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Showing posts from March, 2018

Leaving Finland

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Lake Jyvasjarvi I have never lived anywhere for 5 months other than Jyvaskyla, Finland. As my Fulbright journey concludes, there is so much to still digest. It will take months, if not years, to truly assimilate all the learning. Before I left Southern California, I wrote about the what I would miss the most from home and what I  looked forward to experiencing in Finland. It is safe to say I met my goals. Top 7 Goals 1. Discussing Education Helsinki Workshop Through professional development programs, Fulbright Finland connected teachers with scholars and researchers, for the purpose of putting inquisitive minds together. The Making Democracies Resilient to Modern Threats seminar provided participants with fascinating research and presentations. 2. Nordic Model Bus station in Espoo What does an efficient and earnest country look like?  It looks like Finland. Yes, people pay higher taxes, but get so much in return. I for one appreciated the well-maintained ro

The promise of Fulbright

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The morning after the conclusion of the Fulbright Forum in Helsinki, three Fulbrighters boarded a plane to Berlin to continue our learning. What greeted us were no less than 550 Fulbrighters based in Germany! Now to recap, Fulbrights are merit-based grants managed by the U.S. State Department, whose funds often come from our taxes. However, budget cuts have recently become a recurring issue and many countries have binational commissions that also supplement or fully pay for the cost of Fulbrighters to come to their country. The German and American Fulbrighters bonding Fulbrighters are scholars, students, teachers, scientists, artists, and mid-career professionals that want to embark on a cross-cultural exchange that will lead to increased cooperation and mutual understanding between nations. This may seem like a lofty goal, but it has been happening for over 70 years. I still can’t believe I am a part of this inspiring group of people. The Berlin Seminar w

For the Love of Learning

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The new "Olds" at Schildt Upper Secondary School, Jyvaskyla Being wrapped up in the cozy cocoon of Finnish schools (wearing socks instead of shoes, eating a daily hot lunch, and hearing the happy buzz of children), it is easy to forget that Fulbright is more than just teachers working on inquiry projects. Schildt has merged and will be known as Gradia next year These last two weeks swiftly reminded me that Senator Fulbright left the world an incredible legacy, and that almost half a million people have participated in cross-cultural exchanges since the program’s inception. Fulbright Finland’s Spring Forum The Fulbright grantees in Finland are located in a number of cities. For the first time, students, teachers, and scholars from the U.S. gathered for three days of learning from each other. For those of us fortunate to attend the separate workshop “Making Democracies Resilient to Modern Threats,” we enjoyed the added bonus of hearing an impress

"There Are No Emergencies"

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February marked a number of school visits ranging from elementary (primary) to middle school (lower secondary) and high school (upper secondary.) As the Fulbrighters get their feet wet, mastering public transportation, integrating in schools, and networking in the education world, the question that keeps arising in lunch rooms and private conversations is why do we have so much violence in schools? History Department, Jyvaskyla Normal School (Lower and Upper Secondary) I was trying to explain my school environment both to the History department at the University of Jyvaskyla Teacher Training School (the Finnish version of a lab school) and to seniors at Schildt school, both mature audiences who can handle a nuanced discussion. It never occurred to me just how much I’ve internalized and to an extent, normalized the violence in our society. The new high school seniors asked if gun control might be feasible after Stoneman How does one explain the dramatic rise in pov