It has been quite a long time since I posted something on this blog. I know, that's not like a good blogger.. My absence was just temporary. It was not because I didn't have anything to tell, but it was because I was away from home. (Well, that's not a good excuse anyway.)
But let me explain.. Yes, I was away from home.. Crossed the Atlantic, spent five months in the US as an ILEP scholar, interacted with teachers across the world, revisited my professional dilemmas... The last five months took me to a world of difference. There was lot of adjustments and readjustments to a new kind of living with people from different cultures. These interactions has enlightened me with a thought that how important it is to understand people from different backgrounds, values, attitudes and ambitions.
Well, to begin with, I was attending a program called International Leaders in Education Program(ILEP), which is sponsored by the US Department of State. The program is meant for the secondary school teachers from different countries. It is for five months (the spring semester) and this year 85 teachers were hosted in 5 different Universities in the US. (You may find the details on the link http://www.irex.org/programs/ilep/)
There has been different kinds of experiences, personal and professional, during the program and they helped me stretch my views with more elasticity and flexibility. I appreciate the department for offering a platform and sharing its resources to enhance cross-cultural sharing among international educators. I think educators need to travel more and meet people to enrich their experiences, which would definitely benefit their students.
There are many things to share. Since it's not possible to do so in one post, let me share with you one important thought. I liked many things about the US and other countries. Also, I disliked many other things about them. But at the end of the program, I came out with a realization that it's not the likes and dislikes that matter, it's the understanding of the other from his/her point of view that matters... It is easy to say - I don't like you. And it is quite difficult to say, I understand you. Now, as an educator, I believe that (though difficult) it is this value that we need to inculcate in our young generation through education - to understand and accept the differences across the world and to live on our commonalities. Because life is not about existence, it is about co-existence.
I encourage my fellow educators to participate in such programs. Differences can be made when educators are empowered.
Maybe you can refer to the following links:
http://www.irex.org/education/index.asp
http://us.fulbrightonline.org/about.html
http://www.cies.org/
http://www.usief.org.in/
