UW Jackson School of International Studies Visits 8th Grade Global Studies

The 8th grade has been studying governance and global economics. Yes, they know all about the WTO, IMF, WB, UN Millennium Development Goals, outsourcing, micro-lending, fair trade, and arguments for and against globalized economics!

To add a sense of the great academic, service, travel, and employment opportunities awaiting them outside the walls of the Global Studies classroom, on Thursday, May 8, the 8th grade class enjoyed a blast of higher education from four students from the University of Washington's Jackson School of International Studies.

This energetic and well-informed quartet of political science students broke the students into three groups to study apparel, mining, and coffee industries in Guatemala. Our visitors had all traveled to Guatemala to study last summer.
Studying statistics, first hand accounts, and photographs, our students learned about the hazards and limitations of marginal employment, and the struggles of labor organizers in Guatemala. They also explored solutions to be pursued here in the U.S. Finally, each of the three groups presented a poster outlining issues and solutions for the class.

The class ended with 8th graders asking questions to learn more about the wide world of study and career opportunities awaiting them in global affairs and the growing green economy.

Connor designed a lovely thank you card for the class to sign, and Ben heard back from one Jackson School student that she was so inspired by their level of engagement, enthusiasm and intelligence that was now redirecting herself towards teaching. Well done, 8th grade!