Wait For It...

In Washington D.C., February, 2012

I wouldn’t call myself a seasoned traveler.  Not yet.  But I have developed some real skills when it comes to handling wait time in airports and chunking flying time into bits that allow for the mental fortitude necessary as I mark progress toward my destination.   After walking up and down terminal C, browsing shops, and purchasing an iced coffee, I’ve set about the business of reading emails, Facebook posts, and updating my blog.  Why am I killing time at the airport?  Ah, there’s the real story.

Part of the process of preparing for my study trip to Indonesia is participation in the IREX Teachers for Global Classrooms symposium in Washington D.C.   In the history books by now, this event included lots of important pre-travel work.  I was finally able to meet many of my online classmates and IREX staff members face-to-face!  They are a great bunch of positive and energetic people, and together they represent a wealth of expertise and ideas for improving classroom teaching and learning.  

IREX invited my administrator to this informational symposium.  What a boon that turned out to be!  We were able to dedicate a significant amount of time to discussing and planning the process for implementing elements of global education at our own school site.  That kind of opportunity doesn’t present itself in the normal course of a busy school day. 

I attended useful sessions on day one in which teachers were grouped by the subjects they teach in order to collaboratively analyze student work from each of our respective classrooms for global elements.  The second breakout session was intended to facilitate the forming our “essential” questions.  These individualized questions will provide focus as we visit our host countries to observe and participate in the education systems.  These sessions were important in that the ground work we are doing will enrich and enhance the experience we eventually have during travel.  But the highlights came on day two.

In discussing general cultural differences on day two, we recognized that some assumptions we will make about social norms in our host countries may be off-target and that we need to be FLEXIBLE!  Finally, regrouped with our traveling cohorts, we got to ask the questions that have been foremost in our minds.  What should we wear?  Where will we stay?  What shots will we need?  What are the ages of the students we will meet?  ILEP international teachers shared information about their home countries and fielded our gazillion questions. 

Spending a couple of days in our nation’s capital was great.  But time marches on, and the party’s over.  So I wait.  As I finish up this post, I am in the air heading back home, mentally chunking the hours into bits that I can handle.  Listen to iPod.  Read a little.  Work on blog.  Try to sleep.  Stand up to stretch.  Repeat.