Going to the chapel...

...and we're gonna get...  Oh wait!  WRONG song.  But I swear someone's getting married with all of the amazing food that is being served.  Seriously, lunch is some of the best wedding reception food I have had.  But then I look around. No dancing, no cake cutting, no bride and groom, only a bunch of administrators and 3 lowly teachers (us) talking about global issues.  Not so glamorous.

But it's not like me to make a number of posts and not mention food at least once!  So I figured I'd oblige.  Lunch each day has taken on a global theme (of course) with global music.  Stir fry vegetables with sweet Thai chili salmon (shhh, don't tell my mother I liked it) and wasabi infused mashed potatoes.  Or cream of spinach soup (oh my gosh!), shrimp creole, pesto cream tortellini, and lemon chiffon cake.  Last night, they catered dinner so we could learn about Bead for Life, a fair trade organization that provides microloans to women in developing countries.  Two words: Mediterranean Deli.  They served the smoothest hummus I have ever tasted, and the sweetest baklava that melted in my mouth.

So apparently, I'm feeding my mind AND belly this week.

Add on: My friend and I went to a store in Chapel Hill that sells fair trade goods.  Lo and behold, I found Peruvian coffee!!!!!!  I cannot wait to brew it and try it.  I have missed coffee for a year now! 

-Insert picture here-

(You wish you could see that, don't you?)  My friend also bought peace journey bracelets from India,  They are too keep one safe on a journey.  She was so sweet to give me one to wear in Costa Rica....which is in 2 weeks!

Ethical Responsibility

Two days down, three to go.  This conference has been informational, interesting, thought-provoking, and just plain exhausting.  I feel so honored to be a part of this elite group of administrators listening to such a distinguished panel of speakers.  I have learned about treasury investments, war planning strategy, war versus terrorism, history of the Israeli-Palestine conflict, the role of women and their treatment around the world, funding and expectations of public education in the countries with the highest performing students, and the role of our own culture in how we perceive others. Tomorrow is the big day on economics!  My head just swims.  The question becomes: how do I break down this information, swallow it, and decide to either use it for my own personal knowledge growth or share it in a way to impact my peers and/or students?

Much of the time, I leave the speakers or the Socratic Seminars feeling as though we are all in the same boat preaching to the choir.  We all buy in to the idea of globalization and the need to bring it into our schools.  We all understand that the world is quickly changing and growing, and that America needs to make some financial and political decisions to keep us globally competitive. 

The conference started yesterday with the question of ethics.  And I realized this: I have an ethical and personal responsibility to every student to help them become globally literate.

Some random pieces of food for thought:
*15-20% of our state pension fund is invested in global infrastructure and businesses.
*In the countries that have the highest performing students (Singapore, Finland, South Korea, Japan), the goals of the economy and education system are intertwined, teachers are expected to have masters degrees, testing is used solely for student advancement and not for grading teachers or schools, and they have consistent long-range plans in place for the education system (Need for educational reform?).
*Culture is our own perception and the world in unknowable from one view (our own).

How will this week shape me as a teacher in the future?...

That Used to Be Us

The past year has been an evolving growth/journey as a global teacher.  I returned from Peru last summer to learn I had been invited to join a small group of 14 teachers from the county to develop our global professional development for our district.  This opportuity led to the invitation to join World View (UNC-Chapel Hill) on an educators' trip to Costa Rica this summer.  Both opportunities led to the invitation to the five-day Global Leaders Conference at World View next week.

I feel as though I'm back in college, syllabus in hand, cramming all of my reading and responses in before my 3:30 arrival in Chapel Hill on Sunday afternoon.  You remember college: late night study sessions, crawling into bed in the wee hours of the morning, running to the 7am class.  Only problem is that my body now curses those late nights (you kiddin'?  In bed after 10, and you're toast Missy!).  I even drink coffee now (thanks Peru)!  Not going to happen.

I'm reading Thomas Friedman's newest book, That Used to Be Us, about the growth of globalization and IT, and how America, who has always been a world leader in economy and science, is now lagging behind.  I just finished the chapter on education. Wow!  In an age where our government wants to kickstart our economy by pouring all of our money into job growth, unemployment, and lowering taxes while continually cutting funds from education, Friedman argues that we should be demanding higher expectations and funding for education in order to prepare our students for the more higher skilled global IT jobs that are to come and will henceforth feed our economy.  I have watched so many fingers point and wag this year over the loss of educational funds.  Morale is low.  Teachers definitely do not enter the profession for the money, but it is becoming harder to balance the increased workload with lesser funding and still maintain the passion for the job. 

Friedman argues everyone needs to step to the plate: teachers and principals need to request more professional development and support changes in salary/tenure scales based on effectiveness (not just basing on test scores, but striving to show some kind of growth in every student regardless of the level). 

Communities need to find ways to reward and maintain effective teachers (through recognition, incentives, summer collegiate professional development programs, and providing stipends to effective teachers who can teach and mentor new teachers). 

Neighborhoods need to support tax increases even if they do not have children in the schools, as the increased performance in the students will return stronger economies for the area. 

Politicians need to study effective educational systems here and abroad, and demand stronger curricular requirements that are consistent for all districts, as well as increase funding recognizing that student achievement correlates with economic growth. 

Parents need to demand effective teachers, and need to hold high expectations of their students and teachers.

Businesses need to figure out who their most effective, highly-skilled worker is, and then demand those critical thinking skills from American education, instead of trying to run schools like businesses, fighting for tax breaks, and having to hire global workers who have those skills.

Whew.  As a teacher, I feel defensive often to the constant suggestions and criticism that everybody seems to have about how to make schools and teachers better.  But I really felt empowered reading Friedman's book, and I think his ideas are actually attainable and sustainable.  In Asia, a teacher is considered one of the highest, most revered careers (their teachers are effective, their students are some of the best performers in the world, and their companies and economies are beginning to outperform our country).  We need to stop looking at education as a babysitter, and recognize it on a similar playing field to our economy.  America cannot grow if our students cannot grown into highly-skilled global thinkers.

Alright, off my soapbox now.  Thank you.

I'm baaaaack!

I know what you're thinking.  Seriously?  She's traveling again?  Wasn't last year enough?  Yes. Yes. And no.

A year ago, I was adjusting to my life in Peru.  On Tuesday, the one year anniversary, I dreamt that I was preparing for my upcoming trip, and at the last minute learned I was going back to Peru.  I was excited that I had the opportunity to relive the trip and visit old friends, but I was disappointed that I did not get to enjoy learning a new location.  I woke up and thought about my first night there, sitting up in bed the entire night, scared to close my eyes, and wondering what the heck was I doing there? Peru became a powerful personal journey, one that I would never trade.  It has affected my daily life, and made me a stronger, more independent person.  It also healed my heart in many ways, and allowed me to open it up to new people and new experiences.

So, this summer, I trot off to Costa Rica.  This trip will be more of a professional development journey.  In two and a half weeks, I will leave for 9 days with 15 educators from North Carolina. Our itinerary is packed: school visits, service, organic coffee farms, ecological wonders, and Spanish immersion.  Did I mention Spanish immersion?  As in, I will stay with a local family. For nine days. By myself. My Spanish has become a bit rusty.  (One of my students spent the year correcting my Spanish every time I attempted to speak.)  This will be interesting.

I feel blessed to have been funded by the World Affairs Council of Charlotte, as one of their Council Scholars.  They have sponsered my trip with World View (UNC Chapel Hill), to bring more global awareness and teaching to my school and district.  I look forward to continuing to blog to document my reflections for the WACC.

Paracas: two uses for sand

The second weekend we were in Peru, Laurie and I went to Paracas, on the recommendation of other volunteers. Situated about 4 hours south of Lima, on the coast, Paracas is located in the desert and also on the ocean. Our drive was very barren after leaving Lima limits. The Pan-American Highway followed the ocean, and the tiny shacks were few and far between.

Paracas was a bustling resort town for Lima's elite. In 2008, there was a massive earthquake that devastated the region. Once the humanitarian aid left, the area has remained poor and off the beaten path. There are some homes on the water, and Hotel Paracas has been rebuilt, but all for the wealthy who do not live in Paracas year round. It really felt like a ghost town. At our little motel, there was only one other family staying there. Granted, we were in Paracas in the dead of winter.
Paracas is known for its deserts, and the typical tour includes sand dune buggy riding and sand-boarding. We felt like we were on a roller coaster flying over the dunes in the buggy with our driver Wilber as the sun set. Sand boarding is just like sledding in the snow, only not as cold and wet. Wilber took us back to our motel after our ride, and because there are not many shops, drove us by his sister's neighborhood mart in her living room, to buy water and snacks for dinner. All the little boys and girls came running when they saw the vehicle to get a better look at us. We very much stood out in this town.

The next morning we took a boat to see the other Paracas sight: Islas de Ballestras, or the "Poor Man's Galapagos". The small islands are a sanctuary for birds with crashing waves that are a result of the Paracas Bay and its currents. Boats sail around the islands, but tourists are not allowed to disembark. The large number of birds leads to an abundance of guano, or bird poop, which is allowed to be harvested every 3 years for export. The smell is overpowering. There is a small research station on one of the islands, and one person is stationed there for months at a time to guard the islands. They have no outside contact.

The islands are home to many species of birds and animals. We saw guanay guano birds, Peruvian boobies, tendrils, pelicans, cormorants, seagulls, seal lions, and Humbolt penguins. There is a lone penguin in the middle of the picture getting ready to hop in after his friends. Below that picture, there are penguins standing in a group on the top of an outcropping. The picture looks washed out behind the penguins, but the rock is actually teaming with birds.
The sea lions are LOUD! Their barks sound like a cross between a loud burp and those low-sounding blow horns that people have at hockey games. They were the island greeters and have a lot to say!
I am amazed that I saw all of these creatures. We teach our children about the animals, and research their characteristics, needs, and habitats, but never see them in person. My class did a research project on the sea life of Chile for our non-fiction unit last spring (yes- 6 and 7 year olds can do research!)...now I can actually show them pictures and tell them stories.

I loved this experience, but on the ride back to the dock, I started thinking about this wonderful ecosystem and my students in Villa. It is practically in their backyard, and most of them will not even see it. In America, our students travel the world through books, internet sites and videos, first hand accounts, and trips. How much of that do students in Villa experience? Then I was struck by another thought: I spend the week with the children and then jaunt off to these amazing places (Machu Picchu and Paracas) on the weekend with the thought that I only have so much time, and it's a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Life has a way of punching us in the stomach and putting life in perspective sometimes. I struggle to process the feelings and disparities.

Machu Picchu

Many of you have been asking about Machu Picchu. We went on a Sunday morning, and spent all day in the park. We had a tour guide who spent 2 hours with us and led us through much of the ruins, teaching us about the Inca's economic, education, agricultural, architectural, and calendar systems. (The walls are built by pressure alone! They carried every one of those stones up the mountain and sanded them with hematite.)

The Inca civilization is amazing, and many of our traditions and beliefs today are based on the truths they discovered centuries ago. The main tenants of the Inca civilization are peace and reciprocity, and you can see these themes in every action they performed. Reciprocity took on an entirely new meaning for me that day.

After lunch, 4 of us hiked to the highest peak overlooking the ruins. It took us about 4 hours up and down. We came off the mountain at 5:15pm, just in time to catch the last bus. That hike was the most challenging thing I have ever done, calling on strength I did not know I had. Although 4 of us set out together, we each fell into our own pace, and hiked the second half of the climb alone. We met at the top and sat in silence for a time. It was a grueling journey, physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually. The place emanates an energy that I have never quite sensed anywhere else.


It is hard to believe, as I sit here with pneumonia now and struggle to climb my own stairs, that I climbed Machu Picchu and touched the sky just over a month ago. But I did. I walked through clouds. The sun shone down. I climbed a mountain. And wow, life is good.

Dunkin Donuts

Dunkin Donuts. Did I get your attention?

In the middle of our tour of historic Downtown Lima, our tour guide Enrique takes us by none other than Dunkin Donuts, and tells us we have a 5 minute break. The American-food deprived college students in our group were on that doughnut counter like white on rice. Even the tour guide bought a coffee! Since I had only arrived 3 days before, and liked the meals I had been served so far, I did not think it necessary to miss home quite yet.

After hearing all of their lip-smacking and moans of satisfaction, I gave in at the airport a couple days later. Uh, American Dunkin Donuts needs to take a tip from their Peruvian brothers. The Dunkin Donuts in Peru serves the BEST doughnuts I have ever tasted. I seriously think they lace the delicacies. They had frosting flavors I could never imagine. I had a doughnut covered in toasted coconut, and when I bit into it, liquid caramel oozed out. I also had a doughnut frosted with a mint green fruity goodness. Fast forward to the night I left Peru. I tried to spend all of my soles so I would not have have to exchange money. I made sure to spend down so I had 5 soles left, enough for one last doughnut at the airport. This time I had duranzo, peach icing with jimmies. Divine!

Last week, my brother, sister-in-law, and I stopped at Dunkin Donuts on the way out of town. I had a boring old maple glazed. Sigh.