ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. — "We are very excited to welcome our new teachers," said Ishmael Sistrunk, spokesman for the Riverview Gardens School District in north St. Louis County.
On Thursday, Sistrunk shared a slideshow and photos of the school district's new, diverse group of teachers who are now calling St. Louis home.
"One thing that I've noticed is they're really excited to be here," Sistrunk said.
The 26 international teachers are from a variety of countries.
'Right now, there are 20 who are here and they come from South Africa, East African nations and the Philippines and we're really excited for them to come join our scholars," Sistrunk said.
The teachers also have a wide range of experience in the classroom that Riverview Gardens officials say will help enhance their school district and expand their elementary, middle and high school students' minds.
"We have some that may have three or four years and we have some that are in the double digits, 10 or more years, " Sistrunk said.
"Some of the teachers have PhD's. Some of them have their master's degrees. They really bring a different culture to our students. They'll bring some different life experiences to our students and the teachers are going to learn American culture as well."
Right now, Riverview Gardens' new recruits are still undergoing orientation. The teachers will be in their classrooms in two weeks.
Before the pandemic, the school district had been down about 50 teachers. Thanks to the international hires, that number is now less than half.
"I think it can be a good deal, especially for our kids," said Sariaha Jones, whose son is a seventh grader at Central Middle School. "I think the international teachers' move is a good idea. You know the kids can get to learn more."
"School districts now have to be creative and expand their horizon in terms of looking for teachers to teach our students," Sistrunk said.
The school district partnered with the international teacher recruiting agency, Jobs Connect, to also help the new teachers with housing, transportation and acclimating to St. Louis.