"The classroom, itself, can be either a barrier or a bridge to successful learning," said Margaret Andrews, a second grade teacher at Annie Fisher School in Hartford. By respecting the cultural and linguistic backgrounds of all her students, Mrs. Andrews turned her classroom into a place where students were able to meet academic challenges. In 1990, she created and implemented a multicultural school exchange program entitled "What's on the Other Side of the River." The program sought to decrease racial isolation between the urban and suburban school children in the community who are divided by the Connecticut River which passes through their city. Beyond promoting mutual tolerance in a context of multicultural enrichment, the program proposed the need for a "better understanding of the ecology of the River and its effects on the lives of the community."
1975 University of Hartford, B.A.
