Wheaton senior wins Fulbright to teach in Taiwan

NORTON--Wheaton senior Laura Burr, a psychology major and elementary education minor from South Glastonbury, Conn., has been awarded a Fulbright scholarship to teach English in Taiwan.

Now serving as a student teacher in the fifth grade at the Yelle Elementary School in Norton, Burr student-taught in a Danish kindergarten during the spring of her junior year and is eager for more cross-cultural classroom experience.

"In Copenhagen, I taught in a very diverse part of the city, where ninety-five percent of the students were from Arabic-speaking countries," Burr said. "It was an eye-opening experience. That's part of what drew me to Taiwan, because I learned that communication doesn't stop with language."

Intent on a career in educational reform, Burr said that experience as a classroom teacher is essential for any successful administrator. Being able to observe the school systems of different countries will help her expand her knowledge of effective educational practices, she said.

"Denmark doesn't have a perfect system, nor does the United States. I'm sure Taiwan won't either. I want to open myself up to the experience, both educationally and personally, so I will be able to combine the best elements of each system."

Burr has also served as a teacher and program planner in the Art4Life arts education program in Portland, Oregon, and she has student-taught in the Glastonbury public schools during January breaks. At Wheaton, she has been a student leader through her work as a senior peer academic advisor. She is also a member of the all-female Whims a cappella group, serving as its music director for the past two years.

"The Whims are second only to academics for me," she said. "I came to Wheaton wanting to be part of something, and when I was accepted into the group, I made it my goal to take on a leadership role and help it grow. We're constantly trying to develop into a better and more sophisticated group."

A dean's list student since her freshman year, Burr is a member of Psi Chi, the national honor society in psychology, and of the Wheaton Education Club. She is the recipient of the Livengood Family Scholarship, one of the college's donor-endowed scholarships.

Burr is one of five Wheaton scholars to receive a Fulbright so far this year. Wheaton's other Fulbright scholars are Shanita Gopie '07, Rose Maizner '06, Sarata Toriola '07 and Laura Tschop '07.