Donnerstag, 20. September 2007

20.9.2007 Spellbound - in one direction only?


Recently the school where I am currently teaching had its 40th anniversary and it was a busy day for teachers, students and visitors alike - many interesting projects had been prepared and there were speeches,performances and reunion tears as well.


Everyone was in a somewhat elevated mode - there was a much different energy in the building as busy bees were roaming the hallways offering fresh fruit snacks and tips on where to go to next....


I ended up in one classroom of a fifth grade class - they proudly presented their English project: the 50 States of America - I stopped at the description of Oregon first and then I saw the Illinois and Kansas posters...and the eagerness of the two students who had drawn them warmed my heart...they had memorized their data and they could name the capitols of each and it was as if they were ready to be beamed across the Ocean to experience their treasures in reality.


I left that room wondering what it would take for us here to create the same fascination in the Illinois fifth graders for them to want to draw up a poster of our Northrhine-Westphalia highlights and then to long to make it over here?