William Flinn (BA ‘06) grew up in a small Iowa town, but he thinks globally. He first traveled outside of the United States after high school and from then on was interested in amassing international experiences.

“I realized that there is so much more out there than just the little bubble that we live in and experience on a day-to-day basis,” he said. “It made me want to travel more and experience more.”

While earning his degree at The University of Iowa College of Education, Flinn chose to student teach in Brisbane, Australia. There he worked in a third-grade classroom at Morningside State School.

That experience inspired him to pursue other international teaching opportunities.

“I love to travel and learn about different cultures,” he said. “I figured that if I was able to teach abroad, I would be able to live in and learn about different cultures and I would have the opportunity to see some amazing places.”

Flinn spent the 2006-07 school year teaching second- and third-grade English at Nefertari American International School in Cairo, Egypt. He spent last year teaching fifth- and sixth-grade English at Escuela Anaco, in Anaco, Venzuela.

Flinn said his College of Education training served him well abroad. He was able to offer ideas to his Egyptian colleagues, many of whom were not certified teachers.

“They would ask questions like, ‘How would you do this?’, ‘How would you teach that?’, ‘Do you have any ideas on how I could get this across to them?’ And I was able to answer and assist with most of them because of what the College of Education taught me,” he said.

Flinn said he was especially thankful for his training in classroom management as many of his students came from wealthy families and were used to getting their way.

Jamie Taylor, whose son, Clint, was in Flinn’s classroom in Venezuela, said she saw Flinn make a huge difference for the kids.

“Bill was diligent in trying to teach them to respect authority, to be responsible for themselves and their work,” she said.

Taylor said she observed the students struggling to adjust to the new expectations, but by the time Flinn left at the end of the year, they were sorry to see him go.

“They grew to love and respect him,” she said. “I heard the kids talking at the end of the school year. Both boys and girls were crying about Mr. Flinn leaving. One boy said, ‘I have always liked my teachers okay, but I was never really sad when they left."

Flinn’s Venezuelan colleague, English and social studies teacher Shaun Fitzpatrick, said that even though Flinn is a demanding teacher, he also knows how to have fun with his students.

“Finding a Halloween costume was almost impossible, so Flinn dressed as a melted snowman. He wore a white t-shirt, black shorts, black flip flops, black beanie, and carried around a carrot,” Fitzpatrick said. “We consistently watered him for true effect.”

Fitzpatrick also sees Flinn as a dedicated teacher despite difficult circumstances.

“Multiple times he taught his fifth and sixth graders without the benefit of electricity. This was even more impressive in that it was always 90 degrees outside and he wore a long-sleeve button-up dress shirt and slacks,” Fitzpatrick said.

Flinn is now back in the United States and teaching fourth grade at Louisville Collegiate School in Kentucky. He said he enjoys using his experiences abroad to enrich his teaching here.

“I bring the knowledge and experiences with me and share them with my students,” he said.