Patricia Fairclough

Fairclough's program, "Book a Trip Around the World", is a seven-month global literary tour that uses multicultural literature as a catalyst for an in-depth exploration of world cultures. Approximately 650 students, kindergarten through fifth grade, will take a cultural literacy journey around the world to help them appreciate global diversity and actively communicate with children from a variety of cultures. With literature as its staple, students will also gain a new awareness of customs, lifestyles, values, philosophical traditions as well as physical geography. Ultimately, students at each grade level will become immersed in target cultures, develop a life-long love of reading, expand and challenge their awareness of their global community and develop long-term international friendships. According to Fairclough, "Book a Trip Around the World" will be a springboard for curiosity, provide vital research skills and build a sense of unity with the international human community. Fairclough lives in Naranja.