Me: So, uh, would you introduce yourself—name, job title, and a quick overview of what you do?
Lisa: “Sure! My name is Lisa Fore. I’m in Abingdon, Virginia, where I teach at Abingdon High School. I’m the department chair, and I’m on the executive boards of some state organizations. I teach Spanish I, II, IV, and a Spanish dual enrollment course for six credit hours.”
Me: Dang, that’s a lot.
Lisa: “Yeah, it’s a lot.”
When Lisa Fore first heard about Level Up Village, it sounded like the perfect way to solve a problem she’d been running up against for years: how to give her students in rural Virginia a more global perspective without actually packing them all up and taking them on a field trip to Buenos Aires.
Lisa: “We don’t have a very diverse community where we live. It’s rural—like, very rural—and kids here just don’t get the same exposure to different cultures that kids in cities or on the coasts might have. So, when I heard about Level Up Village, I thought, Yes! I can bring another country and another group of people into our classroom without having to, you know, apply for a grant or charter a plane.”
Me: Right—save the paperwork.
Lisa: “Exactly. We actually do travel. I’ve taken trips abroad the last 3 years. It’s just that not everyone can afford to travel. LUV offers everyone in my class an opportunity for language and cultural exchanges.”
Bags of Milk and Other Life-Changing Moments
Lisa knew the program would have an impact, but even she wasn’t prepared for how much her students would get out of it.
Lisa: “One of the biggest ‘aha’ moments happened during an exchange with a class in Argentina. The Argentine students were showing us around their homes, and when they opened their refrigerators, my students lost their minds.”
Me: Over what?
Lisa: “Bags of milk.”
Me: Bags of milk?
Lisa: “Yep. Apparently, in Argentina, milk comes in bags. My students were like, ‘WHAT is happening?!’ It turned into this whole conversation about food culture—Parrilla—how we grill versus how they grill, how they prepare meals, how their families come together, and of course, Yerba Mate. It was one of those moments where you could see the light bulbs going off.”
It wasn’t just about the differences, though. Lisa’s students also noticed the similarities.
Lisa: “Yeah, sure—the milk is in bags. But they saw that families in Argentina were doing the same kinds of things we do here: grilling out, sitting down together, sharing meals. That’s when they realized—’Oh, people aren’t that different from us, even if their milk comes in a Ziploc bag.’”
Noah, one of Lisa’s students, had a similar reaction during his exchange.
“It was phenomenal in helping me to expand my cultural knowledge and improve my speaking confidence,” Noah said. “It was really interesting to see the similarities and differences in our cultures, like how we celebrate Thanksgiving and Christmas. It was eye-opening.”
Lisa’s students weren’t just watching and learning—they were participating, building real connections.
“I really enjoyed making the weekly videos and showing the other class my town, my hobbies, and even the foods that I enjoy with my family,” Noah added. “It was insightful to see how my peers from around the world live.”
The Power of Peer Pressure (But the Good Kind)
Lisa runs her classroom with a hands-off, you-get-out-of-it-what-you-put-into-it vibe. At first, some of her students were phoning it in—putting in the bare minimum effort. But that didn’t last long.
Lisa: “Once they saw how good the Argentine students’ English was, they were like, ‘Oh, no. We gotta step it up.’ Suddenly, they were coming to me asking how to say things in Spanish, wanting to film better videos, adding more personality.”
Me: Peer pressure working for good—rare, but powerful.
Lisa: “Exactly. And when they saw the Argentine students responding to them and asking questions about our culture, it hit them: This isn’t just a class project. This is real.”
Sam, another one of Lisa’s students, had a similar reaction, underscoring,
“Level Up offers a unique and personal experience that is beneficial for learning a new language and understanding more about another culture,” Sam said. “It’s also a great way to meet students from a different country, learn about their customs and traditions, and discover things we have in common with each other.”
Tech Woes and Workarounds
Of course, running a global classroom exchange isn’t without its challenges.
Lisa: “The school calendars never match up. Our spring break is their exam week. Their national holiday is during our finals. But as long as you’re communicating with your partner teacher, you can work around it.”
Me: What about the tech side of things?
Lisa: “Oh yeah—some kids struggled at first with editing videos. But there’s always one tech-savvy kid who’s like a mini-Spielberg, and they end up teaching everyone else how to use CapCut. It’s this cool side effect — they’re not just learning about culture; they’re learning new skills and helping each other out.”
Me: Wait…Cap…Cut? *sigh* Now I know I’m getting old…
The Unexpected Emotional Investment
Sometimes the exchanges got weirdly emotional.
Lisa: “One time we were paired with a middle school, and my high schoolers totally fell in love with the younger kids. They were like, ‘Aw, they’re so cute! Look at the one with the cool hair, and the one with the adorable little dimple on his chin!’ Suddenly, they felt protective—they wanted to make good videos because they didn’t want to let the little ones down.”
Me: Did they adopt them?
Lisa: “Pretty much! And then when we paired with older Argentine students, it was more competitive. My kids wanted to impress them. They wanted to show them how good their Spanish was.”
“Be Flexible” — and Other Teacher-to-Teacher Advice
Lisa has some straightforward advice for teachers considering Level Up Village:
Lisa: “Be flexible. The program gives you everything you need, but you have to adapt it to your teaching style. Let the students make mistakes. Language and life aren’t perfect. Don’t stress over the small stuff. Most of your partner teachers want this to work as much as you do—so just communicate and roll with it.”
Me: Solid advice. Anything else?
Lisa: “Don’t be afraid to take a hands-off approach. Let the students figure it out. It’s amazing what they’ll come up with when you give them the space to experiment.”
Lasting Impact (And a Little Disappointment)
Even when the program isn’t running, Lisa’s students are still talking about it.
Lisa: “We didn’t get to do an exchange this fall because there weren’t enough partner schools. My dual enrollment class was so disappointed. It’s kind of become a tradition.”
So Lisa showed videos of past exchanges, and that served as great realia—authentic language being spoken by kids their age! Nothing like the real thing, but still a worthwhile collection of media that sparked her students’ curiosity.
Predicting the Future of Virtual Exchange
When I asked Lisa to imagine what virtual exchanges might look like in 10 years, she went full-time travel sci-fi on me.
Lisa: “Okay, I’m old. When I was in college, we barely had computers. Now I can bring someone from Argentina into my classroom through a screen? That blows my mind. What do you think?”
Me: Who knows—maybe in 10 years we’ll have holograms sitting next to each other in a global classroom. Or direct neural implants—just beam the language into your brain.
Lisa: “Right? We’ll be able to have real-time conversations, maybe even take classes together across continents. That’s where this is heading.”
Final Takeaway
When I asked Lisa to sum up the impact of Level Up Village in one word, she didn’t hesitate:
Lisa: “Eye-opening.”
And that’s what it’s all about. Even if it starts with something as small as a bag of milk.
