Part of the reason I got involved in this whole project was because of one of my colleagues. She is an awesome English teacher who has such a unique perspective due to her experiences in the Peace Corps. When I first really became aware of how much I didn't know about the world around me was when she was corresponding with people she knew about the conflict in the Ukraine, where she had been stationed. Liz clearly understood world perspectives in a way that I did not and I knew that, if I were to begin to prepare my students (and my own children) for the world that awaited them, I could no longer be content with my own little corner of the world, of staying in my comfortable school of eighteen years, never having experienced the world any further than the mean streets of New York City.
This whole experience, from working on global issues in my own classroom to expanding my understanding of how global education fits into our district mission, has been one of personal and professional discovery. I can't say it has been easy or stress-free, but it has definitely been an adventure. When I get overwhelmed, I just look across the hallway and remind myself that the final outcome of all of this will be incredible, as my role model has demonstrated so many times.
All of us have that one person who has set our lives on a new path, who encouraged us to look at life in a different way. Who is that person for you? What have you done as a result of being impacted by him/her? Have you made a change? If not, what is stopping you?
