MONROE - Some people develop a desire to travel from adolescence, which native Neil Whitehead found to be true after living in Peru as a foreign exchange student through AFS Intercultural Programs while attending Monroe High School in the mid-80s.
"It just got me interested in overseas and then I read this newspaper called the 'International Educator' and got me interested in looking at teaching overseas," Whitehead said, recalling his time in South America and interest in working internationally.
Whitehead graduated from MHS in 1987 and went on to attend the University of Wisconsin-Madison. In 1991, he graduated with a bachelor of science in mathematics, certified to teach. At first, Whitehead taught in Kenosha for three years, where he earned a bachelor's degree in Spanish from Carthage College. He also holds a bachelor's in physics from Montana State University, and a master's degree in international teaching from Framingham State University of Massachusetts.
Following his time in eastern Wisconsin, Whitehead attended a job fair in Iowa and found out about his opportunities to teach globally.
"My first spot was in Puerto Rico and it was about two blocks from the beach, so I thought, 'this is pretty nice," Whitehead said, likening the experience to a working vacation because of the coastal proximity.
Then, he moved to Mexico, where he met and married Rosalinda Alcala Whitehead. The school where he worked was an American one, though he estimated 90 percent of students were native Mexicans looking to become bilingual, while the rest were children of diplomats or business leaders of the region.
But the international location didn't feel that far from home, Whitehead said, noting that he could drive back to Wisconsin during the summer months. The next move was a bigger step.
After first helping to revitalize the American School of Monterrey, Mexico, Whitehead, Rosalinda and their two children moved to China, where he worked as a teacher at Concordia Shanghai for 11 years, helping to create a high school program. Their youngest child, Vanessa, was born March 2002, just five months before the family relocated to Asia.
Whitehead was invited to help staff from a sister school in Hong Kong establish a high school program. The close-knit group were involved in each other's lives as their children grew up alongside one another. The closest of family friends were New Zealand natives.
"I was kind of the new guy, but then we stayed there 11 years and we got involved in the community," Whitehead said. "I don't really feel like we lived in China so much. You have Chinatown in the U.S., we lived in kind of the reverse of that; we lived in an international enclave, basically, an international area in China where like 90 percent of the people who lived in this three- or four-block radius were all foreigners."
Alan, 16, and Vanessa, 15, grew up in the Americanized neighborhood of Shanghai. Both speak more than one language and though they didn't have the childhood of typical U.S. kids, Whitehead said their perception of traveling is normal because they were born into that type of lifestyle. Alan reflected on his upbringing similarly.
"I mean, I don't know anything different," he said. "I like (spending time in Monroe) a lot, it's a lot of fun. I'm pretty tight with my cousins, because I live with them while I'm here."
A sophomore enrolled part-time at Monroe High School, Alan started on the Cheesemakers offensive line this season. Whitehead said his son splits his time because of the ability to play sports different than the ones offered in Vietnam, staying with either his grandparents or his aunt.
From China, the family moved to South Korea for two years before relocating to Hanoi, Vietnam, where Whitehead again helped establish a new school.
"It's much more work to start a school than to walk in where everything's running smoothly and just plug in and go, but it's also exciting because you have that much of an impact on the future," Whitehead said. "It's more work, but I find it fun and we have a good group of people."
The school demographics are roughly one-third Vietnamese students, one-third Korean and one-third "everything else," Whitehead said. The other consists mostly of U.S. and Canadian citizens, "but there's a few kids from just about everywhere," he added.
"You have all these different people from all these different countries, and people are bringing all different perspectives you maybe didn't think of; not just from teachers, but from students," Whitehead said.
In his math department alone, there are teachers from Nigeria, Canada and the U.S.
"We all have to put together something like a ladder that builds on each other," Whitehead said. "It's got to all fit together. We do run a U.S. curriculum, but I think it gets flavored a little bit by just the different international experiences we are bringing. I find it interesting and challenging and fun."
Rosalinda teaches Spanish there, along with overseeing the yearbook and life skills classes. Whitehead teaches high school math and science.
The entire family tries to split time between three continents each year. Part of the summer may be spent helping Whitehead's stepfather Pat Holmstrom and his mother Annette, selling honey at the Monroe Farmer's Market. Another part would typically be spent in Mexico, visiting Rosalinda's side of the family. The easygoing summer months are a welcome change from the hectic months of curriculum.
"We like to connect with family," Whitehead said. "We want our kids to connect with U.S. culture and connect with family. I find we spend as much or more time with my parents as my family who actually lives here. When I first moved overseas, it was very expensive to call home. Now, with FaceTime or Facebook; you can have basically completely free phone calls every week, it doesn't cost anything. You're as far away as you want to be."
"It just got me interested in overseas and then I read this newspaper called the 'International Educator' and got me interested in looking at teaching overseas," Whitehead said, recalling his time in South America and interest in working internationally.
Whitehead graduated from MHS in 1987 and went on to attend the University of Wisconsin-Madison. In 1991, he graduated with a bachelor of science in mathematics, certified to teach. At first, Whitehead taught in Kenosha for three years, where he earned a bachelor's degree in Spanish from Carthage College. He also holds a bachelor's in physics from Montana State University, and a master's degree in international teaching from Framingham State University of Massachusetts.
Following his time in eastern Wisconsin, Whitehead attended a job fair in Iowa and found out about his opportunities to teach globally.
"My first spot was in Puerto Rico and it was about two blocks from the beach, so I thought, 'this is pretty nice," Whitehead said, likening the experience to a working vacation because of the coastal proximity.
Then, he moved to Mexico, where he met and married Rosalinda Alcala Whitehead. The school where he worked was an American one, though he estimated 90 percent of students were native Mexicans looking to become bilingual, while the rest were children of diplomats or business leaders of the region.
But the international location didn't feel that far from home, Whitehead said, noting that he could drive back to Wisconsin during the summer months. The next move was a bigger step.
After first helping to revitalize the American School of Monterrey, Mexico, Whitehead, Rosalinda and their two children moved to China, where he worked as a teacher at Concordia Shanghai for 11 years, helping to create a high school program. Their youngest child, Vanessa, was born March 2002, just five months before the family relocated to Asia.
Whitehead was invited to help staff from a sister school in Hong Kong establish a high school program. The close-knit group were involved in each other's lives as their children grew up alongside one another. The closest of family friends were New Zealand natives.
"I was kind of the new guy, but then we stayed there 11 years and we got involved in the community," Whitehead said. "I don't really feel like we lived in China so much. You have Chinatown in the U.S., we lived in kind of the reverse of that; we lived in an international enclave, basically, an international area in China where like 90 percent of the people who lived in this three- or four-block radius were all foreigners."
Alan, 16, and Vanessa, 15, grew up in the Americanized neighborhood of Shanghai. Both speak more than one language and though they didn't have the childhood of typical U.S. kids, Whitehead said their perception of traveling is normal because they were born into that type of lifestyle. Alan reflected on his upbringing similarly.
"I mean, I don't know anything different," he said. "I like (spending time in Monroe) a lot, it's a lot of fun. I'm pretty tight with my cousins, because I live with them while I'm here."
A sophomore enrolled part-time at Monroe High School, Alan started on the Cheesemakers offensive line this season. Whitehead said his son splits his time because of the ability to play sports different than the ones offered in Vietnam, staying with either his grandparents or his aunt.
From China, the family moved to South Korea for two years before relocating to Hanoi, Vietnam, where Whitehead again helped establish a new school.
"It's much more work to start a school than to walk in where everything's running smoothly and just plug in and go, but it's also exciting because you have that much of an impact on the future," Whitehead said. "It's more work, but I find it fun and we have a good group of people."
The school demographics are roughly one-third Vietnamese students, one-third Korean and one-third "everything else," Whitehead said. The other consists mostly of U.S. and Canadian citizens, "but there's a few kids from just about everywhere," he added.
"You have all these different people from all these different countries, and people are bringing all different perspectives you maybe didn't think of; not just from teachers, but from students," Whitehead said.
In his math department alone, there are teachers from Nigeria, Canada and the U.S.
"We all have to put together something like a ladder that builds on each other," Whitehead said. "It's got to all fit together. We do run a U.S. curriculum, but I think it gets flavored a little bit by just the different international experiences we are bringing. I find it interesting and challenging and fun."
Rosalinda teaches Spanish there, along with overseeing the yearbook and life skills classes. Whitehead teaches high school math and science.
The entire family tries to split time between three continents each year. Part of the summer may be spent helping Whitehead's stepfather Pat Holmstrom and his mother Annette, selling honey at the Monroe Farmer's Market. Another part would typically be spent in Mexico, visiting Rosalinda's side of the family. The easygoing summer months are a welcome change from the hectic months of curriculum.
"We like to connect with family," Whitehead said. "We want our kids to connect with U.S. culture and connect with family. I find we spend as much or more time with my parents as my family who actually lives here. When I first moved overseas, it was very expensive to call home. Now, with FaceTime or Facebook; you can have basically completely free phone calls every week, it doesn't cost anything. You're as far away as you want to be."