Mr. Smith Goes to Washington--Part Four

Here are some pictures from the trip to Washington, DC, that Mr. Smith and I took for the TGC conference.

Smithsonian "Castle"

TGC Participants: Nicole Means (India), David Burton (Indonesia),
Kathy Boziak (India), and Jennifer Dawson (Ukraine)

Wall of Korean War Memorial

Southmoore SaberCat at Lincoln Memorial

Wall of Vietnam War Memorial

Southmoore Principal, Roy Smith, and
SaberCat at Supreme Court Building

U.S. Capitol Building

Inside Rotunda of Capitol Building

Roy Smith with Sequoyah, one of Oklahoma's
donations to Statuary Hall in Capitol Building

Library of Congress's Jefferson Building

Wasington Monument

Atlantic Theater portion of World War II Memorial

David Burton and Roy Smith at the Oklahoma
Column of World War II Memorial

South Front of White House

North Front of White House

Blair House, official guest residence of White House

Eternal Flame at Grave of President Kennedy, Arlington Cemetary

Grave stones at Arlington Cemetary

Changing of the Guard Ceremony at
Tomb of the Unknowns, Arlington Cemetary

Wreath Laying Ceremony by students from Covenant Academy
at Tomb of the Unknowns, Arlington Cemetary

Memorial to the USS Challenger Space Shuttle, Arlington Cemetary

Mast of the USS Maine, Arlington Cemetary

Grave of Supreme Court Chief Justice Earl Warren, Arlington Cemetary

the trees are begining to blossom, Arlington Cemetary

view of the National Mall from Iwo Jima--Marine Corps Memorial

SaberCat at Iwo Jima--Marine Corps Memorial

Embassy of Indonesia, my travel destination in the TGC program

Mr. Smith Goes to Washington--Part Three

Friday was a long (but good) day spent in meetings. Our principals gathered with Global Education "experts" who communicated the needs for Global Education within our schools. TGC participants had various sessions in which we evaluated student work samples for evidence of Global Ed, began developing some essential questions pertaining to travel to our individual specific countries, and looking at ways to successfully interact with those from other cultures.

Following the long day several of use took a walk down the mall to see the Washington Monument, the Lincoln Memorial, and the Korean War and Vietnam War memorials. Then we taxied over to Fado to meet with Sarah Yabroff. Sarah works with the Goethe Institut in Washington and leads tours for teachers to Germany. Sarah was my guide this past summer and the guide for Nicole Means two summers ago. It was great to see her again!

Saturday involved a planning meeting in which we were able to work with our principals and others within our state's "delegation" to work on strategies to improve (or implement) the focus of Global Education into our schools. Then we as country teams were able to meet with a teacher from our country of travel to learn more about cultural specifics and educational systems within our countries.

Saturday afternoon, Mr. Smith and I, along with a couple of other teachers had a tour of the U.S. Capitol Building...not as long nor as thorough as of a tour as I remember from previous years...but the new visitors' center is impressive! Later we visited the World War II Memorial and the White House. Dinner was eaten (feasted on rather) at a great Tex-Mex restaurant near DuPont Circle. I highly recommend Lauriol Plaza and it's lamb fajitas.

Today Mr. Smith and I ventured over the Arlington Cemetery. I was able to see more at Arlington this time than I have in the past. We saw the traditional touristy spots of the graves of the Kennedy family (which now includes Teddy), the Tomb of the Unknowns with both Changing of the Guard and two wreath laying ceremonies, and the Custis-Lee House. Previously, I had not seen the Unknown Solider from 1812, the Spanish-American War Memorial (I'm not talking about the mast of the USS Maine), nor a grave which I only caught because I happened to turn my head in the right direction...former Supreme Court Chief Justice Earl Warren. A walk over the the Iwo Jima/Marine Corps Memorial rounded out the morning/early afternoon.

Mr. Smith headed back to the hotel while I ran to a couple of stores. While shopping it dawned on me that it would be cool to go see the Indonesian Embassy while I was in DC. So rather than heading back to the hotel at that point I did take a detour back the DuPont Circle area. Following my return to the hotel and some time of resting we did venture out for dinner. If you are in DC and miss out on Old Ebbitt Grill then you have committed a crime...crab cakes and peanut butter pie at one of DC's oldest culinary highlights.

Tomorrow we return home to Oklahoma City and so will end Mr. Smith's venture to Washington. It's been a great trip, especially in getting to see some sites familiar to me through the newness of Mr. Smith's eyes. Sometimes our roaming of remote roads might simply be a revisiting of a familiar road but seeing things in a different light.

Pictures will come soon!!!

Mr. Smith Goes to Washington--Part Two

So we arrived in DC around 1:00 EST and then made our way, by taxi, to our hotel--located just two blocks south of The Mall; our street runs right in to the Smithsonian Castle.  We got checked in and then set out to walk to The Mall and pop in to a couple of the museums: we saw the new "Star Spangled Banner" exhibit at the American History Museum, I bought a new stuffed SaberCat at the Natural History Museum, and Mr. Smith tried to buy the Hope Diamond necklace for his wife) and we also went to the National Archives (seeing the original Magna Carta, Declaration of Independence, and Constitution really get me each time).

We then came back to the hotel to rest for a bit and make dinner plans.  We ran in to Nicole Means, a TGC participant from St. Francisville, LA, and her assistant principal, Abby.  We decided to join them for dinner as well as some local friends Nicole knows who live in DC.  We headed off to Chinatown to eat at "Ping Pong", a modern twist to dim sum.  It was wonderful!!!  I'd go back again tonight.  I'm definitely going to seek dim sum out when I get back to OKC.  I want to eat sum of dat, dim sum dat, dim sum more dat.

Keep roaming those remote roads!  Especially the culinary ones.  I'll have to back a posting sometime about foods I've enjoyed from around the world.

Mr. Smith Goes to Washington

So as part of the TGC program, our head principals (or their designate) were invited to attend a Global Education Symposium with our gaggle of teachers.  This is the first opportunity that my principal, Mr. Roy Smith, has had to visit Washington, DC.  We fly out @7:00 AM tomorrow morning.

While I've been to DC several times (I think this will be at least the 10th time), it is fun to see the center of our nation's political life come alive before the eyes of a first timer.  When we are not in meetings Mr. Smith and I will be visiting some of the sites; we already have reservations for a tour of The Capitol on Saturday afternoon.

So I have basically nick-named this trip "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington" and I'll probably use that title for any blog updates which I make during the next few days.  And I think the nick-name is rather apropos for this trip.  In the classic movie, Jefferson Smith (Jimmy Stewart) is picked as a mid-term replacement Senator and heads off to Washington with a goal of bringing about a positive change.  Likewise, the TGC program is bring all of us teacher and principals, "my" Mr. Smith included, hoping that our educational efforts will help provide a meaningful change within our schools...helping our students to truly be more aware of the world around them, to learn to interact with people from a variety of cultural backgrounds and physical locations, and to have meaningful educational experiences with cutting edge technology.

So, if our theme is "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington" then the following is our theme's campaign poster:

I'm excited to have Mr. Smith joining me on this venture and hope that even with my 10th time to DC, we will still be able to have the opportunity to roam remote roads.  Of course, re-roaming some of my formerly traveled roads is alright, especially knowing that I'm helping someone else to roam a new road.

Travel is in the Air

As part of the Teachers for Global Classrooms program I will be heading to Washington, DC on Thursday.  When I applied for this program I knew that there would be a DC trip before the international expedition as well as another DC trip next fall.  What was a surprise to the teachers in the program was that immediately following our 8-week online course this past Fall, TGC invited our principals to attend with us.

This trip will be the first time that my head principal, Roy Smith, has had the opportunity to travel to our nation's capital.  His wife and at least one of his sons have been.  So I guess on Thursday "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington".

In prep for this trip I had to make a mad dash to finish the initial rough draft of my "Capstone" project for the TGC program.  I've been compiling items over the course of most of this semester, but spent all day yesterday getting it formatted together and filling in some of the gaps.  I then e-mailed off "the mess" around 9:30 last night.

Now...the final preparations must be made for the trip:

1. Laundry and packing...too long of a trip for a carry-on, but too short for a full check bag...WHAT TO DO?
2. Lesson plans for Thursday plus a set of "just in case" plans for Tuesday of next week (Friday is a professional day for teachers in my district & Monday is slated as a "snow day" if we haven't used it yet for actual snow/ice)
3. Identifying three samples of student work for exploring "Global Competence"
4. Make sure I have hard copies of flight schedules, hotel reservations, Capital tour tickets, subway maps, etc. etc. etc.
5. Make sure there is enough dog food for Tori (my Yorkie)
6. Get Tori to my mom's house in time for mom to get me to the airport on time

As much as I do love to roam the roads of lands remote, the prep work can be so daunting!  But it's all worth it, right?

1st World "Problems"

One major benefit of roaming the roads of lands remote (literally or figuratively) is that it helps to give you some perspective on life.  I find it highly interesting what my people in my life (primarily my students) consider to be "problems" or "emergencies".  The typical excuse given to me by a student who was caught texting in class: "But it was an emergency".  So when I explore this "emergency" I usually learn that the "emergency" in question is something along the lines of: "My mom's pedicure is running long and she will be 5 minutes late to pick up my younger sibling from school...now I have to get my sibling".  Without commenting on the legitimacy of the "emergency" status of this issue, I'm sure no one would have considered this an "emergency" ten years ago.

The "problems" that have developed surrounding our rapidly changing technological advances are so different than the "problems" faced by other peoples on the planet.  Don't get me wrong...this posting is not about trying to guilt people of our culture into sacrificing their technology gadgets so as to give more money to the poor.  I'm just stating that perspective in life changes how we define "problems".

This video helps to perspective on the "problems" which we in the "1st World", or most developed countries, must endure.

As we continue to explore the roads of lands remote, I hope that we can all allow ourselves to be open minded enough to see things from the perspective of others.

Math Tutoring...$50 for half hour.

Today I was asked to roam a road that I have not roamed in about 12 years, thus making it a rather remote road indeed.  I agreed to roam this remote road so as to help out some friends.  Before roaming, I did inform the friends that my navigation guides and GPS might be too out dated to successfully roam the road.

During my year and a half of substitute teaching while seeking out a permanent teaching position I was strongly encouraged by an assistant principal to gain endorsements on my teaching certificate that would make it easier to find a position.  All too often Social Studies teaching gigs are coupled with coaching responsibilities.  So I took the certification exams and additional college course work so as to add Intermediate Mathematics to my certificate; I can now officially teach math up through Algebra II.  This assistant principal was on to something because my first full-year contract was at her school and I was teaching Algebra I and Geometry.

While struggling to teach subjects in which I was not formally trained, I did make it clear that I wanted to switch to Social Studies at the earliest opportunity and I was accommodated for the next school year.  Occasionally students would find out I "could" teach math and would ask about tutoring.  My typically answer was "yes, for $50 a per half hour".  Needless to say, no one ever took me up on that offer...until now.

Some church friends who knew about my "math teaching" background asked if I would be interested in tutoring their freshman daughter.  They were at a loss as they had each tried to provide the enrichment she needed (sometimes parents don't make the best teachers/tutors...you can ask my mom about my attempts at piano lessons).  We chit-chatted about it and I thought that would be it.  Then I get a text today asking if I would seriously do it...and, if possible...TODAY.  They're good friends so I said yes.  I spent just under 2 hours helping her with her Geometry homework and she was understanding.  She actually said I was better than her teacher.  We'll see about that tomorrow when (if) she's able to actually function in class, LOL.

I didn't actually charge the "$50 per half hour", but I am getting dinner out of it tomorrow!  So I guess this road roaming experience wasn't so bad after all!  The lesson I learned is that sometimes we get so stuck in our own comfort zones and fear that some of our "talents" might not actually be beneficial to others.  I might not be the greatest math teacher, I might not even enjoy teaching math, but is something in which I excelled academically and I should not be afraid to use that talent when times "demand" it.

Indonesia & Current Curriculum

The upcoming trip to Indonesia must be on my mind.

Two days ago, my AP Human Geography class was taking a test on our Political Geography unit.  As I was reviewing the test before having photocopies made, one of the questions jumped out at me since it was about Indonesia.  I have then started exploring for other questions in my test banks which already address Indonesia within my current curriculum.  Some of these questions are specifically about Indonesia while others use Indonesia as an answer choice.

Here's some of those test questions:

Which of the following countries is in the top five in terms of total population in the world?

1. Iran
2. Pakistan
3. Indonesia
4. Vietnam
5. Russia

A country in which the majority of the population are Shiite Muslims is

1. Iran.
2. Morocco.
3. Saudi Arabia.
4. Egypt.
5. Indonesia.

Which of the following is a good example of an exclave?

1. Hawaii in relation to the United States
2. Sumatra Island in relation to Indonesia
3. Alaska in relation to the United States
4. Taiwan in relation to China
5. Shikoku in relation to Japan

Indonesia is an example of which of the following types of states?

1. prorupted
2. perforated
3. compact
4. fragmented
5. bifurcated

Violent confrontations in Ambon, Aceh, and East Timor illustrate the problem of holding together the physically and culturally diverse country of

1. India.
2. Indonesia.
3. Brazil.
4. South Africa.
5. Yugoslavia.

Which of the following countries is an enclave?

1. United States
2. Indonesia
3. Lesotho
4. Egypt
5. Morocco

Indonesia is an example of a(n)

1. elongated state.
2. microstate.
3. compact state.
4. fragmented state.
5. prorupted state.

In which of the following regions would the sawah pictured above most likely NOT  exist?

1. Indonesia
2. Northern India
3. Southwestern China
4. Malaysia
5. Vietnam

The "Four Tigers" of East and Southeast Asia include

1. China, Indonesia, Japan, and Taiwan.
2. Hong Kong, South Korea, Singapore, and Taiwan.
3. Japan, the Philippines, South Korea, and Vietnam.
4. Hong Kong, Indonesia, Thailand, and Vietnam.
5. China, the Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand.

Which country has been a high-volume destination for global firms from the United States outsourcing their tertiary-sector jobs?

1. Mexico
2. China
3. India
4. Indonesia
5. Malaysia

I hope you enjoyed! Perhaps, through these questions, you've been able to roam a remote road today.

Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close

For those who are not familiar with the new Tom Hanks & Sandra Bullock movie you might want to watch the trailer first before continuing to read:

This movie is absolutely an example of roaming the roads of lands remote.

Despite our differences (gender, racial, ethnic, cultural, linguistic, religious, orientations ... ) all of people have a whole host of commonalities.  We have all experienced birth and will experience death.  We will all put effort into something and all receive the benefit of our efforts.  We will face injuries/sickness as well as times of healing.  We will encounter both destructive and creative forces.  We will laugh and we will cry.  We will face grief and celebration.  We search for things and we realize a search might be futile.  We will save and discard.  We will tear up and we will mend.  We need times of silence and times that are loud.  We will all love and hate.  We experience times of war and peace.  And sometimes, figuratively speaking, we all just need to take a ride in the third swing from the right.

Too often we allow those differences (noted above) to be barriers to stepping out of our comfort zones and risking the opportunity to get to know someone.  It is by traveling that remote road when we learn that perhaps that road wasn't as remote as we first perceived.

P.S.: Yes, for those who noticed, by list of commonalities was inspired by Ecclesiastes 3.  Regardless of the list's source, there is still significant truth in their words.

Eyes of a Child

This past Sunday night, my weekly Bible study group was concluding a series on fears.  During the discussion, the topic of seeing the world through the eyes of children came up.  So often, children have a completely different outlook on life than we adults have.  Too often we see the "realities" and fears of life rather than embrace the simplicity, hope, and joy that it offers.

This made me reflect upon some of my travels and the faces of children that I've met.  With some I've developed a relationship (even if only temporary) while others it was more of a passing encounter.  But nearly every time, regardless of culture, color, race, religion, economic, or other human defined background, I've looked into their eyes and glimpsed the simplicity, the hope, and the joy that life offers.

Me with Jazmine, Pricilla, & Jhon in Lima, Peru, June 2000

These three lived at Posada de Amor, a home for orphans & abandoned children

Me with several precious girls outside of Kisumu, Kenya, June 2002

A little girl in a Mon village along the River Kwai in Thailand, June 2009

My encounter with a day care group in Seoul, South Korea, November 2009
These children were on a field-trip at the Korean National War Museum

Me with a group of boys in Bodza, Malawi, July 2010
These boys attend a feeding center where I helped a team from my church drill a water well

My friend Holly and a group of girls at a school in Aschaffenburg, Germany, June 2011
(don't worry, the girls had already finished their lunches before we joined them)

One of my great honors as I've roamed the roads of lands remote has been to see the face of God as expressed through the hearts of children.  No matter the culture, you can see the simplicity, the hope, and the joy of life expressed on their faces.

1st Learned from Indonesian News

Social media giant Facebook released dozens of new applications Wednesday to let users catalogue every aspect of their lives, from movies to books to food to fashion, and share them with friends.

Read more: http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/tech/new-facebook-apps-let-users-share-key-events/492343

I find it curious that the first news source in which I encountered this information is from Indonesia.  Kind of makes me think the information posted in the blog from a few days ago on the advances of digital media in Indonesia is right on target!

I follow The Jakarta Globe on both Facebook and twitter; maybe you should too!?!

Google Translate = Inspiration

Dalam Bahasa Indonesia:
Salam kepada rakyat Indonesia. Perlu diketahui bahwa satu set berat tiga puluh lima tahun pria kulit putih berusia menyerang tanah air Anda dengan sekelompok guru lainnya 10. Kabar baiknya adalah bahwa kita datang dengan damai dan berusaha untuk membawa sukacita pertemuan Anda kembali ke siswa kami.  Saya berharap bahwa kunjungan kami akan memungkinkan siswa bersama kami untuk menggunakan teknologi dunia maya untuk menjelajah jalan-jalan tanah jauh bersama-sama.

In English:
Greetings to the people of Indonesia.  Please be aware that a heavy set thirty five year old white man is invading your homeland with a gang of 10 other teachers.  The good news is that we come in peace and seek to bring the joy of meeting you back to our students.  I hope that our visit will allow our mutual students to use the technologies of the virtual world to roam the roads of lands remote together.

The Dream Lives On

On August 28, 1963, Martin Luther King, Jr. stood on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, DC and gave a 17 minute speech which has since become one of the most recognized speeches in American (and even World) history and literature.

"I have a dream ... where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character."

One of the remote roads which many people are still fearful to travel are those roads which carry them into interaction with people of other cultures and backgrounds.  There are a multitude of problems with allowing this fear to have a strong control in our lives.  For starters, our current geo-political and geo-economic conditions demand that we interact with people from all over the world.  If we don't truly understand other people then our ability to legitimately interact with them is significantly limited.  To allow our prejudices and other preconceived notions about "others" to limit or prevent our interaction and cooperation with others is, at best, misguided and, at worst, immoral.

One of my great joys throughout traveling has been the ability to get to know people from a variety of backgrounds.  It gives me such a great sense of awe to look into another person's eyes and see the grand diversity which God has created.  We are all His people and are, thus, worthy of respect.

Martin Luther King may have been giving a speech regarding civil rights issues within the U.S., but his words should inspire a greater dream within each of us.  A dream which can only be fulfilled when we roam the roads of lands remote and open ourselves to greater cultural interaction (those "remote" roads might simply be a few blocks from our own homes).

Indonesia & Digital Media

Who would have guessed that Indonesia ranks so high as it does within it's use of digital media?  What are your reactions in light of this video and image?

Source: http://www.penn-olson.com/2011/03/25/indonesia-the-next-big-thing-in-digital-media/

I'm going to Indonesia!!!

When I first applied for this program with Teachers for Global Classrooms they had you identify your top three choices within their list of options.  The options were Brazil, Ghana, India, Indonesia, Morocco, and Ukraine.  My top were three Indonesia, Brazil, and Morocco.

While I would have been fine with any of them I did want to go somewhere I've never been before (was in India in June 2009) and somewhere different than other places I've been (three other sub-Saharan African countries: Kenya, Uganda, & Malawi).  While I've been to another South American country (Peru), Brazil would provide a difference in that it is primarily Portuguese speaking while most others in South America are Spanish.  I also liked the idea of going to a predominantly Muslim country and that made both Morocco and Indonesia (world's largest Muslim country) ideal.

As the eight-week course neared its conclusion I remember speaking with co-workers about how I was really hoping for Indonesia.  Something about Indo just keep bringing it to the forefront of my mind.

So there I was at my desk on December 7, 2011, during 6th hour.  My students were working independently on primary source document analysis assignment when an e-mail from TGC arrived.  I couldn't help but make my pleasure known to my students.  INDONESIA.  I had gotten my preferred choice!!!  I will be traveling with ten other teachers to Indonesia in July.

By this point, the eight-week course was over and one of the other participants in the group had created a Facebook page which over half of the participating teachers have joined.  We each began posting comments regarding our country assignments.  I'm highly glad that I'll be going to Indo in July because other groups are traveling in March and April...the two months right before AP testing and that would complicate the final preparation times before my students take their high-stakes national exams so as to potentially earn college credit while still in high school.

A few days later I received another e-mail.  It included a list of every one's country assignments and I noticed something rather cool.  All five of the teachers in the TGC program from Oklahoma are in the Indonesia group!!!  How great will that be to share this opportunity with fellow Oklahomans and then to return to our home state as a team united to help spread the wonders of global education with colleagues here!

Even following the actual trip I can already sense the life travels that my work with these fellow Oklahoma teachers will provide as we roam the remote roads of meaningful education reform in our home state.