For Teachers
Current Teachers in the USAccess Forms for Current Teachers Here
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Sagamore Policies
To learn about Sagamore policies and more general information, click below.
Cultural Activity Requirements
While you are teaching in the US, you will naturally be sharing your culture with your classroom, school and community as you incorporate references to your home country into your lessons and your conversations.
You will be doing many, many cultural activities with your classroom*; the program requires that you identify and report on two particular cultural activities per year. We have a form that you will complete each year to describe the activities, when and where they occurred, and the participants. HINT: Make sure that you do the report right after the activity while the details are fresh in your mind!
Please spend time planning your activities at the beginning of each school year to ensure that quality cultural exchange activities are completed by the end of the school year!
*Teachers that are at an International School, they will need to conduct at least one cross-cultural activity per academic year outside the host school in nearby schools or communities where international opportunities may be more limited than those found in their host school
The reports that you submit are evaluated by the State Department when you apply to extend your program from the initial three years to a maximum of five years. The reports will capture the date, location, audience and participants of each activity. You will also describe the activity, along with its purpose and general design, and explain the success or impact of the activity. HINT: Do not simply write about WHAT you did — you also need to include details about HOW IT IMPACTED the audience.
Click on the two headings below to see the type of activities required and some examples of each.
Definition: An activity for the teacher’s classroom, larger host school or host school district population, or the community at large designed to give an overview of the history, traditions, heritage, culture, economy, educational system and/or other attributes of his or her home country.
Examples:
- Compare and contrast a typical day in your country with a typical day in the United States.
- Introduce your classroom or wider school community to food, dance, music, sports, etc. from your home country.
- Invite your classroom or wider school community to compare how a holiday is experienced in your home country with how it is celebrated in the US.
- Engage your classroom or the wider school community in a discussion about particular customs in your home country compared with customs in the US.
Definition: An activity that involves U.S. student dialogue with schools or students in another country, preferably in the exchange teacher’s home school, through virtual exchange or other means, in order to supplement the goals of the in-person exchange. NOTE: As you engage in the exchange activity, caution your classroom to avoid talking about material things or possessions. Focus on things in common like favorite foods, activities, hobbies, customs, the school day, families, pets, etc.
Examples:
- Set up a meeting using Zoom or another video chat application between students in your home country classroom and students in your US classroom to discuss a particular topic.
- If time zone differences present a challenge, allow an email exchange between students in your home country classroom and students in your US classroom. Be sure that you monitor and structure the conversation and do not disclose personal information/email addresses.
- Early in the school year, arrange a writing exercise exchange with a teacher or principal in your home country. Have students in your US classroom compose letters to students in your home country classroom. Send the letters in the mail and await the responses.
- The State Department’s Virtual Exchange Toolkit for Teachers is linked here.
- Here is a link to a website with some good ideas for virtual exchange.
Check out a video of a successful, complete, Cultural Activity Report below!
EGI Insurance
Due to the requirements of the State Department, we offer emergency insurance to our teachers. Learn more about EGI Insurance at the link below.
General Insurance
Insurance is only part of the cost of healthcare. Learn more about the requirements at the link below!
J-2 Dependents
Bringing a dependent:
It is our hope that teachers with families will be able to bring their families with them to the US. If your spouse or children will be coming only for short stays periodically they should consider using a B visa to save money. Your spouse and any children under the age of 21 may come with you for the duration of your stay on J-2 visas. Your spouse or older child may apply for a social security card once they are in the US so that they may be able to work too. J-2 dependents that are in the U.S., must reside with their J-1 parent unless they are attending college or university. J-1’s must keep Sagamore up to date with the current address of the J-2.
We provide a form so that you can let us know that a dependent will be coming to the US. We will issue a DS2019 for your dependent so that they may apply for a visa as well. Dependents on a J-2 visa have the same insurance requirements as teachers on a J-1 visa.
It is important to remember that there are additional expenses associated with having family members in the US. We encourage you to review the budget estimator before making decisions about who will join you.
Employment for J-2
J-2 spouses and older children who want to be able to work in the United States may file Form I-765, Application for Employment Authorization, to request an Employment Authorization Document (EAD).
- There is a non-refundable $520 filing fee paid to the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).
- The application can take up to eight months to process.
- This is not a service that Sagamore offers but we have a I-765 Resource Page you can use to guide you through the process.
The application process must be completed very precisely. After reviewing the application, the USCIS may deny the request or they may send a letter asking for additional information. If additional information is requested, follow the directions in the letter to submit the documentation.