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Finland Journal

Fulbright Orientation - Part 3

10/6/2014

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We had a lovely evening tour of the Monuments.

Photos tell the story better than I could with words......
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Fulbright Orientation - Part 2

10/6/2014

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This post will be brought to you in a series of 6-Word Stories.

Inspirational Colleagues; these are my people.

Diplomacy: send less bombs, more teachers.

Your lessons; my impending successes, failures.

Initiative, adaptable, energetic - ready, set, go!

International teachers, paid sabbaticals. Me? $0.

Realization: Teaching is my life story.

Professionalism, time, trust. Create own meaning.

"You get to be an intellectual."

Elevator speech - twenty stories too long.

Capstone. Will change. Don't panic...yet.

Finland! Expensive. Cold. Spring awakening. Stunning.

US Education = decentralization = impossible to define.

Educated. Trusted. Respected. Compensated. Finnish teachers.

Who're the under-served in our schools?

Paradigm shift: meeting needs/ serving needs.

OMG! I'm going to Finland! Woo-hoo!

Culture night. Pure joy. Lucky me.

I love being a teacher. Truth.

Cultural exchanges, conversations, being human together.

Live everyday. Thank you, Seth.

Embarking on this journey; change imminent.


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Fulbright Orientation - Part 1

10/6/2014

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It's nearly the middle of October and I have some breathing room with a two-day Fall Break. The last multi-day break I had before the wonderful whirlwind of traveling to Colombia with the TGC program, traveling to Washington, D.C. for the Fulbright Orientation, and starting school was the second week of July.

Yup, three months ago. To be honest, this 2-day break isn't going to do much in terms of recharging my batteries enough to do things like, you know, some serious house-cleaning that has been put off these months. I'm in maintenance mode, people. I have my eye on Thanksgiving Break like only a tired teacher can.

I'm grateful, though, to have some time to dig into my Fulbright materials. I've been making lots of steps towards our departure in late January and I have notes and ideas that are rather here and there. I'm holding on to ideas and memories that are aching to get out, on paper, through photographs and stories and snippets.

2 months ago today, Sarah and I arrived in Washington, D.C.. I have profound gratitude that Sarah's going to Finland with me and that she was able to travel to DC so we could take care of our Finnish residence permit applications. Arriving on Sunday, we had the luxury of checking into the hotel and heading out for a delicious French dinner and some beautiful views of the Capitol. We were able to swiftly navigate through the paperwork at the Finnish Embassy on Monday morning leaving the next 1.5 days free of obligation and entirely for us.

We two in DC -- so very sweet. There were museums! Meals! Bike riding down the Mall! Swimming in the roof-top pool! Taxi rides in the rain! Sleeping in on Tuesday morning and, alas, putting Sarah on a plane on Tuesday afternoon, home bound on her first-ever solo flight. The very next day, she started middle school - 6th grade, a new school, a big deal - and she was toasting this momentous occasion with independence. I was quite overcome with gratitude for being the mama of such a neat kid.

Sarah's departure coincided with my colleague and friend's arrival. It was so good to see Seth Hoffman there in D.C., to have a connection to home through this connection to the world. This year, I'm teaching the amazing 6th graders who had Seth as a teacher for the past 2 years. While I'll be at
62.2417° N in Jyväskylä, Seth will be at 41.2889° S in Wellington, New Zealand.

With Sarah's departure and Seth's arrival, I transitioned from precious time with my girl to precious time with colleagues -- and my experience at the Fulbright Distinguished Award in Teaching Orientation began.
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    You can read my capstone project - Global Learning: Fostering knowledge, attitudes and skills for global citizenship - here

    Back to Blog Home Page

    This blog represents my point of view only and is not associated with the U.S. State Department or the Fulbright Program.

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  • Home
  • About
    • Contact
  • Think Global - Svalbard
    • The Polar Bear Express
  • Vamos Explorar!
    • Background and Inspiration
    • The Geo-Inquiry Process >
      • Student Blog Posts
    • Expeditions into New Mexico Wilderness Areas
    • Content and Curriculum Resources
  • Think Global - Finland
    • Introduction
    • Education in Finland
    • International Expressions of Global Education >
      • Global Education Concepts and Definitions
    • Case Study: Global Education in Finland >
      • Global Education Initiatives Timeline
      • Themes of Global Education in Finland
    • Curriculum Development >
      • Resources for Teachers
      • Finland Blog
    • Gratitude and Dedication
  • Think Global - Germany
    • Teach Global - Germany
  • Think Global - Colombia
    • Journal
    • Think Global Resource Guide >
      • Essential Question
      • Standards Based Global Education
      • Global Education Unit: American Indians and Indigenous Peoples of the World – Past, Present and Future
      • Digital Learning Environment Inventory
      • Local Resource Guide
      • Global Education Unit: Being American: An examination of the struggle for civil liberties for historically disenfranchised groups of Americans
      • Global Education Student Assessment Tools Inventory
      • International Project -Based Learning Opportunities
      • TGC Teacher Blogs
  • Teach Global
    • Think Global - Peru >
      • Virtual Field Trip to Peru >
        • Tasty Peru Tour
      • Peru Teacher Resources
    • Virtual Field Trip to Pakistan
    • Social Justice Heroes from Across the Americas
    • Global Leadership Odyssey Project: Introduction Videos to Students in Cartagena, Colombia
    • Colombia Lessons and Presentations
    • Schools Around the World
    • Ancient China
    • iEARN Global Learning Circle - Spring 2014
  • Chaco Canyon Trek 2018
  • Non-clickable Page