ESN Participants Win Fulbright TEA Program

The Fulbright Teaching Excellence and Achievement (TEA) Program brings secondary-level teachers of English, English as a Foreign Language, math, science, and social studies, including special education teachers in those subjects, to the United States for a six-week program to take academic seminars for professional development at a host university and to observe and share their expertise with teachers and students at the host university and at local secondary schools.

The program consists of general academic seminars focusing on new teaching methodologies, student-centered learning, content-based instruction, lesson planning, and instructional technology training for teachers. The program also includes a practicum of at least 40 hours with a U.S. partner teacher in a secondary school near the host university to actively engage participants in the U.S. classroom environment. Cultural enrichment, mentoring, and support are provided to participants throughout the program. The program provides participants with practical resources they can use in their teaching, as well as skills to train trainers.

After returning home, teachers who successfully complete the program will be eligible to apply for small grant awards for essential teaching materials, follow-on training for other teachers, collaborative projects between participating American schools and their home schools, and other activities that build on the exchange experience.

Zulfizar Mansurova, a Core Trainer from Fergana, has always admired the Fulbright program and its participants. She regularly followed information about the program on social networks and on the websites of the American Councils. "I have always been on the move with the goal of being awarded for this program. "Congratulations you are a Fulbright finalist!" What an amazing feeling to read this email message. I remember reading it over and over to make sure it was true or not," she says.

Her destination for Fulbright TEA is Montana State University. The program date in the USA; September 13-October 27, 2022. She has a lot of expectations from it, hoping that it will give her the opportunities to acquire and exchange unforgettable experience and skills with other teachers. 

"The ESN (English Speaking Nation) program, I am currently working on has had a huge impact on my achievement. The reason is that I, as a Core Trainer in this project, had the chance to study courses organized by the most experienced TESOL instructors, which caused me to change my perspective on teaching. My confidence and experience in professional and academic skills have increased. Before I applied to the ESN project, I had no idea that it would have a lot of possibilities on the development of my professional career. With the motivation of experienced Couches, ESN team, friends and American Council support, I took a step forward towards the goal. After one achievement, the other achievements follow. The ESN program is my first step and next is Fulbright award for my success. So, always take advantage of every opportunity to develop your profession.

Of course, it takes hard work, persistence, self-belief, determination, and sometimes sleepless nights to achieve this success, but once you are selected as a program participant, you will forget all of that, and you will be full of joy. What you have achieved will inspire you, motivate you to strive for more innovations, if only you keep moving forward.

I express my gratitude to the American Councils, ESN staff, my dear Couches and our country, who supported and encouraged me to achieve such achievements," she notes.

Umidakhon Usmonova is also a Core Trainer in Fergana region winning the Fulbright TEA program. "Any teacher who is eager to update himself/herself in an English teaching field knows the Fulbright TEA program for sure. You admire the teachers who were in the US through the Fulbright TEA program and scroll through the photos of them with enthusiasm dreaming of yourself one sunny day there. I had the same experience and applied for the TEA program many times. Each failure taught me how to clearly express my goal and experience. The 7th try was successful, and I have been nominated as a Fulbright TEA finalist for the 2022 Fall," she recalls.

Her firm conviction is that the experience and knowledge which she will learn in the program will foster teachers in their professional field as well as will be unforgettable in their life which is more than studying at a single university. Since there will be representatives from more than 65 countries around the globe.

"I can say with confidence, that the knowledge and experience I have acquired in the ESN project served as a springboard to my success. I believe to come back with personal and professional experience and apply it in the field of enhancing the English language in Uzbekistan. To my peers, I want to say that never stop dreaming and learn from your failures," she notes.

Another finalist of Fulbright TEA program is Dilnoza Tojiboeva. She has been working as an English teacher at school number 13 in Margilan for 4 years. She is a Regional Peer Mentot (RPM) of ESN program. She was nominated as a fellow of Fulbright TEA 2021-2022 program organized by US Embassy. "The selection process was intense. It consisted of 3 stages: application process, interview and TOEFL ibt test. There were many excellent candidates. I strained to be a successful candidate and I managed it," she says.

"During the interview I shared my experience within the ESN project since I participated ESN workshops and trainings. I felt these workshops conducted by ESN played an important role in my personal and professional growth which helped me to be selected for the Fulbright program.

I hope Fulbright TEA program will be a key of my professional development. This program will bring teachers from different countries to the US to take academic seminars for professional development. I will study general academic seminars focusing on innovative methodology there. Moreover, this program will include practicum with US partner teacher in a secondary school. I am very grateful that I have an opportunity to observe and share their expertise at local secondary school. I believe this experience will be beneficial for every student and every teacher in my community after coming back my home institution. I am going to conduct seminars for teachers in Margilan to share all my knowledge which I gain in the US. I would like to improve gender equality in Margilan. I really want every girl has her own position in the society. 

My advice for my collegues and peers is never give up. Your tenacity leads you bright future. It is high time to go ahead. 

I would like to tell my huge thanks for US Embassy, ESN staff and principal of school 13 in Margilan. If you hadn't been in my life, I would have never achieved my goal," Dilnoza notes.

Nazira Nasimova, an RPM of ESN program, wins Fulbright TEA 2022-2023. She got to about the Fulbright program from her colleagues who are also part of the ESN program: Ms Umida Usmanova and Nilufar Nosirova. They were the finalists of this program and their success motivated her to apply for Fulbright TEA for the spring term of the program. She will spend two months of winter in one of the states which will be appointed by the program in 2023.

"Before 2020 I was an ordinary teacher at school who dedicated her whole free time after work to train applicants for entrance exams of universities. Even though I had heard about a lot of successful teachers who won different programs, I was the one who thought that winning that kind of programs or grants was beyond my ability. It was when I heard about the ESN program at the teacher training institute, everything changed in one day. After the presentation about the ESN program, I decided to apply. When all the process of teaching the ESN teachers began, I realized that I had found the best opportunity to develop professionally. I met so many experienced coaches and the best educators of my country. I have filled the gaps in my teaching and found the answers to my questions. It was in this program where I met the alumni of the Fulbright program who encouraged me to apply for it. The opportunity given to me to be a member of the ESN program was a life changing one which was one of the key factors which helped me to be a finalist of the Fulbright program. The ESN program helped me to believe in my abilities and thanks to it I became a confident person who can make difference in people’s life by providing qualitative teaching. 

I really want to tell all my colleagues to never stop learning and use every chance that is granted to them. Because life is short, therefore, we should try to make positive difference in people’s lives. There is always progress in life where educators of the country are active life-long learners," she says.