I am traveling to Korea and China for the first time in three days on an educational study trip. Most people would be excited and packing and unpacking. I find myself worried -- worried if we are going to have airline tickets, because as it turns out three people do not (just found out last night the departure time and had to call the airline directly to find out all the information -- instead of the travel agent who is supposed to be handling all of this) -- worried if we have hotels, worried if we have a VISA, worried if we have museum and temples booked, worried if tour buses are lined up, just worried.
The background knowledge and experiences I have had traveling to foreign countries with Fulbright and the College of Mount St. Joseph gave me wonderful experiences. I thought this was the norm and assumed all travel was conducted in this manner. I was wrong. There are different ways to do things and some are better than others, yet some are just different and not necessarily better.
I think the school system is the same way. There are definitely some things that are better than others, but sometimes it is just a different way. Therefore, school culture and climate are so important in developing and learning about in a school. Finding a school that melds with your style of good teaching and a climate that supports you is essential to creating a great school. Administrators need to investigate this and make conscience decisions based on the climate they want to continue and or develop.
Just as I have found in traveling there are definitely ways that I feel more comfortable with and would like to see in my experiences, but sometimes taking that risk and trying new things and new ways will strengthen you as a person and as a teacher.
Comments (2)
The difficulty is the balance between pushing for new experiences and not getting too far out of the comfort zone--sometimes one has to break down and seek out the Starbucks and Pizza Huts in foreign countries--little reminders of home in the middle of the unfamiliar...
Posted by Mari Glamser | July 19, 2005 8:01 PM
Posted on July 19, 2005 20:01
I am anxious to hear about your experiences abroad (out of your comfort zone) and what new insights to learning you bring back. As you said, school culture and climate have a tremendous impact on the teaching and learning that occurs in the school. I'm interested to hear about the school cultures that you encountered and the impact on students and teachers.
Posted by Gayle | July 21, 2005 8:16 PM
Posted on July 21, 2005 20:16