Explore physical and societal divisions in historical and contemporary Poland, Czechia, Austria and Germany to supplement Social Studies and Language Arts curricula and enhance students' interest in human rights, migration and refugees.
Because of our fellowship, I was able to spend time with refugees and asylum seekers in various stages of their asylum processes. The stories and moments of today connect with history and memories in a way that would not have been possible without experiencing it first hand. Our fellowship allowed us to bring faces and voices to otherwise two-dimensional topics. I feel that the professional and personal learning was so intertwined and I grew in both dimensions.
As we talk about cultures and movement of people in our 7th grade classes, I can connect individual stories about who is part of a culture and how elements of culture can be celebrated as part of the larger group of independently. When students can see a photo, read an e-mail, use Skype to connect with someone we’ve met, the world opens its doors. Instead of being linear in my teaching, I am striving for students to use inquiry to look at multiple angles because that’s what made our fellowship.
These were the highlight of our fellowship! In Berlin, we connected with refugee women to teach them the freedom of riding a bike. A refugee-led tour of Vienna continued to an impromptu dinner with our guide. A visit to Marienfelde sparked a family video project about students’ migration experiences. My host parents introduced us to an Afghani paper artist who is creating a photo guide to teach our students her flower art. A canceled event in one city led to an eye-opening weekend in another.
The personal connections we made during this fellowship were most valuable. I want students to realize there is an entire life behind photos or videos they see--not only in my class, but in textbooks, what’s online, or when they meet someone in person. It’s their responsibility to realize multiple sides to each story. I want them to be able to formulate the right types of open- and closed questions so they can find answers and share their findings with others.
As we traveled, I sought out realia representing the journeys of people we met or learned of in order to create inquiry boxes. For example, one box has a photo of a man with refugee status we met in Vienna (with permission), a map of his journey, a piece of chocolate, a small brass bowl, and other items. Another has a copy of a letter from a prisoner of Auschwitz, soap from Poland, dry soup mix, antique keys, and other items. Students can explore these items, ask questions and research answers.
We are already working on an all-school read program where our students, parents and community will read the novel, Refugee, and be able to experience parts of our fellowship through an evening showcase featuring photos and videos (with permissions) from people we met, realia boxes that we’ve created, and projects crafted by students (our after school group is making paper flowers learned from an Afghani artist and our students are painting portraits of refugee children to send to them).
This fellowship goes well beyond the two of us. In our planning phase, we talked with colleagues and parents of our students who provided many ideas. We formed friendships on a deeper level with those folks as they followed and commented on our journey. I am now a greater risk-taker when it comes to interacting with refugees and migrants in our own community and feel a sense of responsibility to share news that pertains to them or opportunities to assist them with colleagues and friends.
There is nothing like experience as the best teacher! Travel lends credibility to what we talk about in our daily classes. Saying “I met a young man of Syrian descent in Berlin and he took us to a market to find spices from his home. What foods make you think of home?” connects with kids on a deeper level than vocabulary or timelines. Going out of my comfort zone might encourage them to do the same. Even my hard-to-reach students thoughtfully look through my photos and blog, and ask questions,
Originally, I planned to apply independently, but I am so glad that I experienced the writing, planning, traveling and reflecting as a team and that we are now able to bring our learning as a team back to our school and community. We were more than travelers, with a purpose that was structured and designed by us. We felt responsible to FFT, our school and community, and to those we met. This was so much more than any other professional development because I was both teacher and learner.
FUND FOR TEACHERS ©