Look Out World, Here I Come!

This is my first blog post on Perry's Perspectives on the World.  This blog is part of my fellowship for the Teachers for Global Classrooms program.  The TGC program is an intensive full-year program that focuses on Global Education through an 8-week online course, 3-day symposium, and a 3-week international field experience in education.  As I type that description, I am still amazed that I have the opportunity to be a part of such a phenomenal program, but wait my story doesn't start here!

So here goes my story...
It's around 3:00 pm on December 18, 2015, our last day before Winter Break and I have been patiently waiting for an email for several weeks concerning a trip of a lifetime.  One of my former students, Megan, has stopped by to visit me and we are just reminiscing about the fun times with the class of 2015.  Megan receives a phone call, so I check my email and there it is, the email I have been waiting for:  "IFE Notification."  I quickly click on the email and read "Your country of travel for the international field experience will be the Philippines."  WOW! The Philippines!  Megan and I hug, jump up and down, and maybe I even cry a little bit.  I cannot wait to tell my family and friend where I was going.  Never did I think that I would be so blessed to have the opportunity to travel the world doing what I love:  teaching and learning!

Wait, we have to back up the story a bit...
It's around 2:00 pm on June 11, 2015, the day of the 4th grade awards for my twins, Keegan and Kaitlin.  I am waiting for the kids to come into the cafeteria, when my phone alerts that I have an email.  Again, I have been patiently waiting since March to hear about an opportunity of a lifetime.  I look at the subject line and it reads "Notification of TGC Selection Status."  In my mind, I'm thinking, "OK. Here it is.  My rejection notice!  Considering that it took so long to get a reply, it must be bad news."  I click on the email.  I see the word "Congratulations!" Much to my surprise, I did it.  I took a risk, completed a lengthy application and it paid off!  I can barely contain my excitement.

Actually, let's go back to December 2014...
I am in my 16th year of teaching Contemporary World Studies and AP Human Geography.  I LOVE what I do and yes, I meant to shout!  I get to teach kids about the world around them and, in my little corner of Maryland, it is a world that most of them are not very familiar with other than what they see in the media.  The more I teach these 2 subjects, the more I realize that I need to see the world beyond books and movies.  While my students think I am an avid global traveller, the reality is that I have only been out of the country 3 times to 2 different places-Mexico and Grand Cayman.  I know that with more authentic global experiences, I can be a better teacher of AP HuG and CWS.  I had heard about the TGC program and I know that this is the year.  With my family's blessing, I am going for it!