From the Classroom to the Country: Exploring the Global Course
By: Emma Travers
In a unique class at Jenks Middle School, students take learning to a new level. Students spend 6 months rigorously studying the culture, history, and language of a specific country. Then in February they get to experience an unforgettable trip where they visit the country they have spent months studying. That class is known as Global.
Morgan Brown, the 8th grade Arts and Humanities Global teacher, explained to me all the ins and outs of Global.
Believe it or not, this program was actually formed in a van in China. In 2015 Jenks Middle School took a group of eight students and three staff members to China with their Chinese exchange program. Brown, a brand new teacher at Jenks, was selected to go on this trip because she had a passport and was involved in a similar program at her previous school.
Though it was a great program, Brown, while still in China, was already thinking about ways they could make it better. She wanted students to get a wider view of the Globe instead of traveling to the same country every year. She also wanted students to know what they were looking at while being in a foreign country.
“The kids didn’t know what they were looking at, they knew the language but not the history. And I would like for them to know both,” said Brown when explaining why she wanted to change the program.
Brown and principal Nick Brown talked about the format of the class, where they would go, when they should travel, and where they should travel. And when they got home to Jenks they started recruiting for the first year of Global.
There are two sections of the Global course. The Arts and Humanities section taught by Brown, and the Science and Agriculture section taught by Stephen Tillinghast. The Science and Agriculture section started in year three when the program went to Central Europe.
The Global program went to the Netherlands their first year but since then have been to Argentina, Central Europe, Greece, Japan, Germany, Ecuador, Portugal, and now 9 years later are traveling to Ireland in February 2025.
“We’ve got lots of plans,” said Brown when telling me about her goals for the future of Global.
Global isn’t just traveling though, throughout the year students take extremely detailed notes and do projects. It’s no easy task for Brown either, as she comes up with her own curriculum every year that revolves around the country they are going to. Immediately after she gets back from the trip she starts researching the next country so she can make her lesson plans.
“I read 2-6 books every summer, two history ones to get a well rounded perspective on the history and then a few art ones,” said Brown about creating her own curriculum from scratch.
Ethan Logan (11), was on the sixth Global trip to Germany. Logan is very appreciative of the entire Global course, and is especially thankful for Mrs. Brown and her lectures.
“The lectures and the in-depth nature of those lectures was eye opening and greatly beneficial to my high school career,” said Logan.
The Cologne Cathedral in Cologne, Germany.
Pic creds: Ethan Logan
Finally, after 6 months of long and detailed notes, the trip arrives.
However, the Global class doesn’t always get to visit their country in February, sometimes worldwide Pandemics get in the way. In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic had shut down the majority of the World. COVID hit right after the Greece trip, but it really impacted the class going to Japan.
The Japan Global students studied largely from their homes as Jenks was doing distance learning for the majority of that school year. Come February, Japan was completely shut down to travelers. A year passed, and then another, and still no chance for traveling. The trip was not canceled but few students stayed signed up for the trip because it was just taking too long. Then, in the summer after the students’ Sophomore year, the students reunited and finally got to visit Japan.
That wasn’t the only trip COVID impacted. In January of 2022, the Germany Global students learned they wouldn’t get to travel weeks before departure. With the ongoing Pandemic and war between Ukraine and Russia, the trip was postponed to that Summer. In July of 2022 the Global class traveled to Germany.
The Heidelberg Castle in Heidelberg, Germany.
Pic creds: Sydney Koetter
COVID didn’t impact the seventh Global trip, but instead they went to an entirely different country than they had been studying. Throughout the year the students had been studying the country of Peru. In December the Peruvian government collapsed. The trip was changed to Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands. They still got to visit in February but it was a little bit different because they hadn’t been studying Ecuador all year.
A waterfall in Quito, Ecuador.
Pic creds: Owen Farver
While Global has had a few different years of travel, the trip still remains a highlight of the class.
Sydney Koetter (11), was on the sixth Global trip to Germany. Koetter loved this class because she got to be in it with some of her best friends and go to a country that had always intrigued her. But what she loved most was when she was there and she got to see things that she remembered learning about in class.
“We got to connect things we learned to what we saw in Germany,” said Koetter.
Friendships are such a large factor of this class as well. Around 26 students are accepted into the Arts and Humanities course every year. Throughout the course of the year, you grow relationships with the students you are with which makes the trip 10 times more enjoyable.
Grant Koetter (9), was on the eighth Global trip to Portugal. Koetter watched as his sister went through the program and knew when he got to 8th grade he wanted to be in it. Now as a freshman Koetter is thankful for the new view of the World and the friendships he gained from this class.
“My favorite thing about Global was building relationships with the people I was with and experiencing a whole different culture with those people,” said Koetter.
The Batalha Monastery in Batalha, Portugal.
Pic creds: Grant Koetter
Many would say that a teacher is what makes or breaks a class. In this case, Brown is what makes the class what it is. Throughout the 9 year span of Global, Brown has impacted hundreds of students and will continue to impact them as long as she teaches. Brown puts so much effort into not only making that class a fun place to be but also extremely educational.
Owen Farver (10), was on the seventh Global trip to Ecuador. Farver loved how the class was set up and how much Brown cared about them learning.
“It makes everything a lot better and smoother in a class when the teacher is enthusiastically gifted at leading like Mrs. Brown is,” said Farver.
Karoline Howell (10), was also on the seventh Global trip to Ecuador. Howell loved having Mrs. Brown and getting to be a part of this class.
“She gives you chances to express how you feel,” said Howell.
A young girl at her family farm in Guatemala.
Pic creds: Karoline Howell
This course is such a gift to be a part of and any past Global student could tell you that. Throughout the year, you learn endless amounts of new information, grow friendships, and end it going on a wonderful trip. Global holds a special place in my heart as I got the chance to be in the class the year they went to Germany. I would recommend applying to all the incoming 8th graders, you won’t regret it.
If you want to learn more about Global, visit the Jenks Middle School Facebook page. Or find a past Global student and ask them about their experience, those students will never run out of stories to tell.
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