"I wouldn't hire someone based on one quarter's student teaching experience. I want to look at them for a longer period of time. Going overseas to teach is an artificial situation. How is that going to help you handle a classroom in California?"
"Travel groups are fun but I doubt if you will learn much you can use." "Why would you want to leave the United States? Our schools are better than you will see anywhere else."

Comments like these are spoken frequently by administrators across the United States. They are common reactions to teacher education programs that offer university student teaching experiences in other countries. During a job interview, these statements can come as quite a shock to a candidate. How much validity is there in these types of comments? Should universities be involved in this kind of process? What justification can we have for involving ourselves in places as diverse as Mexico and Malaysia?