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KANKAKEE – When Danica Garay came to the U.S. to teach at Kankakee High School, about 8,200 miles away from her home country, it was not long until she noticed cultural differences.
In the Philippines, when the teacher walks into the classroom at the start of the day, students will stand up and say “good morning.” Teachers always receive a greeting.
That’s not the case in the U.S.
“I was really gobsmacked with, ‘Oh, they don’t greet their teachers,‘” Garay said. “... They really have high regards for teachers back in the Philippines. They love you, but they fear you at the same time.”
Garay, one of 26 visiting international teachers hired in December to fill gaps for licensed teachers in Kankakee School District 111, is adjusting to working in the U.S. school system.
Although exchanging greetings with teachers is not the norm here, Garay makes a point to offer smiles and friendly words to her students.
Little by little, they’ve started to respond.
“I think consistency is the key,” Garay said. “I’ll say, ‘Hi, good day, good morning.’ They say, ‘What’s up?’ or ‘Hey.’ I think it’s better than no response at all.”
In addition to the Philippines, teachers from the Dominican Republic, Ghana and Guyana are now employed in Kankakee schools, filling roles at KHS as well as Kankakee Junior High, Edison, Taft, Kennedy and King.
They were recruited through a partnership with Peoria Public School District 150 and We Dare to Teach, a program that connects qualified international teachers with U.S. schools facing teacher shortages, particularly in special education.
Cold weather, warm welcome
At the end of the 2023-24 school year, 37% of District 111’s teaching staff were unlicensed, compared with 4% across the state of Illinois.
It’s a particular concern with regard to special education, one of the areas the international teachers were able to bolster.
Superintendent Teresa Lance said she met with the Illinois State Board of Education to better understand the district’s competency-based education waiver, and she was informed that having nonlicensed teachers in special education is against the law.
Districts have been relying on teacher exchange programs for years, regardless of the national shortage, Lance noted, including two of her former districts in Maryland and Colorado.
When Lance brought the idea to Kankakee, she was amazed by the “outpouring of support.”
Staff members have embraced their new colleagues, not only by welcoming them to the community but also by providing recommendations for housing, offering to donate furniture and showing them around the area.
Here to stay
Lance said the goal is for the visiting international teachers to remain in the district permanently if they choose to do so.
They will be able to stay in the country for three to five years on current work visas.
“They’re already getting acclimated – not just to the weather and climate, but they’re learning the community and establishing relationships with colleagues and students,” Lance said.
The level of sacrifice for the teachers to depart from their home countries and families to come teach in Kankakee is inspiring, she added.
Ever since they got started, other teachers seeking to work in the U.S. have been reaching out and expressing interest.
“That level of excitement we’d like to generate locally,” Lance said. “If people right here in Kankakee, Bradley, Bourbonnais want to come work for us, we want to have them.”
Cultural differences
The cultural differences go beyond the classroom.
They extend to cuisine as well.
Jun Dumaguit, who also is from the Philippines and teaching special education at KHS, had a difficult time adjusting to meals without rice as a staple.
In her home country in Southeast Asia, rice is eaten with breakfast, lunch and dinner, even as a snack and dessert.
She’s also been experiencing snow and winter for the first time. In the Philippines, there are two seasons: wet and dry.
Another difference is the use of technology. Some schools in the Philippines still are using chalkboards, unlike the digital white boards in most U.S. classrooms.
“I find it very nice here because all the students are provided with a Chromebook,” Dumaguit said. “They are all advanced in technology.”
Thomas Peprah of Ghana, a country in West Africa, also is adjusting to differences as an English teacher at KHS, which is about 5,600 miles away from home.
“A student [in Ghana] can only talk when he raises his hand and you give him permission, and it should be the right hand,” he said. “I’m learning a lot.”
Like the Philippines, Ghana’s two main seasons are wet and dry. The country’s staple food is fufu, a dough-like food made of boiled and mashed cassava or other root vegetables.
Coming to America
Shadrack Aidoo, also from Ghana, is teaching math at KHS.
His biggest goal is to show students that “math is not difficult.”
“From infancy, I’ve been somebody who loved [information technology],” Aidoo said. “Incorporating IT in learning is something that I’m always happy to do. We use it in Ghana, but it’s not that much.”
In Ghana, only the teacher uses a laptop, while students are putting pen to paper.
It seems the visiting teachers want to learn as much as they want to teach.
“I came here to learn about the culture, and specifically the educational system, because I also want to grow professionally,” Dumaguit said.
One of Garay’s biggest motivators to move to the U.S. was her young daughter, whose race is mixed with Filipino and Black.
She hopes to bring her daughter to the U.S. soon so her daughter can grow up around diversity.
“I want her to be here and see that she might be different in our country, but she looks the same as other people here. It’s normal to have dark skin, it’s normal to have curly hair,” Garay said. “I also want her to feel like she’s part of something bigger than her color and her race.”
Making an impact
Peprah tells his students that they are his priority. He wants them to see him as a colleague, someone whom they can confide in.
Where he is from, what the teacher says is always right. If a student speaks out in a way that contradicts the teacher, the student may be punished.
“When I came in and saw students can express themselves, I said, ‘Good, I think I am in the right place,’” Peprah said.
Aidoo added that he is happy to see how students are treated here.
“I love how the kids are always encouraged,” Aidoo said. “I love how the kids are always motivated. This is a good sign.”
Dumaguit said she wants her students to feel a sense of belonging.
“I want to inspire them to be the best version of themselves,” she said.
Garay said that despite a bit of culture shock, she has had positive experiences.
In the Philippines, respect for the teacher is a given.
But here, she is finding there is no feeling more rewarding than when she has earned her students’ trust.
“You’re not just part of my salary,” she said. “No, I always see my students as someone that I really value. I want to become their safe space and become their inspiration. They will see, yes, Ms. Garay is correct. Education is key for success.”