Molly Garthwaite, a Shamong native, will be teaching in India for nine months after accepting the Fulbright U.S. Student Program Award.
Recent graduate of the University of Mary Washington and Shamong native Molly Garthwaite will take her knowledge to India after earning a master’s degree in secondary education and receiving a Fulbright U.S. Student Program Award to India.
Garthwaite will be an English teaching assistant, where she will have her own class of sixth, seventh and eighth graders to teach literature to, as well as spreading cultural knowledge to those students.
Garthwaite was made aware of this opportunity by her basketball liaison and professor, Dr. Dianne Baker, who encouraged her to apply and previously conducted research in Norway through Fulbright. With the deadline approaching in just one month, she had to research multiple countries of interest to find the one she most resonated with.
“I’m gravitated towards India because I don’t know much about it,” Garthwaite said. “The culture is certainly interesting, but I’ve only read about it. I’ve never been there, so that is why I chose it.”
Once she decided on India, she completed a personal statement along with the rest of the application. In November, she found out she had moved on to the second round. In March, she was notified she was to receive the Fulbright U.S. Student Program Award to India.
Garthwaite embarks on her journey on June 23, and will spend nine months teaching children about American culture at Asan Memorial Matriculation Higher Secondary School.
She plans to create a classroom library and to collect books based on what is culturally relevant in American culture, society and politics. She hopes to create learning experiences for the students outside of the classroom by exploring the community via field trips to local book stores, poetry readings outside, hikes, etc.
Garthwaite said, “Teaching is reciprocal. If we’re doing our jobs well, teachers get to learn just as much from students as students can hopefully learn from them.”
To give the students a more authentic impression of American culture, Garthwaite has plans with a friend, who will be teaching in Richmond City Public Schools in the upcoming school year, to have their classrooms connect through Skype, podcasts and letters. The goal for Garthwaite is for her students to have an impression of American culture that is beyond just their impression of her.
“It’ll be less teaching English as a second language and more teaching English through the context of America and our culture, so I’m more of an ambassador of sorts between India and the U.S.,” Garthwaite said.
Two other students from the University of Mary Washington were accepted into this program. One will be teaching in South Africa, and the other will be conducting research in Bulgaria. However, there are 12 students from other universities flying to different parts of India to complete their programs.
Garthwaite reached a turning point in what she wanted to do with her future after spending time with her 12th-grade English teacher at Seneca High School, Beth Strittmatter. She spent many lunch periods of her senior year speaking with Strittmatter, piquing her interest in teaching.
After Garthwaite’s time in India, she hopes to find a part-time substitute teaching position in the Lenape Regional High School District before exploring full-time opportunities in Virginia.
Long term, she has aspirations to return to school to become a lawyer for kindergarten through 12th graders, to act as an advocate for students and make them aware of the educational policies and the rights they are protected under.
In the meantime, she will be spreading her knowledge of literature and American culture to her students in India.
“I’m most looking forward to meeting my students, I can’t wait,” Garthwaite said. “I’m so excited to meet them, that right now it’s difficult to be nervous.”
