Igniting Your Personal and Professional Growth

Describe one or two, specific learning experiences from your fellowship. In words, show us this experience and explain why it was powerful.

From a literary tour of Nairobi to the labyrinthine streets of Zanzibar to the bustling markets of Accra and the desert landscape of central Morocco, I went on a once in a lifetime adventure to absorb the culture, history, and emerging voices of East, West, and North Africa. After nearly a month on the African continent, I was fortunate enough to have several authentic conversations with faculty members in Tanzania and Ghana. These shop talks comparing our educational systems were invaluable.

What did you learn about yourself? What did you learn professionally?

I learned that I am far more adaptable than I previously imagined. Conditions in parts of Africa can be challenging. Whether arranging domestic travel or ordering food, a smile and a pantomime can go a long way. Plans change at a moment's notice. Many times we found ourselves rescheduling on the fly, but it always worked out. "Hakuna Matata," as they say in Swahili. Professionally, it was comforting and disheartening to know that teachers in Africa have the same passions and frustrations as I.

What were some unplanned or unexpected experiences or outcomes of your fellowship? Or, how did the fellowship you crafted differ from the actual learning experience?

The most unexpected experience was working around a teachers strike in Ghana. We had originally planned on visiting several secondary schools outside Accra, but when we arrived, we were notified that there was a nationwide teachers strike. Fortunately, the faculty as the University of Education in Winneba were able to accommodate us. We discussed education systems in the US and in Ghana, and we were able to visit a high school that remained open for students to study for exams.

Impacting Your Classroom, School and Community

Outline specific plans you have to implement your fellowship and reach your student goals.

I plan to immediately integrate contemporary African authors into my ELA classroom. By looking at both colonial and contemporary authors we will look at the progress made and the obstacles that remain. Similarly, I will be able to speak with limited firsthand experience now about cultural and educational perspectives in East and West Africa in my global issues classroom. Photos, videos, and artifacts that I collected will offer tangible evidence to accompany firsthand experience of my travel.

What is one way you can leverage your fellowship to create one authentic learning experience for students? (e.g. hands-on learning, projects, community engagement)

By visiting two universities and one high school in East and West Africa, we were able to establish several contacts with educators who were eager to connect classrooms. I have stayed in contact with several of the teachers and we are currently working on the logistics of being able to bring our classrooms together through a virtual meeting room and pair up students to work on collaborative presentations--projects designed to familiarize students with different cultures.

How, specifically, will your fellowship extend beyond your classroom? (e.g. families, school-at-large, afterschool groups, surrounding community, colleagues, etc.)

Next week I am meeting with a staff reporter from our local newspaper for an interview about my experience over the summer. This is an excellent opportunity to share my story with the larger community outside my school system. Last month I spoke to the English and Social Studies departments about finding and implementing materials about East and West Africa into our curriculum. I was also able to connect teachers at my school with teachers at a school in Accra for some possible collaboration.