Brief Introduction

I teach middle school history in California. One of many things I have learned over 16 years in the business of educating young people is that a good story is always welcomed.  Telling stories of people from the past and from faraway lands is a great way to spark interest in historic, social, political, and econmonic events.  Students begin to make their own connections between "then and now" and "here and there" (Gaudelli).  Commonalities between "us" and "them" emerge.  The opportunity to travel to distant parts of the globe enables me to tell the story, first-hand, of people and their culture.  Admittedly, a few short weeks is not enough time to gain an in-depth understanding, but it is all I have for now, and I am grateful.  Moreover, from experience, I know that the heart can both reach out and be touched in a single moment.  I hope that my students, and perhaps you, will find that their wishes, hopes, and dreams are not unlike those of people from the past and from faraway lands.


In July of 2012 I will travel to Indonesia for two weeks with IREX TGC, International Research and Exchanges Board Teachers for Global Classrooms.  This blog is the story of my journey, from pre-trip endeavors through post trip reflections.  I hope you will travel along with me via this blog.