Dr. Spencer Salas recently returned from a Specialist assignment in Nepal, and his home institution, UNC Charlotte, recognized his hard work in a article posted to their website.
Dr. Salas’ specialty is in middle and secondary literacy, and his Specialist assignment focused on that area.
“Even if blockbuster fiction series have powered young adult fiction and cinematic markets over the last two decades (e.g., Harry Potter; The Hunger Games; Wimpy Kid), ‘I don’t like to read’ is, nevertheless, a commonplace refrain both in schools and homes. This is as true in Charlotte, North Carolina as it is in Kathmandu, Nepal,” said Dr. Salas.
To combat that attitude, he led programs in teaching reading and writing to secondary school English teachers across three sites in West and Central Nepal
“I loved working with my Nepalese counterparts,” said Dr. Salas. “The biggest take-away for me was the pride Nepalese teachers of English bring to their professional identities as educators, and how that pride elevates their work as an engine for local, regional and national development.”