On July 29 and 30, the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the US State Deparment and IREX organized for the first time a two-day event whose main goal was to establish new paths for teacher-collaboration among TEA and TGC (Teachers For Global Classrooms) Fellows. This event took place at the Movich Hotel, in one of the most beautiful cities of Colombia, Cartagena de Indias .
Once we, the Colombian TEA fellows arrived at the hotel, we immediately felt the same warm welcoming we got during our stay in Washington, DC. Our memories became alive again and we experienced the joy of seeing those faces that made us feel at home since, indeed, we teachers formed a family while in the USA.
Each one of us had the right amount of time to talk about what has happened after TEA: what we have done so far, what kinds of obstables we have had along the way, what our expectations for the event were and what the short and long-term projects we would love to develop; not only during the discussion sessions but also during our spare time on the terrace, at the lobby, at the restaurant or just walking together on the beautiful streets of Cartagena. The most valuable time we spent together was precisely when those spontaneous conversations began.
From each of the persons with whom I talked to, I keep in my mind new teachings and inspiration. IREX and ECA have been doing a remarkable job when selecting all the participants for the teacher programs such as TEA or TGC. They have payed close attention to those teachers who have made a difference in their communities through education and leadership. I want to use this post as a way to show my deep appreciation for recognizing in us teachers the work we do and for supporting us to expand our professional skills through mutual understanding and generous collaboration. It has been a wonderful experience having met such distinguished teachers!
This event helped us teachers consider ways of working together to finally break the walls of our classrooms by providing our students with opportunities to look beyond. Now, what we want them to see it is that they can learn much more from communicating with people rather than from the sole words of a paper. Not only our students but us teachers need to experience the amazing fortune of communicating for cultural understanding and at the same time feeling proud of our own identities as citizens of a given country. All TEA and TGC teachers realized that only by creating stronger bonds among us, we can make great things happen for the benefit of our students, we can actually teach globally to act locally.
During this week, I have been reading the blogs the TGC teachers created as a means of reflecting on their pedagogical journey in Colombia. This exercise has allowed me to discover how alike and different our education systems are and what should be done in order to improve certain scholar processes in our country. The readings have also shown me how appreciated some simple things we usually do as Colombians are and we just take for granted. I encourage you to enjoy these blogs and I am sure they will inspire you to ask new questions and keep on learning from them.
I am completely sure the time spent in Cartagena will be the seed of brand-new collaborative projects between American and Colombian teachers. We, the Colombian TEA fellows are also thinking about regional and local projects to promote bilingualism through cultural understanding; we think big! There is a lot of work to do and it will not take long because all of us will put in their efforts and hard work as we have been doing for the sake of our beloved profession.
Many thanks to IREX and ECA US for helping us expand our professional networks which not only will actively function on virtual sites but will be brought to life on upcoming meetings. We are certain we can count on your support and guidance for the great projects to come!
TGC Fellows’ Blogs:
At Jessica’s: http://goglobalwithsenoraz.weebly.com/blog/public-vs-private
At Sarah’s: http://learninglocaltoglobal.wordpress.com/2014/07/31/goodbye-bogota/comment-page-1/#comment-7
At Sherri’s: http://andersonincolombia.weebly.com/
At Jen’s: http://thinkglobalteachlocal.weebly.com/colombia-journal/alluring-bogota-exquisite-cartagena
At Michael’s: http://henthornsroost.blogspot.com/2014/04/colombia-tgc-journey.html
I would love to read other TEA and TGC blogs. I would be grateful if you share with me the links of the those blogs I haven’t read. You know blogs are great ways of reflecting and sharing what we are doing. Thanks in advance!
TEA Program Spring 2013 