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New York, NY – Wednesday, January 14, 2009 – The American Turkish Society is proud to announce the arrival of Orhan Dolapci and Gonca Canyurt, teachers from Turkey and this year’s The American Turkish Society – AFS Global Educators. 

The AFS Global Educators Program brings professional educators from around the world into K-12 classrooms throughout the United States. This program provides an excellent opportunity for schools that have an interest in internationalizing their curriculums and bringing the world into their classrooms. Through the program, participating teachers expand their knowledge of other cultures and educational systems while sharing information about their own countries and experiences with their host school communities. This exchange continues when the visiting teachers return to their home countries and share their experiences abroad with their students and colleagues. As a part of its education mission, The American Turkish Society has been in partnership with AFS-USA and supporting the Global Educators Program since 2002.  

Orhan Dolapci, from Istanbul, Turkey, has been teaching English to primary school students and adult English language learners. He received his B.A. in Applied Linguistics from Marmara University and his M.A. in Educational Management and Supervision from Yeditepe University. Orhan is taking a semester sabbatical from his current position T.E.V. Zahide Zehra Garring State Primary School to participate in the AFS Global Educators Program. During the program, Orhan would like to develop his English skills and expand on his professional knowledge as well as share Turkish culture with his host school and community. Orhan will be teaching at Lanier Middle School in Houston, TX. 

Gonca Canyurt has a strong background in mathematics and pedagogy. She has taught arithmetic, geometry, algebra, trigonometry, and calculus at the high school level. She uses presentations, discovery-learning, problem-solving, and group work methods to engage her students. She also emphasizes the practical uses of math to make the subject relevant, such as the importance of calculations in building bridges or buildings. Gonca has also written questions for exams and study guides. She hopes to provide her host school and community with important insights into the Turkish culture and contribute innovative techniques to the mathematics curriculum. Visiting America has been one of Gonca’s greatest dreams and she hopes to leave with improved language skills and new teaching strategies. Gonca will be teaching at Fall River High School in Fall River, WI.

AFS is a world leader in intercultural learning and offers international exchange programs for its students and educators. Operating in more than 50 countries as independent, non-profit organizations, each AFS International partner has a volunteer base, a professionally staffed office, and a board of directors. AFS has been exchanging young people and educators throughout the world for more than 60 years.

Founded in 1949, The American Turkish Society is America’s oldest not-for profit organization seeking to enhance economic, political, and cultural ties between Turkey and the United States. The Society achieves its mission by hosting educational events that bring together government and business leaders, journalists, artists and scholars covering a spectrum of fields. It also initiates and sponsors a variety of education and arts & culture programs, providing fellowships, grants, and other opportunities for educational and cultural exchange between the two countries. The American Turkish Society is a 501(c) 3 charitable organization. Members and friends wishing to make a tax-deductible contribution to American Turkish Society – AFS Global Educators program or to find out more about the The Society’s other initiatives may contact Selen Ucak, Executive Director, at 212.583.7614 or selen.ucak@americanturkishsociety.org.