The Day I Am Trying to Catch You Up

This post has actually been titled differently each day I've sat down to write it: The Day I Realized I've Been Here a Week, The Day I Bought Towels and Sheets, The Day I Toured Sheffield Hallam University, The Day I Lost My Mascara, The Day I Made Tacos, The Day I Got a Blockbuster Video Membership Card (yes, it's true folks) so, you see, it's just been an exciting few days since I've last posted. So much has been going on that I've not had a second to stop and write. So now, I've got one hour before Starbucks closes (yes, I'm at Starbucks because it's free wifi and I feel like a nut in a pub with my computer out stealing wifi while everyone else enjoys a pint and good company.)

So today I wake up to rock bands and singers and loudspeakers coming through my flat window. I live next to Sheffield's Botanical Gardens, and I knew something was coming from there. I had read in the Sheffield Telegraph about the upcoming Arts in the Park, but didn't clue in that it was today for some reason. After a quick breakfast, I packed my camera, computer, water bottle, and notebook and headed up my street instead of down. If I haven't complained about it yet, I will now. Sheffield is built on "seven hills." Fortunately, my mile and half walk into Sheffield Hallam is fairly level (and I'm now understanding the bus routes a little better), but most of the time I'm walking up and down hills to get where I'm going. Scratch that, most of the time I'm walking uphill both ways.

So I get to the top of the hill (not far, really) and see what I understand the locals to call "Teddy." This is King Edward VII School. I will be contacting them for some observations (which I've learned I need to call them "sit ins" because observation strikes a chord of "evaluation", which is SOOOO true, even in America.) Heck, maybe I'll just ask for a tour! I will be glad when my approval to get into these schools as a visitor gets back to me, which could be another week or so.

Do you think students at Teddy are more excited than our students to learn because they go to school in such a fascinating, old, gloriously English (okay, "Roman") structure? Ha. Yeah, I don't either.

 So, walking on...down Clarkehouse Road, I also run across Sheffield High School, established in 1878. Is this the school for you?





I finally made it to the Botanical Gardens where the Arts in the Park was happening. Here are a few pictures:

There were local/area artists set up inside painting, drawing, and chatting with people. I spoke with at least four, and got some great tips on local things to see and pubs to visit. Including the "crooked spire", Bolsover Castle, and the Thursday morning market in Chestershire, about a 20-minute train ride away. My "to do" list keeps growing.

This artist took a picture of what she's drawing because she couldn't bring physically bring in the flowers, but she wanted specifically to draw them because her daughter-in-law sent them to her. I love people.

My lunch, from a local farmer. Roasted pork sandwich with stuffing (think Thanksgiving,) and apple sauce.

I never stopped to read the signs for this area, but I was drawn to it over and over again. That's because it's their "North American Prairie Land" tribute. Which, as they put it, is now covered in corn. So true. But this area did remind me of our gardens in southern Mo.

Okay...it's taken me an hour just to upload what few pics I have and now it's closing time at Starbucks. I'm headed out to meet my Fulbright buddy, Steve, who gave me these options for the night: eat at a new restaurant, see a movie, or stay in and wash my hair (me only, which I need to do, but I'll opt for dinner.) Enjoy...I'll try to post another tomorrow.

The Day I Got Frustrated

I am somewhere between here..................

AND here.....................

Successes today include waking up, getting up, eating breakfast (free), and crossing off a couple of really minor things from my list (buy glue stick, umbrella, shampoo, mouthwash, dental floss, and sim cards.) All that took me to four different stores and six hours. Oh, lunch was in the middle. And afternoon coffee where I had my first breakdown of "what-in-the-world-am-I-doing-here-someone-buy-me-a-ticket-home-!"

< Why the glue stick? Travel tip alert: if you're still old-school and like to journal, keep receipts, ticket stubs, and random Dove chocolate wrappers that say "Feel Good about Yourself", then a glue stick is the journaler's best friend. >

The good news about today is that Sheffield people are just super, super helpful and friendly. Liam, at the Phones4You store, set up my phone and iPad like a professional. Oh, wait. He is. I also learned that Sheffield, Newcastle, and Glasgow are homes to the nicest people in the U.K.

The bad news about today is that I'm going through my first wave of culture shock. Total helplessness. (And this is where growth happens, I know, yada, yada, yada. I don't wanna hear it.)

Cultural difference: When one is already down and out a little, and the store clerk asks "you okay?" it's probably not wise to fall into her arms and whimper, "NO. No I'm not okay, can you find me a place to live?! Hug me!" Instead, you say, "can you show me where the mouthwash is?" because what she's really asking is "can I help you, in this store, at this moment?" and when you ask for mouthwash in return, she will definitely respond with "Oh yes Love, follow me. We've got several brands on sale at the moment.What else can I do you for?"

Sniff. sniff.

Here's a little pictorial of my day, because I'm too mentally drained to write coherently anymore.

Breakfast of champions. Pork and beans. This automatically prompted corn-on-the-cob for lunch. The toast was sure tasty though, and I sneaked a few Nutella packs to my room. Cheese packs = awesome.

My view at breakfast. Anybody want to visit?

The first of six leasing agencies that must have this recording: "Sorry, we just can't help you at the moment. Have you tried any websites or private lenders?" Yes. I'm one of those people who try everything over and over and over again before asking for help. So now I'm asking. Help me.

Lunch at Nando's. Super good. Super friendly service. The place was so packed I had to wait for a table...at lunch! I ate the portobello wrap with pineapple and medium piri piri hot sauce. I asked the wonderfully kind servers if they could also help me find a place to rent since they were so good at helping me choose my lunch. "Unfortunately, not good with that one." (When said with a British accent, the word unfortunately never actually makes me feel unfortunate.) :)

I ended up trying all of these sauces. Next time I will go for the extra hot. Most of the meals here are based around rotisserie  chicken. The hot sauce isn't Mexican spicy, but more Indian spicy.

Fail: did not ride public transportation today. Too much of a mental challenge at this point of my day.

Success: opted for a mocha pick-me up at Cafe Nero. This is like a two-for-one: chocolate and coffee.

Accidentally took a picture of myself. Look at all those chins!

When I meant to take a picture of this. All of a sudden, this place feels sooooo big.

Tomorrow will be a better day.

Good news, I'm going to bed before 2:00 a.m.

Also, in other news, I love the staff at this hotel. Good conversationalists. Two nights in a row at the bar ending my night just chatting. Ben, the evening Duty Manager, has schooled me on everything from great pubs in town to why walking is better than driving, to lime and soda (a disgusting looking phosphorous neon drink that many people order) and why sometimes bachelor degrees just aren't worth it. The guy next to me tonight at the bar schooled me on all things California. He's been. A lot. He's got one word for me: tumbleweeds.

I drank water and ate french fries, which are actually called "skinny fries" on the menu. Misleading. Probably responsible for all those chins.

The Day I Arrived

(P.S. (Is it okay to put the post-script before the post?) I think my blog shouldn't be titled "Journey2Learn", but instead "Letters2Home" because currently these entries are just ways my friends and family can experience my experience. You may find them rather boring! :) 

Terminal K: Chicago O'Hare Airport

Education Speak: 
This truly is a journey to learn. I sat next to a young man on my flight from Chicago to Manchester who just finished his A-levels in June in geography, ancient history, and philosophy. He detailed what the last five years for him were like with GCSE's, General Certificate of Secondary Education,  in 12 areas. I want to learn about these in more detail. I will look them up. I'm wondering how long do these exams take? And what happens as a result of these exams? These are questions I want to explore further. A quick read in Wikipedia helped.

From those exams, my seat partner chose four areas to focus on (age 16) for the next year, and then he took his first set of A-levels. The second year he focused on three subjects, I mentioned earlier, and now, after his second A-levels (age 18), he has narrowed down his favorite course of study, geography, and has decided to study at Manchester University in September 2014. He is now in his "gap" year, a year many 18-year-olds take off to work or travel before heading to the university. (We ALL need a gap year. I wish this tradition would come to America, as usual, we are the exception to the rule. If I had my own children, I would institute it. Instead, many of my students say "I'm taking  a year off and going to work first.") He is returning home from a holiday in Florida with his family, who live near Birmingham, and he plans to take a 10-week charity trip to Ecuador to work in conservation areas for the rainforest.  He told me Sheffield Hallam was one of the top universities in the UK, out of 144. He's been researching. :-) He described it as an A-B school, which is the grade you need to make on your A-levels to be accepted to this university.  He chose Manchester bc he likes their Geography department. The university experience will cost him £9000 per year. That's about $13,000.

As the flight began, I started to read Doris Lessing's The Golden Notebook. The first notebook hasn't got me hooked yet, but I'm only on page 35. The introduction though, written by Lessing, is one of the best introductions to a book I have ever read. She wrote it in 1993. She detailed her disgust with the educational system (in the UK and around the world) in allowing us to have students read and evaluate what authorities say about a subject vs what they could learn testing it through their own experiences."Nevermind what professors say, read it for yourself, what do you say?" I was inspired by this.

Changing money...
Safe on the ground, 7:37 am., 1:37 am CST. Surprisingly, everything has been so easy.

Going through customs at the UK Border in Manchester Airport.

The customs agent was super nice, asking me outside of work if I had plans to travel, and then offered a slew of local suggestions. At baggage claim I found the toilet first (got to get used to seeing the word toilet) and then found a cash machine that changed paper bills, which on top of a terrible exchange rate, I also paid £5 for the exchange, getting only 52.50 for my hundred dollar bill. I had to use the cash machine instead of the ATM bc I needed actual coins to get a "trolley" for my luggage, which I could have used my card on, but it was out of service.

My luggage came quickly! In Chicago I was moved to an exit row and the airline steward checked my carry on for me. Nice to not worry about heaving all that research up to the overhead bin. So, that was the first piece that came on the carousel. The next two pieces came quickly afterwards and I loaded up to exit the building. Signs were super easy to follow to the train station, and I kept thinking at any moment I would have to abandon my trolley for a set of stairs, but that never happened. It was a 10-min walk through a covered pathway that led me across a street, up 7 floors on a lift that held 40+ people and their bags, through a terminal, and down one floor to trains. Signs were posted along the way that said, 10 min, 8 min, 4 min, and down. I had pre-purchased my ticket, so all I had to do was slip in my credit card to a machine and print. I made it in 13 minutes...pushing 150+lbs.

I made my way down the lift to the platforms and into the cafeexpressshop. It's a little chilly here right now, maybe 65 or so, and cloudy. My biggest concern now is getting off the train in Sheffield.

My view while waiting for the train at Manchester Airport.

I have a luggage strap, may have to test the bad boy out. I plan to get a taxi to the Holiday Inn express. I can't believe I was actually worried that I could miss the 9:55 train. I made it in plenty of time to catch the 8:55, but I waited it out just to be sure. Wednesday is a good day to travel! Not too crowded.

The Train Ride...
It felt good to ride a train. Although once I was successfully on the train with luggage unloaded, we all had to get off and switch trains and platforms. Fortunately, my trolley was still outside the door. Once I loaded up my bags and made it to the next platform, we all were told to return to the previous platform and train. EighYighYigh! Even the Brits were giggly about this.

I returned to my seat and Ian sat down across from me. If all the British are like Ian, then I will have great help. We talked about everything from rugby people vs football people, hiking in the Pennines, this side vs that side, tipping, Chicago, Missouri caves vs Derbyshire caves, plane delays, breakfast,

My train mate pointing out the Derbyshire peaks.

and northern US vs Southern US accents. His constant questioning and conversation starters kept me awake from Manchester to Sheffield. When I finally told him I would be working at Sheffield HallamUniversity, his eyes nearly popped out of head, "Ooooh, that's a great university." I'm feeling proud and happy that I'll be at an institution that seems very well-respected, even though the city does not seem to impress people. The minute I got off the train, we found a luggage trolley, the lift, and the taxi stand. He left me as if he was worried I wouldn't make it on my own.

We pulled out of the train station, turned right, and voila!   Sheffield Hallam University.

Home Away from Home...
I'm staying at the Holiday Inn Express on Blonk Street. It was only a 4.50 taxi ride, but I paid 2 more pounds for the driver to lug my bags in and out of the car. I know, tipping is not required, b
ut you didn't lift those bags! 

I managed lunch, an egg salad sandwich, packet of crisps, and two bottles of water from the cooler in the hotel lobby. Paid 8.50 for that. Dad thought that was a good deal, until I told him that was about $13. He cringed a little. I still thought it was a GREAT deal. After skyping home, I promptly fell asleep. Hard sleep. I knew I shouldn't, but I just couldn't stay awake. I definitely need to change the time on my computer to GMT. I thought I could handle keeping it at CST, but all it does is make me think about what people at home are doing right now, and keeps me in two time zones rather than one. (Not that I don't want to think about my colleagues or family!) One time zone though is better for me to focus.

I woke up around 4:00 p.m., unpacked a little, showered, and headed downstairs. I was feeling some anxiety about actually going out of the hotel. New place, new faces, new neighborhoods, and sometimes I get it in my mind that when something looks dirty or old, then it must be an unsafe neighborhood, not because the building is 500 years old! :) So, I have to face that fear always when I travel alone, but once I do it, good things come. 

My home away from home before I find a home. The Holiday Inn Express.

The staff at the Holiday Inn Express have been super kind and friendly. The front desk clerk sent me on a 10-minute walk (seems that's the end-all-be-all of distance measurement here) to Leopold Square. I will be going back here, especially this weekend for some jazz music. JAZZ! I said. I asked if it was safe, and he said he walks this route every night going home from work at 11:00 p.m. It gets dark about 7:45, so I wanted to return before then. The walk was all uphill, which reminded me of something Ian (from the train ride) said about Sheffield, "Rome and Sheffield were built on seven hills, and that's where the similarities stop."  I passed KFC, Burger King, Pizza Hut, and McDonalds on my way to find dinner. I settled at Popolo's because it was next to four other restaurants in the square, and it was packed! No other restaurants had people sitting outside. So, I checked out the menu to see what was the fuss...then I realized it was the equivalent of happy hour. The other restaurants nearby might

What it looked like upon arrival.

need to rethink their late afternoon prices. The service here was great. I ordered the prosciutto e ouvo, which is described like this: prosciutto ham, olives, and mozzarella on a tomato sauce base with a cracked egg." It came by recommendation. I added the salad, which was my favorite! 

The good news is that it was all downhill home. I took a few different streets back just to familiarize myself with the area. I only had the hotel map, which was terrible, but I still made my way by using landmarks. I found the main thoroughfare that houses numerous SHU buildings. Everything looks so close on the maps I've been viewing, but I never realized how close all of this is. My hotel is less than a 3-minute walk up to the university. I made it back to the hotel for a cup of coffee at the hotel bar (I chose a mocha version because I was

What it looks like before bed. hehe.

craving something sweet) and then ended with a soft glass of merlot. I've had a good, make that GREAT, day in Sheffield. 

Tomorrow's agenda...
More walking. Find leasing agents. Find a phone. Ride the tram. Search for a yoga studio. That's probably all I can handle in one day in an unfamiliar city. 





Here are a few others pics of my day: 

prosciutto e ouvo pizza and salad for dinner.

 

Wall of water (on the right) outside the Sheffield Train Station. Look above and to the right--SHU...I didn't even notice it until now!

Some countryside on the train from Manchester to Sheffield. I love the rock walls that divide the fields. Don't you know someone put a lot of hard labor into those!

It's everywhere I am! Tomorrow I might try to find Sheffield University.

Window shopping on the way home from dinner. Looks like some great shopping to be had in this little city. At first I saw a TJ Maxx, but it's TK Maxx instead. Good thing I have one bag that will be empty for the trip home. These reminded me of my colleague Kristin Howard; she would look dynamo in them!! (And be 7feet tall!)

I will be hitting this place up soon. Yay for a little authentic Mexican food in Great Britain! Ben, the night manager on duty tonight, said there are two Mexican restaurants in this town, one local, one a chain. I will try them both. He said, "they are both really good!"

Speaking of Mexican, my last meal in the states. Not authentic, looks kind of gross actually, but oh so good. A mess of a tostada covered in hot sauce, guacamole, and sweet sauce.

All of the luggage in my care for the journey. Red=clothes, shoes; Grey=gifts; blue=research; backpack=cameras/electronics; purse=passport/credit cards.

Just what you think of in England, a clock tower, a red telephone booth, and a black cab (in the distance). Just walking home tonight.

The Day I Left

My app isn't working. So no pictures. So much for technology!

My flight left at 3:20. I spent the last three days in final preparations. This morning I woke up, saluted the sun and finished last minute packing procedures. I even had time for coffee and a pedicure! The last two days of yoga have been overflowing with energy and emotion. I thank my friends Kathy, Angie, and the yogis at Sumits. Please try out that place someday. 

Dad came at 11:00 and after visiting for a bit, we drove to Mexican Villa fora hearty last Springfield meal. "The food you grew up with" is the slogan on the front of the menu, and I know there are haters of the MV reading this, but there is no other truth about this place for me. I've transitioned through the Villa's menu like I've transitioned through life. From French fries and taco salads (with no lettuce or tomato, mind you) as a child to burrito enchilada styles in my college years to vegetarian cheese tostadas and guacamole dip as an adult. I just can't get my fill of white American cheese dip and MV hot sauce. There's a bottle securely stored in my luggage. 

Moving on...and moving out. I thought I was doing so well by packing weeks in advance, but seems I just can't let go and leave things behind. Dad arrives, and I instantly drop 10lbs from the cases with his "you don't need that" and "you should buy this  there." Why yes. Yes I should. It's really nice to have someone help make decisions. That still didn't prevent an overage of nearly 20lbs. The large red one contains clothes and shoes. The grey one, gifts only...200+ items friends, family, and colleagues have given to me to give to my new friends, family (because I always meet family!) and colleagues. Dad said I would have that all given away in less than two weeks. :) The small blue is a carry on and has  jackets and my research: files and books. The backpack is a leftover from a student my very first year of teaching. He never returned to pick it up, so when it finally gives out on me, it's obituary will read "Left behind, but traveled to every country Casey Daugherty did." In 20 years, it's been the one staple travel companion. It's full of electronics and cameras. I like it because there's old school storage for big laptops. :) 

All-in-all there's 173lbs of my life stored neatly in 150+ cubic inches. 

So there you have it. I am off. I will post later this week when I get settled into Sheffield. It's supposed to be sunny and 70 when I arrive. I think this sounds lovely. 

Just the Beginning: the final days of Fulbright orientation

Capitol butter. I think I need at least one blog post that starts with butter.

That last two days of orientation provided no time to post. I left D.C. Saturday later afternoon, and spent time writing on the plane. I am shocked at how much I can actually type on my iPhone Notes in a short amount of time. My sleeping patterns are already in a mess, and I think anxiety is starting to settle in a little deeper before I leave next Tuesday. There is much to do.

Friday, August 16, started with a 10-min walk/jog around the hotel area and ended in the park adjacent to  the White House for a little outdoor yoga. I met up with Jode (teacher from Colorado,) and we walked two blocks back to the Capital Hilton together.

9:00 a.m.: met in the New York room with Holly (Dr. Emert, Assistant Program Director) to learn about the details of the Fulbright grant. For the first time I felt a little anxiety due to the fact that my grant  has not been transferred into my account yet. I quickly learned this was because my British bank account has not been confirmed yet, and my funds will actually be administered by the US-UK Fulbright Commission once I get settled into the UK. All of this means my initial expenses for the first week hotel and deposits for a flat and other living set up fees will come directly from my pocket. September will be one rough financial month, paying both my American AND British bills from my own pocket.

Without a break we moved right into a 90-min session on Developing Global Competence with Honor Moorman from the Asia Society. If you are a teacher, you may want to view this work if you are interested in preparing your students to become globally competent citizens.

There was something safe and familiar about Honor's session, and it included presentation strategies I use quite often in my classroom--text rendering and writing prior to participating in dialogue (which I think always makes for richer conversation.) Now I know it was her background and work as Co-Director with the San Antonio Writing Project. How I WISH I had the opportunity to visit with her now. These 90-min made me think in new ways about my Capstone. Prior to this, I had big concerns that my work isn't important to the world, and once I was selected by the Fulbright Board, I began to think the most important thing about my research is that it fits "my" classroom. But I think this session was helpful in making me think globally, and after reviewing the global competencies, I am rethinking where it fits: how can this help tomorrow's adults solve climate change issues? How will participating in structured dialogue to improve writing skills move us towards medical breakthroughs for diseases like AIDS or Cancer? Why does working in small writing groups help students learn to communicate (write) for diverse audiences? How does practicing dialogue prepare students to ACT in new ways in future settings where conversation is important? I seemed to walk away from Honors session rethinking not my Capstone, but the underlying focus of why this work in communication is important. I look forward to thinking and writing about this more deeply over the next few months.

Revathy (Technology) and Manju (Principal), India

Watch this video if you have 7 minutes. It won't disappoint you. It's from the experience of a 16-year old middle class American girl who spent time in a developing country, so only watch it if you want your heartstrings to be tugged a little. We read her transcript and had discussions about whether or not this student was globally competent. I sat with a Inka, Manju, and Revathy. Sidenote: Inka is a fine arts and music teacher from Finland, Manju is the principal of Delhi Public School North (4500 students,) and Revathy has her PhD. in Mathematics and coordinates technology enhanced learning--we might have a thing or two to learn from the Indians in this field!) Together, we have 70 years of teaching experiencing, and our conversations were interesting. Our conclusions were that this student showed clear evidence of becoming globally aware, and was on her way to becoming globally competent. I wish I could tag teachers in blog posts. I would tag Kathy Scales and Lisa Deckard. These two teachers practice teaching their students to be global thinkers. I know after watching this and discussing Ms. Moorman's work, they will have new ideas to bring into their classrooms.

We moved right from Honors session to meeting two pretty important people in the world of Education. So important, in fact, we sat in a room waiting for them and were notified of their arrival before their actual arrival in the conference room. They both also came with very long titles and dark suits.  The kind of title that is written with commas and without prepositions:

With Deputy Assistant Secretaries, U.S. Department of State, U.S. Dept. of Education.

Meghann Curtis, Deputy Assistant Secretary,  Academic Programs,  Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, U. S. Department of State

and

Clay Pell, Deputy Assistant Secretary, Office of International and Foreign Language Education, U.S. Department of Education. (tap that link...I thought it was interesting!)

We only had 45 minutes with them, and the time started with each talking about the value and importance of teachers. Meghann spoke first, and then Clay, without as much as an introduction, asked us "what do you see that needs to be changed?" Wwhaaat?!? I wasn't quite sure what I just heard, and I knew I wasn't prepared to jump into a conversation with the U.S. Department of Education. I do know that his leading with that felt really great. I think all of us were in a little shock, and after a few minutes, questions and concerns began to bubble up (how can we keep quiet?!) Clay listened to each of us, and I loved that he made no excuses, or even said "we know this is a problem" when my colleagues brought up issues. Instead, he nodded his head, asked clarifying and/or confirming questions, and wrote notes. Do you know how valuable it feels to be heard vs. being put into place of lesser power? Our words and our actions do this. Comments like "we know it's a problem" or "we are already working on it" or  words that generally defend the current system are demeaning and disrespectful to the person bringing up an issue. I have been practicing not doing this in my classroom, and instead, while students offer suggestions or give advice, I bite my tongue to not defend why I think my way is right or they are wrong. Instead, I want my students to feel this same type of value and respect that I felt with Clay Pool and Meghann Curtis. After their session, I snapped a photo with them and they asked me about my classroom and my research. " I am a teacher at Republic High School, and I teach 12th grade English." I shared my work, and they both asked further questions. I thanked them for realizing that many sacrifices have been made by teachers to participate, and in addition to being absent from family and students, the majority of us have earned this Fulbright only to be rewarded from our districts with no salary, insurance, or retirement benefits. Instead of rewarding accomplishments such as this, teachers are placed on leave of absence. In my case, I am officially jobless until I receive a contract when I return. I have taken out a loan and extended my retirement an extra year to be able to participate in Fulbright.

Sidenote: guess where Clay Pell spent seven summers of his life--age 7-14. Click here. 

Important note: lunch consisted of salads and two peanut butter/chocolate chip cookies.

With Karen C. Writer-in-residence at The Education Trust.

The next session was data driven, and here we learned about outlier schools across the US who have all the cards stacked against them, yet consistently outperform their state and national averages. It was chart after chart, but Karen Chenoweth's examples, knowledge, humor, and wit kept me motivated to understand the evidence she presented to us. We are beginning to feel the effects of inequality, and although we say we are the land of opportunity, and that each generation will be better than the last, we not providing enough good resources for those living in poverty, so this engine of inequality is accelerating. The U.S. ranks third highest in income inequality of the OECD nations. Karen studies the schools who breaks through the inequality barrier and notices these five commonalities:

1. These schools do not focus on programs, but only on what students need to learn.
2. These schools focus on the standards and not the selection of materials. They pride themselves in "not teaching to the test."
3. These schools focus on providing time for teacher collaboration. The teacher is the single most important factor in student achievement.
4. The schools assess frequently, not using grades or standardized tests, but using formative assessments in the classroom to see if students are learning and what they need to know. 
5. These schools build relationships with kids. 

It didn't take long before a teacher finally broke and began to talk about the disgust of using standardized tests as the measurement tool. That's when the conversation got lively.

With no morning breaks and an afternoon of data,  Holly gave us 30 min to decompress before returning for our next Capstone session. I took advantage of the great weather and my abled body and walked for about 15 minutes.

At 3:45 we met with our country team and alumni to work on our Capstone Research and talk about educational (and cultural) issues. The UK team decided to meet in the hotel's Statler Lounge. There are all kinds of ways we need to start prepping for the UK, but we thought here we could get a little practice in. This was probably one of my favorite times once again. My UK team is smart and funny, and I'm fully believing the Fulbright selection and placement board knows exactly what they are doing. Steve and I will be a nice, combative (in the most loving way) match, and Becca will be our peacemaker. Stacey's always about two minutes behind and has coined this phrase that I heard her say over and over: "Wait, now. Wait. What did ya'll say?" I already love them all like family and want each of them to have the best experience possible. Mark, our alumni, is super helpful with information.

The closing dinner started at 6:30 with group photos. I showed up late since I ran up to my room and napped until 6:36!! Steve sent me a

At the closing dinner, Capital Hilton Hotel, Washington D.C. Becca (Leeds), Steve (Sheffield Hallam), me (Sheffield Hallam), and Stacey, (Institute of Education-London). Becca, Steve, and I leave within the next week.

kind text. Dinner was baked salmon and potatoes. No dessert. Thumbs down! After dinner and over coffee, Holly opened the floor for comments, reflections, or observations. It started rolling when Mikko from Finland began to tell the group how much he loved us. The daughter of an Indian teacher danced for us.  Then the Moroccan team handed out Dulce de leche, Stacey taught us all to sign "I love you," and gave away pens from the Arkansas School of the Deaf with the symbol on the top. Inka sang a song in Finnish, and several teachers stood to thank all of us for the inspiration, adoration, and collegial atmosphere. Nearly everyone thanked Fulbright (Tatiana, Holly and Becky) for bringing us here. Murshell, who's going to Singapore, inspired us all by performing Robert Frost's The Road Not Taken, and Katie led us in a community children's song that asks "what is your legacy? And what will your story be?" I closed (not intentional) the open floor session by reading my poem All Things Austrian. I was nervous (especially considering Steve has a degree in Creative Writing!), and could feel my voice quivering, but in the end I was glad I shared. I hardly ever have "moments" that I remember, but this one was so powerful for me when I was living in Vienna, Austria, roommates with refugees from the Yugoslavian war. Helena, Andrijana, Brano, Martina, Sonia, they and so many others taught me about my own culture and helped me grow in awareness of my action (and inaction) as their citizen neighbor. This poem is the raw original, but since I have drafted many copies and reformulated it into varying essays and public speeches:

ALL THINGS AUSTRIAN
I was 20 and I wanted to be Viennese.
I spoke the Viennese dialect.
I bought clothes from consignment along the Danube,
And at first district boutiques near St. Stephen's Cathedral.
I kept a bank account and withdrew money at the tellers.
I bought groceries at Hofer’s and Billa’s
and bargained for staples at Naschmarkt on Saturdays.
I ate schnitzel with lemon and lingonberry jam,
and helped travelers find hostels down bricked alleyways.
I studied Klimt.
I memorized every line on the Ubahn.
I waltzed in Stadtpark, and tied my scarf on the balcony to secure my seat for Madame Butterfly at the Staatsoper.

“So how?” I begged from Helena, “How does everyone know I’m an American?”
The patio at the flat on Lilienbrunnegasse became our sanctuary.
We sat below the potted tulip trees discussing our differences.
Her eyes searched the sky like she was thinking, but she knew the answer.
Her immigrant voice spoke broken English, mixed with German.
“It’s your walk, Casey.” She said it matter of factly.
“You walk like a free person.”

Holly (Dr. Emert, Assistant Director), got up to address the group in tears. She told me later "it was the last line that got me!" She could barely make it through a final speech as the room was high with energy and emotion. We are Fulbrighters, ready to increase mutual understanding between the U.S.

Tatiana (Director, Fulbright Teacher Exhange), Dr. Emert (Ass't Director), Betsy (Program Officer, U.S. Dept of State), and Becky (Sr. Program Associate). These women created this experience for us.

and other countries of the world, stepping into the role as teacher ambassador. In 2011, Secretary of Education Arne Duncan said "It is through education and exchange that we become better collaborators, competitors and compassionate neighbors in this global society." Holly thanked each of us for being there, and reminded us "It wasn't me who brought you here, and it wasn't Becky, and it wasn't Fulbright. It was you. Your gifts as great educators put you here. So go, enjoy what Fulbright can offer you." Tears and hugs all around. We teachers can be a bunch of emotional people!