Somehow I wrote this post yesterday and saw it on-line (anyone else?), but now it’s gone. Nonetheless, I’ll try to put the magic back into the piece.
I’ve been AWOL because I’ve been transitioning. It’s time for a new life in education, and I’ve found a new position in my district which suits my career path better. I’ll be working with a highly talented group of teachers who teach ESOL in a one-on-one basis for students in alternative programs. Those are programs for students who didn’t make it in general education settings. I’ll work with those students and their classroom teachers to try and help get them back on track.
Additionally, I’m going to be pursuing a PhD. I had a mini-epiphany in April, and now I’m getting all the materials together for the application as well as entrance to some courses next semester on a conditional basis. I want to study multicultural/ multilingual education and international education. As you might have gathered from my posts, I’m a little frustrated with the situation in public education. I would like to see a greater emphasis on understanding why the world is the way it is (not just Western Europe and the US). I want students to be able to make connections about how their choices impact people in China, Latin America, and how those folks’ choices affect my students. Cliche as it is, globalization affects us all now, so why aren’t we including this life-altering phenomenon in our curriculum? If I have any say (however small it may be), I want to change that. I also want students to understand issues of fairness and to consider ways we can live in a world of peace. Sound idealistic? Maybe. I can’t and don’t want to shake it.
The last transition is temporary… I’ll be in the Middle East, starting Monday, as part of a group of educators on a Fulbright Hays Seminar to learn about culture, history, politics, and people. I’ll be in Egypt for three weeks and then Israel for another three. I’ll round out the trip by meeting up with my husband in Jordan for some rest and relaxation.
So most of this summer, I’ll be posting about my observations from the Middle East. I hope you’ll tune in.
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