Become immersed in the culture, history, and geography of Malawi to leverage students' learning in cross-curricular units around the topic of environmental justice rooted in the text "The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind."
We had the opportunity to meet with community members to learn about their schools, homes, agriculture, and traditions. This was so powerful to us because we discovered how much we have in common even though we have some differences. The hospitality of Malawian citizens was simply amazing. The people of Malawi are kind, patient and proud of their country.
I learned that I am very fortunate to live where I do. I realize that there is so much in my life that I take for granted. In watching the people of Malawi live their daily life and work each day, I was in awe. I have always considered myself to have a strong work ethic, but what Malawian people have to do each day to earn a living really opened my eyes. I have never seen people work so hard and have so little (material goods). Professionally, I learned a lot about their culture.
The number of people we met not only in Malawi but everywhere along the way really left a lasting impression. It is so amazing how small the world can feel when you have friends in different places. Thanks to this experience, we now have contacts in Columbia, Portugal, London, Malawi and different states in America. We have created bonds with many organizations who are working with permaculture as a way of life and we will be able to use this network to further our studies with our students.
Our goal is to have our students gain a better understanding of not only Malawi, but of the world around them. Studying a different culture and seeing a different way of life can be eye opening. We are hoping to share our slideshow and scrapbooks highlighting our journey. We will focus on each experience we had tell about the impact it had on our own learning. We will use our contacts to zoom with people in Malawi as we study our novel, The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind.
We plan on having students learn about farming from a hands-on experience of planting. Our students will try their hand at growing something from seed like William Kamkwamba in our novel. Students will grow their own herb garden, which they will be able to take home and share with their families. We are in hopes that families will cook together and read recipes as they do. In addition, the students will grow different types of flowers with which they can beautify the school and community.
As mentioned above, students will grow plants and flowers to share with the community. Students will feel a sense of pride and ownership as they contribute to not only our school, but to their families and the whole community. Our students will become experts in planting and growing from seeds as they work with our third graders to teach them about terrariums.
This year I was able to offer my students so much more when it came to teaching my EL Module, The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind, thanks to my fellowship experience. I was able to explain to my students the economic situation in Malawi and share first hand experiences of living in a farming community. I had pictures and artifacts to share with the students about Malawian culture and daily life. I was able to share connections with people we made during our trip with my students.
My students seemed to better understand the why behind William Kamwamba's journey to find electricity. They got excited about their independent research in innovators and why each were on their chosen path. Many talked about the desire to travel to places around the world and do their own "work" in communities. We were able use some of our knowledge gained by giving back to our own community by planted "gardens" of herbs and flowers.
The whole experience opened my eyes to the world and other cultures. It made me thankful for the resources we have in my country, yet respect the things that others have that we do not. This experience made me understand people in a better way. It transformed my own understanding that as humans on this earth, we each have our own contribution to offer the world. I love that I have friends across the world that I am able to reach out to that help me make learning come alive for my students.