia, South Africa, and Europe. This site strives to highlight students' experiences working and living abroad and how their experiences have contributed to a broader global perspective in the classroom.

"I learned that I can grow so much through experiences that challenge me and place me outside of my comfort zone. It was nice to see that I could, in fact, adjust to a new country by myself and stretch myself to learn and teach within it.

This has been a wonderful experience that has enabled me to see new things both within the classroom and in New Zealand. I have had the incredible opportunity to see so many things I may otherwise never have seen, and I have been challenged to teach in a classroom of a different culture. It opened my eyes to the ways that people are so alike and many ways that our lives are different.

I am more comfortable in the classroom, and I have gained so much confidence in myself. This experience has taught me to be flexible and adaptable."

"Old Yarranlea State School is a one-room school house, and I would often teach outside under a covered area or on the front veranda, and I loved it! I have learned how to format lessons that reach a wide range of ages and to group students in order to make the best learning environment possible for all.

The most rewarding experiences would be the opportunity to teach in such a unique environment. I found I was truly tested and pushed by teaching in a bush school. I have grown professionally and have become more confident not only in teaching but in my decisions as well. I have learned how to communicate with the parents and how to organize field trips, treat injuries, and different classroom management strategies. I have also learned how to teach a variety of ability levels."

"From this experience, I have really developed a liking for the planning aspects of education. I enjoyed planning curriculum even before coming to South Africa, but preparing my own lessons each day allowed me to delve into the process even greater. It is perhaps in this direction that my career as an educator will go in the future.

I have really enjoyed conducting my soccer referee course. Every Monday since I arrived in Cape Town, I have been teaching a small group of four boys and one girl the fundamentals of soccer refereeing. At my first meeting with the sports director, I floated the idea of holding a soccer referee course to which the response was delightful."

"This student teaching experience has taught me a lot about myself, and the teacher I am becoming. One of the ways that I have grown as a teacher is learning how to deal with classroom management. I have settled into my own “teaching skin” and I am really ready for a teaching job of my own. I have become the teacher I want to be, all because of the wonderful interactions with the people surrounding me in Australia.

My global awareness has changed since being here in Australia. I now look at the world in a different light. We need to open the children’s eyes to the world and show all that it has to offer."

"Rustenburg Girls’ Junior School was very special. The students and entire staff combined to make it a wonderful school and definitely one of the best in Cape Town. I felt fortunate to have completed my student teaching there. My cooperating teacher was such a talented teacher, and I really admired the way she handled her class.

I have definitely realized how sheltered Americans are and from this experience I will try to teach others to be more aware of what is going on in the rest of the world because it is important to know about global issues. I want my students to know that not all of Africa is like what most Americans perceive it to be, as if lions and elephants were running all over the streets. South Africa is a beautiful country, and I will always remember the experiences I had here."

"I participated in an Afrikaans rap competition. I agreed reluctantly but by the end of the competition, in front of 100 plus students, I was in a beat box showdown with a 9th grader. For several days afterward, students I had never talked to passed in the hall congratulating me and saying, “good job in the rap competition, Mr. Broderick.” By doing something I normally would have been embarrassed to do, I made myself accessible to the students."

I think that after student teaching, I have gained a new perspective on teaching as a career. Before starting, I felt that I was somewhat idealistic about how and what I would be doing as a teacher. Since my experience in Cape Town, I now see that teaching is hard work with rewards that are not always apparent.”