Bethel University professor named first-ever Traveling Teacher of the Year
MCKENZIE, Tenn. — One local educator has been awarded for their international teachings.
“I was so shocked. Stunned really, to receive this news. So incredibly grateful and humbled by the award,” said Stacie Freeman, director of global studies at Bethel university.
Freeman was named the first-ever Traveling Teacher of the Year by Teach & Travel magazine. Freeman says she is still in awe of how she was once imagining the world through National Geographic magazines.
“You look back and all the little things that lead up to the bigger things later, and that for me was one of them–was those early childhood experiences at my grandmother’s house and the Maxgrove Baptist Church Sanctuary really,” said Freeman.
Bethel University’s global studies program offers college students and their dual enrollment students the opportunity to see the world and give back.
“We’ve been traveling with university students since 2011, one of the unique things about it since 2016 is that junior and seniors in high school can come along. So that’s one of the requirements in order for you to earn college credit, but our programs are open to the community,” said Freeman.
They have made a 1.1 million dollar impact on the communities they have served.
“We’re actually headed to Guatemala next month. We’ll be working on a dental hygiene project there. So 10 countries, 600 plus students, over 37,000 hours of service, over the last 15 years or so of working in global studies,” said Freeman.
As of 2022, she helped create the nonprofit Global Citizen Adventure Corp to provide students with assistance to see these sights.
“What we intended when we started Global Citizen’s Adventure Corp, was just that we would reach as many of our rural, Title I, first generation students as possible. We never expected a spotlight to be shown on me or our organization to win any awards,” said Freeman.
After the community service work has been done and the students have arrived home, Freeman says she enjoys reading their reflection essays.
“The essay requires them look at what they’ve done, where they’ve been how they have volunteered, the difference they’ve made, considered what they’ve learned and then to articulate how they’re gonna implement what they’ve learned in another country, in their own home community. Because we still do believe charities start at home,” said Freeman.
Freeman shares that this award and opportunity wasn’t possible without Bethel University.
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