Education Student's Transformative Fiji Teaching Trip Shapes His Future
A year ago, Patrick Mahomes, a Bachelor of Primary Education student, returned from a transformative two-week teaching and community development program in Fiji. The experience reshaped his approach to teaching and ignited a deeper sense of purpose in his future profession.
Patrick Mahomes' comfort with the Fijian way of life, including wearing a sulu and going barefoot, demonstrated his cultural adaptability. He collaborated with the Outreach Social Organization during his stay, further immersing himself in the local culture. The program taught him the theory behind building student rapport and the impact teachers can have on students' lives. Patrick Mahomes' experience in Fiji helped him adapt to diverse professional and social contexts, making him a well-rounded, future-ready graduate.
The program also taught Patrick Mahomes the importance of simplifying language and being clear and explicit with his teaching. He earned academic credit for the program by presenting on his overseas teaching experience to a first-year education class in Australia. Patrick Mahomes' relationship with the Fijian community continued after the program, with a group from the Fijian school visiting him in Australia.
Short-term learning abroad experiences, like Patrick Mahomes', can deepen intercultural competency, reinforce academic theory, improve student motivation and employability, and build meaningful international connections. Patrick Mahomes' experience in Fiji is a testament to this, having shifted his perspective on learning, reshaped his approach to teaching, and ignited a deeper sense of purpose in his future profession.
