International Educators Meet President Carter

On May 13th, International Education Program (IEP) fellows currently studying at Georgia Southern University in Statesboro, Georgia traveled to the town of Plains, where they met with President Jimmy Carter and his wife Rosalynn. While in Plains, IEP fellows had the opportunity to attend President Carter's Sunday School Class at Maranatha Baptist Church. The fellows also visited Plains High School, where both President and Mrs. Carter had studied.

The fellows all expressed gratitude for this rare opportunity. Sidi Mohamed Oubit of Morocco commented, "The way that Mr Carter interacted with the audience, the way he explained his ideas and the confidence he [was] speaking in is very beneficial to any teacher, especially those who teach English as second or foreign language."

Initiated in 2005, the International Educators Program (IEP) brings outstanding secondary teachers from the Near East, South Asia, and Southeast Asia to the United States to further develop expertise in their subject areas, enhance their teaching skills, and increase their knowledge about the United States. Participants attend a semester-long, academic program at US universities, which includes coursework and intensive training in teaching methodologies, curriculum development, and the use of technology for education. IEP is a program of the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the US Department of State.