On the reflection mode...
Digging deeply and reflecting on this Fulbright experience, I find myself revisiting old notions, beliefs, attitudes, mindsets, the whole me ...This intentional peep into the self in the light of, and equipped with the newly acquired know-what/know-how would produce a sweet-bitter sentiment. Am I the ambitious teacher with big aspirations and lofty plans to strive for? Probably yes, but is it the very same person who embarked in this long/short journey of self-edification and professional upgrade? Absolutely not. The horizon is, I bet, broader, the world view more realistic, enhanced and honed through a well-wrought process I have been plunged into, starting form lectures in conferences to long hours spent on reflection, production at IU campus.
One cannot help comparing for good or bad the state of education here and there, yeah there where randomness prevails, unplanned and ill-informed decisions reign to the detriment of the folk in the education field…my post coincided of a sad incident in my home country where a video featured a naughty boy subjecting his teacher to physical violence! It went so viral that the education community was outraged and called for a strike….I am positive though. Logistics, students’ attitudes, methods and approaches, community embrace, teachers’ commitment…and more all make the education a thriving space and practice, a healthy way to cure the ills of society, plant the necessary seeds for a promising generation with huge potentials and better preparedness to beat the challenges locally and engage globally… This is the great sacred mission of education that is taking place to a greater degree practiced in the U.S context, sadly to a lesser one in mine.
At last Holly Emert and Angelica, the fabulous
IIE staff from Washington had a meeting and lunch with us. It was a time to share joys and concerns, ask formal questions ending in more spontaneous and deep heart discussions…It was a signal to the approaching end of our adventure in the U.S…
Happy Halloween my friends! Actually it was more than congratulating them on this…. We had a swell time at one of the fulbrighters’ house! With scary make-up on our faces, funny dresses and trick-or-treat candies for kids knocking at the door… The night was simply one of the best moment here! Pumkins were carved erlier to make jack-o-lantern, scary faces (commonsights this period)…Some professors at the IU school of Ed. dressed funnily to celebrate the event! Yeah, I saw real Halloween , not just its reenactment somewhere else!
Halloween or Halaloween? Oh yeah, the IU Muslim union association organized what they called Halaloween, a nice idea, isn’t? Celebrating Halloween, but appropriating it, adapting, reinventing it I would say… So, It was appealing to me that I made up my mind to explore it… the guys made it fun… A bunch of youths from different backgrounds- Diversity at its best- engaged us in games, competitions and food share… Another facet of the multicultural IU community.
Holy versity… interesting, isn’t it? I just went like “This meeting should be exceptional”…My prophecy came true. A group of counsellors and teachers, students got together to discuss the religious diversity. Introducing ourselves, our backgound information, the moderator proceeded into engaging us into a number of activities(discussions) focusing on exploring our self-image, stereotypes, mindsets…. Starting with small groups, then sharing in the larger one, the discussion was honest, prejudice-free, deep and spontaneous. One more IU event I appreciated and was glad to contribute to.
