For Erika Fuerte, an educator from Ciudad Obregón, Sonora, Mexico, the experience began with excitement, uncertainty, and plenty of questions. Today, Erika lives in Phoenix, Arizona, and teaches at Bicentennial South in Glendale, where her journey has become about much more than adapting to a new classroom.
It has been an experience of learning, professional growth, collaboration, and discovering just how much impact a teacher can have on the lives of students.
Through Erika’s story, future international educators can get a closer look at what teaching in a U.S. classroom can really feel like—from the nerves of the first day to finding confidence, building relationships, overcoming challenges, and watching students grow.
From First-Day Nerves to Feeling Welcome
Erika still remembers her first day at school. She was nervous and didn’t know exactly what to expect. Entering a different educational environment meant adjusting not only to a new classroom, but also to new colleagues, expectations, resources, and ways of teaching.
What she remembers most, however, is how welcomed she felt.
Her colleagues, team leaders, and administrators were willing to help from the beginning. She was also surprised by the amount of resources available to educators, particularly professional development and coaching opportunities throughout the school year.
That support became an important part of her experience. Instead of feeling like she had to figure everything out on her own, Erika discovered that collaboration and asking questions were part of becoming successful in her new environment.
What Does a Day in a U.S. Classroom Really Look Like?
For Erika, teaching kindergarten means that no two moments are exactly the same.
Her mornings begin before her students arrive. She likes to get to school early so she can prepare the classroom, turn on her computer and projector, organize materials, and have breakfast ready on the tables. When the bell rings, she greets her students at the door before they put away their backpacks and settle into their morning routine.
From there, the classroom becomes an active learning environment.
One morning might begin with a reading lesson about the zoo. Instead of simply opening a book, Erika introduces the topic through a morning message such as “Good morning, zoologists.” Students then interact with the message by identifying capital letters, recognizing sight words, answering questions, and coming to the board.
Those small interactions became meaningful milestones for Erika. Watching a student recognize a new word or confidently participate in an activity showed her that learning was happening right in front of her.
Throughout the rest of the day, her kindergartners transition between reading, writing, math, specials, independent reading, small-group instruction, lunch, and other activities. Because young students need movement, Erika also uses brain breaks between longer lessons to help keep them active and engaged.
It’s a busy routine, but it also illustrates something important about teaching in a new educational system: you bring your experience with you, while remaining open to learning new approaches.
Learning, Adjusting, and Trying Again
One of Erika’s biggest challenges when she began teaching kindergarten was learning how to structure learning centers effectively. She quickly realized that each center needed to be more than an activity—it needed to have an educational purpose and reinforce what students were currently learning.
Getting there required patience.
Erika remembers staying after school to plan and adjust her centers. If something didn’t work one day, she changed it and tried again. The process took days, weeks, and eventually months before she felt that she truly understood how to plan those activities according to her students’ needs.
That challenge became part of her professional growth.
Teaching internationally doesn’t mean arriving with every answer. It means being willing to observe, adapt, learn from others, and continue improving.
One of the Biggest Differences: Resources and Collaboration
When Erika compares her teaching experience in Mexico with teaching in the United States, one of the differences she highlights most is the availability of resources and support.
That support doesn’t come from just one person. Erika describes being able to learn from coaches, team leaders, administrators, and fellow educators—even teachers outside her own grade level.
If another teacher has an idea that works well, Erika can learn from it and then adapt it for her own kindergarten classroom. That exchange of knowledge has become one of her favorite parts of her experience.
In many ways, this is also cultural exchange happening at a professional level. International teachers bring their own educational experiences and perspectives into U.S. schools while simultaneously learning from the educators around them.
Knowledge moves in both directions.
If Erika could emphasize one lesson from her experience, it would be surprisingly simple: Ask questions.
She admits that teachers can sometimes hesitate to ask for help because they don’t want others to think they don’t know something. Her experience taught her the opposite. Asking questions became one of the ways she learned, adapted, and became more confident.
Erika describes receiving coaching through both her program and her school. She recommends taking advantage of those resources, talking to colleagues, keeping a notebook if necessary, and writing down questions as they arise.
Her message to other educators is important because international teaching requires openness. Experience matters, but so does the willingness to keep learning.
The Moments That Made Everything Worth It
When Erika talks about what has made her proudest, she doesn’t immediately mention her own accomplishments.
She talks about her students.
Seeing how much they grew between the beginning and end of the school year—particularly the children who initially struggled—became one of the most rewarding parts of her experience.
But sometimes the impact showed up in much smaller and more unexpected ways.
Students told Erika they wanted to dress like her or be like her when they grew up. One parent even told her that their child wanted the same air freshener Erika used because they loved the way her classroom smelled.
It sounds like a tiny detail. For Erika, it represented something much bigger.
Her students were paying attention not only to what she taught, but to the environment she created and the person she was in their classroom.
And that helped her realize the influence an educator can have.
Growing as a Teacher—and as a Person
Looking back, Erika sees a very different educator from the one who first arrived in the United States.
She has learned new methodologies, developed her classroom management and planning skills, collaborated with educators from different backgrounds, and become more confident navigating a different educational environment.
But she also describes the transformation as personal.
When reflecting on how much she knew when she first arrived compared with what she knows today, Erika says she can see enormous growth. She credits both the program and her school with contributing to that development.
That is one of the most valuable dimensions of cultural exchange: educators arrive ready to share what they know, but the experience also gives them opportunities to discover new perspectives and continue evolving themselves.
What Erika Wishes She Had Known Before Arriving
At the end of her conversation with IAG, Erika was asked what she wishes she had known before beginning her experience.
Her answer wasn’t about lesson plans, paperwork, or moving to another country.
It was about impact.
She wishes she had known how much of an impact she would have on her students.
There were difficult moments. There were things she had to learn. And there were times when she had to keep adjusting until everything began to make sense. But looking back, she describes the experience as truly amazing.
And if she had the opportunity to do it all over again?
She would. Without a doubt.
More Than Teaching in the United States
Erika’s experience shows why international teaching is about much more than entering a classroom in another country.
It is an opportunity to bring your culture, knowledge, and experience into a new community while also allowing that community to teach you something in return.
For Erika, that has meant learning from colleagues, discovering new teaching approaches, becoming more confident, watching her students grow, and understanding the influence she can have as an educator.
That is what meaningful cultural exchange can look like in real life: teachers sharing what they bring while remaining open to everything they can learn along the way.
Ready to Explore Your Own Cultural Exchange Journey?
If Erika’s story has you wondering what your own experience as an international teacher could look like, you can begin by learning more about the J-1 Teacher Cultural Exchange Program and the requirements for participating through IAG (link a blog requirements)
At IAG, we’re looking for educators who are ready not only to teach, but to learn, share their culture, grow professionally, and create meaningful connections with their students and communities.
Your international teacher story could be the next one we share.
Watch Erika’s Teacher Experience:
Frequently Asked Questions About Teaching in the U.S. as an International Teacher
What is it like to teach in a U.S. classroom as an international teacher?
Every school and teacher experience is different. In Erika’s experience, adapting involved learning new classroom practices, working with new educational resources, collaborating with colleagues, receiving coaching, and becoming comfortable asking questions when she needed support.
What is the J-1 Teacher Cultural Exchange Program?
The J-1 Teacher Cultural Exchange Program gives qualified international educators the opportunity to teach in U.S. schools while participating in a cultural exchange experience. Teachers share their culture and perspectives with students and their school communities while gaining exposure to the U.S. educational system.
Is teaching in the U.S. different from teaching in my home country?
Yes, there can be differences in classroom routines, curriculum, teaching methodologies, school expectations, available resources, and student needs. Part of the cultural exchange experience is learning how to adapt your existing teaching experience to a new educational environment.
Do international teachers receive support while teaching in the U.S.?
Yes. At IAG, support begins before teachers arrive in the U.S. and continues throughout their cultural exchange experience. From guidance and preparation before arrival to ongoing support once teachers are in their schools and communities, IAG is there throughout the journey.
During the program, teachers can also receive support from their schools, including administrators, instructional coaches, team leaders, and fellow educators. As Erika shared from her own experience, having access to coaching, asking questions, and knowing there are people available to guide you can make an important difference when adapting to a new educational environment.
Do I need teaching experience to participate in the J-1 Teacher Program?
Yes. Teachers participating through IAG must have at least two years of teaching experience and meet the other eligibility requirements of the J-1 Teacher Cultural Exchange Program.
What English level do I need to teach in the U.S. through IAG?
A minimum B2 level of English is required. International teachers need to be able to communicate effectively with students, colleagues, administrators, and members of their school community.
Can international teaching help me grow professionally?
Yes. An international teaching experience can expose educators to different teaching methodologies, classroom practices, professional development opportunities, and collaboration with educators from different backgrounds. As Erika’s story demonstrates, the experience can contribute to both professional and personal growth.
What qualities can help an international teacher adapt successfully?
Being open-minded, adaptable, curious, collaborative, and willing to ask questions can make a significant difference. International teaching is not about arriving with all the answers—it is also about being willing to learn, share, and grow throughout the cultural exchange experience.
