Preparing to Teach

(From 22 July 2013)

Today was the first day of orientation. We reviewed Fulbright policies and opened a bank account this morning. Then we ate a delicious lunch including my first daal bhat. I’m working on readjusting to super spicy foods, like I ate with my host family in Cameroon, and Everest sized portions. The afternoon was our first of many trainings with Christine Stone.

Remember that song from Aladdin? Something about “you’ve never met a guy like me” – that is Christine. She has been in Nepal for 30-something years working with students and teachers and even doing some government curriculum work. (I already love her because she has held many of my dream jobs!) Her British accent makes her especially charming, and to complete the picture she rides around Kathmandu on a bicycle with her border collie running alongside. Oh, and did I mention she’s in her seventies!

On top of being a fascinating, and funny, person, Christine also has such a deep wisdom to share. Listening to her speak about Nepal evoked myriad expressions. She clearly has a pure love for this country and its people. She balances respect for Nepali culture with an urgent desire to bring outside ideas into classrooms where learning is rarely student-centered.

Standing with Christine and the box of flashcards she gave all of us.

 

Listening to Christine describe the various classrooms she has taught in, and the relationships she has built with students – my chest felt like it would explode with anticipation. I feel the same way I did in the weeks leading up to student teaching; ready to try, ready to fail, ready to learn, ready to teach.

There is no way for me to know what kind of impact, if any, I will have in my school. More often I think about how this experience will influence the way I relate to students in the United States. But even though I’m not working towards a specific objective, I have never been so confident that I am where I am meant to be. 

“The best days of your life are now.”