In February 2024, The San Pedro Sun published a special feature from Virginia, United States, highlighting Belizean teachers working abroad. The coverage was made possible with the assistance of Participate Learning, an educational organization that brings international teachers to US schools through a cultural exchange program.
Three Belizean teachers—Clarisa Gongora, Laura Cantun and Shellon Nuñez-Flowers—shared their experiences of teaching abroad. Cantun has now returned to Belize after completing the five-year program and told The Sun that she is excited to share the knowledge and experience she gained in the US.
Originally from the Orange Walk District, Cantun is a Belizean educator and teacher trainer with more than 27 years of experience. Her career includes 22 years of service in Belize and five years of teaching in the US.
In 2021, Cantun began a new chapter in her professional journey when she moved to the US and joined Prince William County Public Schools in Virginia, near Washington, D.C. She taught third grade for five years, an experience she described as both challenging and transformative.
Teaching in the US exposed Cantun to new educational systems, technologies, instructional strategies, and approaches to meeting students’ diverse needs. She said the experience strengthened her knowledge of data-driven instruction, literacy development, differentiated learning, formative assessment, collaborative planning, and the effective integration of technology in the classroom.
Cantun’s experience extended beyond teaching students. She also served as a Grade-Level Team Leader, collaborated with colleagues, mentored teachers, participated in instructional coaching, and used student achievement data to guide planning and improve instruction.
These opportunities strengthened her leadership skills and deepened her belief that teachers grow best when they are supported, encouraged, and given practical strategies they can successfully apply in their classrooms.
“Those five years in the United States were a tremendous learning experience for me,” she told The San Pedro Sun. “I did not leave Belize because I had finished learning. I left knowing that there was so much more for me to learn. I wanted to grow professionally, experience another educational system, and eventually bring that knowledge and experience back home.”
Cantun said the experience taught her the importance of collaboration, using data purposefully, embracing new teaching strategies, and continuously reflecting on how educators can better meet every student’s needs.
During the 2024 interview, Cantun shared that before moving to Virginia, she served as Vice Principal at San Jose Nuevo Palmar Primary School in Orange Walk. She had been offered the position of principal when she learned about Participate Learning and the opportunity to teach abroad.
“It was not an easy decision, but I needed to gain more experience and knowledge,” Cantun said.
Her academic qualifications include a bachelor’s degree in education from Galen University in Belize and a Master of Science in Education from Walden University in the United States.
After five years abroad, returning to Belize has been especially meaningful for Cantun. Although she is grateful for everything she experienced and learned in the US, she believes knowledge becomes even more valuable when it is shared with others.
“Coming back home after five years is an emotional and fulfilling experience. Belize is home,” she said. “I returned with a greater appreciation for our teachers, our students and our education system, but I also returned with new ideas and a renewed desire to contribute.”
Cantun said she always intended for the knowledge she gained abroad to benefit educators and children in Belize.
She has now entered another chapter of her career as a Training Officer with PathLight Belize’s Teacher Training Program. PathLight is a faith-based, non-profit organization that provides educational scholarships, mentorship, and wraparound support to high-potential students from low-income families in Belize.
In her new role, Cantun has transitioned from primarily teaching children to supporting and developing teachers. The position allows her years of classroom experience, leadership, mentoring, and professional development to have a broader impact.
The veteran educator said being a teacher trainer is not about telling teachers how to teach. Instead, it involves working alongside them, recognizing their existing strengths, listening to their challenges, sharing effective strategies, and helping them continue to develop professionally.
“I know what it is like to be in the classroom. I understand the challenges teachers face because I have lived them for many years,” she said. “Now I have the opportunity to use what I have learned in Belize and the United States to support other educators.”
“That is very meaningful to me. When we invest in a teacher, we are ultimately investing in every child that teacher will reach,” Cantun added.
Her journey has brought her full circle—from teaching and mentoring in Belize to expanding her knowledge and leadership experience internationally, and finally returning home to share those experiences with Belizean educators. For Cantun, this next chapter is about service, growth, and giving back.
“I am grateful for the five years I spent in the United States and for every person and experience that contributed to my professional growth, but I am equally grateful to be home,” she said. “I believe everything I learned along the way prepared me for this season of my life.”
“My goal now is to continue learning while helping other teachers grow, because stronger teachers create stronger classrooms, and stronger classrooms create greater opportunities for our children,” Cantun noted.
Founded in 1987, Participate Learning partners with school districts in North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia, USA. The organization connects classrooms around the world and supports bilingual and global education for American students.
Belizean teachers interested in teaching in the US can visit www.participatelearning.com for application details and additional information.
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