Seattle Times / By Richard Martin, Seattle Times assistant metro editor
Last week's World Trade Organization anniversary offered area students another close-to-home lesson on global issues.
But it should be viewed as much more than marches, demonstrations and bottles thrown at police, said Larry Dohrs of Global Source Network, a Seattle-based nonprofit educational-outreach organization.
Today, the organization is bringing together WTO supporters and critics at University Preparatory Academy in Seattle to talk to teachers about lessons from the WTO experience.
"Obviously, there's too much focus put on relatively minor side activities surrounding WTO demonstrations and so forth," Dohrs said. "Some of the debates have been well-represented, but that doesn't mean they make it to the classroom level."
The key, he said, is giving teachers the tools to talk about the issues.
"I think teachers have to be really well-informed about what's going on in the world today. We have to see how the world is changing," said Katharine Finks, a sixth-grade social-studies and English teacher at the Overlake School in Redmond.
While many students are encouraged to keep up with world events, it's especially important for teachers to be able to answer their questions.
"When kids ask questions, when they come in and want to know something, that's when they're really learning," said Finks, who will serve as a facilitator at the workshop.
Among the scheduled panelists are Ray Waldmann, co-chair of the Seattle WTO host organization; Juan Bocanegra of the Labor & Employment law office; David Batker of the Asia-Pacific Environmental Exchange; and Barbara Parker of the Seattle University School of Business.The program is open to all educators. The registration fee is $10 and includes a resource packet with topical information, lesson plans and a book on the study of globalization. Though space is limited to about 40 participants, Dohrs said a five-day institute on globalization and social responsibility will be offered in July. For more information, call Dohrs at 206-781-8060.:
