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The Dream Takes Shape

Well, the path of my July travels is becoming clearer, both literally and figuratively. Now I've found out that I'm going to Hyderabad after our intial visit to Bangalore, in the company of Dana Kepler of Missouri. Our host's name is Sree Devi Potluri (Gundapaneni), and she is both the Academic Director and teaches at Jubilee Hills Public High School.

Also, I had the pleasure of meeting  with an intrepid team of teachers at my school, who think that education should be about passion and the burning desire to learn...imagine that! We are the Crystal Lake Middle School Global Education Team, and thanks to our encounter I have a more solid sense of what I want to accomplish and find out during my trip. We came up with a great plan for the next school year, part of which will hinge on my stay in India and communication with teachers there. We came up with some great ideas, including a year-long correspondence with schools in India and Colombia, and two major projects with culminating events.

This evening I Skyped with Sree and with Dana Kepler, who is a media specialist and English teacher from Parkhill High School in Kansas City, Missouri.  During the conversation we clarified  that Dana and I will both be teaching two classes a day for ten days, Dana in high school classes and I will be with 7th and 8th grade classes. Sree would like us to incorporate technology as well as cooperative learning into our lessons. We asked if we could also work with smaller kids as well. Great news - Sree accepted an award for her school because of their STEM implementation! Crystal Lake Middle, where I work, has just become a STEM school, so this is a perfect opportunity for us to learn and share. Sree told me that while I am there I can observe and decide on the best classes to participate in our joint project.

Hyderabad...so fascinating, to think I will be there soon. I have spent so much time lately, reading about India..,I still haven't finished reading the Mahabharata, the world's longest poem. From the contacts I have made so far, it seems like a warm and friendly place; although full of contradictions, contrasts, and troubles...just like here, but very, very different. Religion is paramount in India. The region of Andhra Pradesh, where Hyderabad is located, has long been known for its religious tolerance, by some accounts. In the city itself, the sights are often related to different religions such as Islam, Hinduism and Buddhism. The most renowned monument, the Charminar, may have been built as a prayer to Allah to end a plague that once struck the city, or perhaps out of gratitude that the plague ended before too many lives were taken.  There are also numerous temples, mosques, and a giant statue of Buddha in the middle of a lake.

The Charminar

Husain Sagar Lake

On a more secular note, Ramoji Film City is one of the film studios Hyderabad is also famous for. Sree, like me, is a movie lover, and has already invited us to watch an Indian film with her. Dana asked aout dance performances, and hopefully we will get to see a live dance show while we are there! The dream is developing...I just hope I am up to the challenge of preparing and delivering lessons to classes full of 40 kids each...it's all about strategy and engagement...can't wait to meet these students!