We have successfully completed two weeks of this school year. That seems so crazy to me! It's passing in a blur but also feels like we've been at it for awhile because of the routines I've tried to set.

I am a creature of habit and I thrive on routines. I know that my students always have too, even if they don't realize it. I try to keep my daily routine as similar as possible to help establish a schedule that works for me.

This year, of course, it's a little different because I am in two schools. I spend three mornings per week at my elementary building and then after lunch I travel to the middle school (I'm there 5th and 6th hour every day). Two days per week I am at the middle school all day. I was a little nervous about the schedule because I thought it might make it hard for me to get into a good routine, but I have been given a lot of freedom to make this position work for me, and thus I think that has helped me to establish a workable schedule more easily.

Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays are my travel days. We have late starts on Tuesdays and I thought it would just be easier to be at the middle school those days since that is the hourly schedule I follow.

A typical Monday/Wednesday/Friday for me will look like this:
5:30 am Wake up, Shower & Prep for School
6:30 am Leave the house for school
7:20 am Arrive at the elementary
7:30-8:30 am Elementary Planning time (Note: I take this time first thing in the morning since they don't start until 8:25 and it allows me to still follow the secondary time table.)
8:30-8:55 am Push in Kindergarten
8:55-9:35 am Push in First Grade (20 minutes each in two classrooms)
9:35-10:05 am 2nd Grade Writing*
10:05-10:30 am Push in 4th Grade
10:30-11:15 am Flexible (Testing, Paperwork, Make up Small Groups, etc)
11:15-11:45 am 3rd Grade Writing*
11:45-12:15 pm Lunch
12:15-12:45 pm Travel & Transition
12:48-1:47 pm 5th hour (I use this time to float around and offer support to any of my ELs who don't have a dedicated time during the week, including students I don't have in my 6th hour class but are on my caseload.)
1:51-2:50 pm 6th hour ESL Class**
2:50-3:10 pm Prep for the Next Day
3:10-4:15 pm Gym (Typically Tuesday/Wednesday/Thursday)
4:15-5:00 pm Travel Home

*I'm only pulling out for two grades: 2nd and 3rd (convenient since that is what I taught last year!). This is because the EL students in those two grades are spread across multiple classrooms and with the schedule I have, it wasn't feasible to try to push in (one day a week of push in is not helpful). So I will be leading two small groups of writing activities 3 days per week with those two grades. The other grades, I am supporting all for writing as well, but since the students are grouped more easily into one class (or as with 1st grade where I can do 20 minutes each), it serves us all better for me to offer push in support with the teacher's current lesson.

**My ESL class is 6th-8th grade (so yes I do start my day with the smallest kids in kinder and end it with kids in 8th grade!). It's a small class of only 15 to allow room for any new students who come during the year.  This class is basically whatever I want to make it as long as we are working within the WIDA and CCSS.

A typical Tuesday/Thursday for me will look like this:
5:30 am Wake up, Shower & Prep for School
6:30 am Leave the house for school
7:10 am Arrive at the Middle School
7:10-7:45 am Prep for the Day/Finalize Schedule
7:45-9:05 am 1st Hour (I spend this time supporting a 6th grade newcomer in his ELA class)
9:09-10:08 am 2nd Hour (I spend this time floating between my other students whom I don't have a dedicated spot for; this means every time is a little different)
10:12-11:11 am 3rd Hour (I spend this time supporting a 7th grade newcomer in his ELA class)
11:11-11:41 am Lunch
11:44-12:44 pm 4th Hour (Planning) [Note it's 60 minutes due to the lunch periods]
12:48-1:47 pm 5th Hour (I spend this time supporting another 7th grade newcomer in his ELA class)
1:51-2:50 pm 6th Hour ESL Class
2:50-3:10 pm Prep for the Next Day
3:10-4:15 pm Gym (Typically Tuesday/Wednesday/Thursday)
4:15-5:00 pm Travel Home

I really love my schedule. This past week I gave it a whirl and it worked out great. It definitely keeps me on my toes and I am moving around all day long. That is exactly the kind of change I think I was looking for when I started pursuing another job.

Plus, I have to admit that I love that I still have my foot in elementary but I am not confined to teaching the same kids all day for all subjects. The variety I have in my new job is exciting and it's really quite nice to have an excuse to visit other classrooms and see how other teachers set things up. (And I'm not going to lie, the fact that I no longer have to deal with recess, indoors or out, is a huge bonus! I'm all about kids getting outside, but I hated recess duty.)

I am really quite pleased with my schedule and my new end time allows me to hit the gym after work three days per week and still get home at a decent enough hour that I can spend time with my family without feeling like I'm always rushing for the next day. In addition, having a dedicated planning block every day is fabulous. (In my previous job, we had 3 planning blocks per week and they varied in length from 35, 40 or 48 minutes.) Having a dedicated hour every day is AWESOME and I get so much done at work that I'm not having to drag things home. Thus my evenings can be dedicated to family which is how it should be.

It's insane that we've already had two days of school. Granted the first day was a 1/2 day, but still.

I'm slowly learning my schedule and routine and it's a bit weird for me. I'm so used to being in the same place all day with the same students. I have to admit, I am LOVING the variety in my day, but trying to figure out schedules has been a tad daunting. (I'm quite positive that in another couple of weeks, I won't even have to bat an eye...in the meantime, however, I am making myself a cheat sheet because I'm sure that our first late start day is really going to throw me for a loop!)

Today was the first full day of school and also my first day traveling between my two buildings. I woke up super early this morning for some random reason. I fully expected that to happen the night before the first day, but I slept like a baby (has never happened in 14 years!). The second night, nope. I was wide awake at 4 am and no matter what I did, I could not fall back to sleep. I finally got out of bed and hopped in the shower at 5.

I left early enough to be able to stop at my middle school and drop off and pick up a couple of things before heading to my elementary. I'm so used to being the first one at school and when I got there at 6:45 am there were other folks there. I was impressed (especially because in my previous district, I was always told that secondary people "work to contract, no more, no less"). Waved hello to a couple of folks then took off to run an errand (yes at 7 am!) and then headed to my elementary and still got there 10 minutes before I was required to be there :)

My first hour of the day is planning so I was able to sort through the data I already had and do some calculating. We had some shifting of classrooms last week, just before we opened up school, so I had to figure out where some of my students landed. That was easy enough to do and then I was able to actually meet with and touch base with some of the other staff whom I hadn't had a chance to really talk to or introduce myself to. Looked through new kindergarten enrollment forms and found a few friends I will need to screen next week. (I'm sure there are more because it doesn't appear that all of the forms were in yet as they come from central office.)

I did some other scheduling and arranging and checking emails and answering emails. I also had a chance to touch base with my mentor. We share a family so that was nice to be able to connect with her about them and making sure that we have everything in place for those students.

I also got to finally finish putting up the bulletin board paper and borders on my closets (it had this really weird, old and ugly wallpaper on it) and create my Content and Language objectives area on the whiteboard. It's a big enough space that I can actually just write my CO & LO for each grade at the same time. I have some of those magnets that show a pointing finger so I figure when I have a specific grade in there, I will just move the pointer to the correct grade and voila. :)

Before I knew it, it was time for lunch and then traveling over to the middle school. The drive isn't that bad right now because the weather is nice, but it could get interesting when the weather changes. I am definitely going to have to plan ahead. It might actually be prudent for me to travel THEN eat on those days. (I taught elementary school for 13 years, I am definitely used to eating a meal in under 10 minutes if I have to!)

The only dedicated class I have is 6th hour. This class did not exist last year because there wasn't enough staffing to have a dedicated class (they had two ESL teachers in the district last year and now we have three). It's a mix of 6th-8th grade and some of the 8th graders, who slipped by not having to have this class last year because it didn't exist, are a little annoyed that they have to be in there instead of a "specials" class (like gym or art or the STEM classes). Alas, I am just going to keep it as positive as I can!

Part of me feels bad for them and I certainly understand their frustration...but it is what it is and there is nothing I can do about it. I think it will get better for them when we get started with some real curriculum work -- when they are busy and engaged, it [hopefully] won't feel like they are being punished!

I do have a quite a wide range of students in there too, including three newcomers to the USA. Differentiation is going to be essential! I do have some FROG games that I purchased last year and I think they might even work for my middle schoolers. I am going to ask them tomorrow if they would like to earn game time on Fridays because it would allow them to practice some of the grammar concepts but they ARE games and who doesn't like games?!

As much as I know some of those kids are upset to be in the class (or at least are annoyed), I do believe that once they realize we CAN have fun and learn at the same time, it will be a good class. They have a ton of potential. I told them my goal is really to work myself out of a job -- to have them all do so well on the WIDA this year that they don't need me anymore. We shall see if I can motivate them to get to that point :)

Well, here we are.

It is the eve of the eve of the first day of school for 2019!

I am so excited for this year. I've made some big changes and thus far, all signs point to those changes being for the good.

I am always a nervous wreck the night before school. I'm positive that tomorrow won't be any different. I'm not nervous because I worry that I'm not a good or effective teacher. I mean, I feel like I know what I'm doing at this point, but I certainly still have those freak out moments of "what if they all hate me? What if I can't remember their names? What if I really can't connect with middle schoolers?!" [I know this last one is untrue because I've worked with middle schoolers in summer school and I seemed to connect just fine with the 8th graders I was helping at open house to get their IDs.]

I will tell you something I am absolutely NOT worried about. I am not worried that I won't fit in at my new district. I am not worried that I can't be myself. I am not worried that people will think I am trying to be something I am not. In every conversation I have had, from the other teachers to some of the support staff to a couple of principals, I have feel welcomed, supported and listened to.

On Thursday, I laid bare a few of my fears to one of my principals. I admitted it's my 14th year teaching, but I feel a bit like a first year teacher because so much is new. He was so gracious and said he thought that was normal but that everyone would help with any questions I have. And so far, they have.

I can't remember the last time I was this excited for a school year to begin. Partly because this is a brand new role for me and I get to kind of feel it out and make it my own, which is really exciting. But also partly because it has already been proven to me that I will be supported, appreciated and looked at as a member of the team.

I know the role I'm  in has had many iterations over the last few years because there were only two ESL teachers. Now that we have 3, the roles can include more co-teaching and support than it could previously. In some conversations with teachers at my middle school, I've mentioned that I probably would be visiting their classes if we share students. Not one single person gave me any indication that it would be a problem. In fact, they welcomed the idea. "Come on in anytime!" was the most common response.

I've spent some time this weekend putting together a spreadsheet of the schedules I do have. (One of my first tasks this week is to get a copy of the schedules of my students who aren't in my EL class but are on my caseload.) This way I can set up a schedule for pushing in to best support the students AND the teachers.

I was speaking to a science teacher at the end of our training on Thursday morning. I mentioned something about what I want my role to be. I said something about possibly helping teachers to make language objectives to help the EL students and said, "and honestly as long as I know what your objective is, *I* can make those language objectives and I'd be happy to do so." She seemed really thrilled with that and I suspect the other staff will respond the same way.

I'm sad to say I have never experienced such a positive culture in a school before. Ever. Now that I have, it really strikes me and gives me pause. I am not here to badmouth my previous experiences -- every school and team taught me something. I was there for a purpose in that moment in time. However, I'm also not going to lie and say that I don't see the major differences in my previous experiences and this one. Truly the culture is just different.

Every day something happens that makes me feel even more grateful that I made this move. So while I also know that tomorrow night I will probably be sweating bullets as the first day approaches, I also know I am going into a position that is going to allow me to be the teacher and leader I want to be.

It is officially back to school tomorrow! I've been in meetings the whole last week, but tomorrow is the first official staff day for everyone.

Needless to say, things have been incredibly busy and there has been a ton to learn. Each day this last week, except Wednesday, I attended a full day of professional development to get acclimated to my new district. The good news is, I have used and am familiar with their math series, and both the science and social studies curriculums they use. That takes a ton of pressure off because while I may not have used the most recent versions of any of these programs, I at least have some background in them and won't feel like I'm totally a fish out of water trying to figure out what is happening. This is really important to me since I will be working with and supporting 9 grade levels!

The writing program is one I have not used (or heard of), but is focused around Thinking Maps which I am very familiar with so I'm hopeful that it'll be pretty easy for me to use. (To be fair, I probably won't be doing much direct teaching with it, more like supporting the ELs who need the extra support.)

The reading program is new for everyone except one of the schools that piloted it last year, so everyone is in the same boat with that. As I am between two schools and likely won't actually do much with the new reading program, I am only attending one day of the 3 day reading training (my other two days will be with the middle school staff).

Of course, with all of this PD and the setting up of classroom spaces, things can get overwhelming fast. I vastly appreciate how open everyone has been and all of the information I have been given to help me navigate my new schools. But, being totally honest, it is also really overwhelming to get all of that information! I think this is especially true for those of us who have more than one school and are new. We are trying to figure out what we are doing but things aren't all the same in each school. [I will say I am vastly grateful that there is a lot of expectation of consistency across the whole district. Everyone is expected to use CHAMPS and there are protocols for email and things that just make sense and I'm so glad they are in place. It makes it easier to have some things be universal across every school, especially because there are so many staff members who travel.]

That said, however, it is important to not forget about self care during these busy times. I read somewhere recently that our bodies WILL react if we don't stop and slow down. I can wholeheartedly testify to that truth. When I finished my doctorate, I couldn't read professional books for MONTHS and I had a visceral response to sitting in my home office because my body/brain was like nope, not doing this anymore.

As busy as last week was, and this next week is surely to be, I have found some ways to continue to take care of myself, both in the present moment and in anticipation for what is to come.

For the past many years, Sunday has always been our "chores" day. It is when we do the laundry and grocery shop for the week. It also tends to be the day I finish up anything I need to do for school. Needless to say, Sundays have usually been the exact opposite of relaxing.

Yesterday I made sure we did all of the laundry, we meal planned and then went grocery and back-to-school shopping for the teenagers. It was a busy day for sure. I also made sure to plan out outfits for the next to weeks of work and arranged them in order in my closet so I don't have to worry about it later. I made a schedule for my work days and included time to go to the gym and have down time. By the time I went to bed on Saturday night, I knew that Sunday would be much more easy-going because I took care of myself and pre-planned so many things I could easily get out of the way so they didn't feel so daunting on top of the official start back to work.

Today I also did some meal preparation of breakfast items so I can easily grab and go in the mornings. (I highly recommend the Skinnytaste cook book as there are some great make ahead and grab-on-the-go options for busy mornings!)

Every single year, I forget how utterly exhausting it can be to get a classroom set up for the new year.

What's most interesting to me right now is the fact that I won't be in either of my spaces full time, but I'm still plumb exhausted. It is a good sort of exhaustion! I love setting up a learning environment for myself and my students. I love making it my own and then adding in touches of work and learning I've done with the students.

This year, because I am an ESL teacher, I won't have the same students all day every day. I will have a classroom at my elementary school and at the middle school. So two spaces to set up and prepare for learning. My elementary space I know for sure is not shared with anyone else (the school is gigantic and there are many empty rooms). The middle school space is unclear to me if it is shared. I was told at first that it is not, but then I got an email saying it might be necessary and I have not yet heard back to know if it is, indeed, having to be shared.

It is a big and beautiful space and selfishly I hope I don't have to share it, but nothing I can do if I do have to share because I know that the middle school is overcrowded now since 6th grade came back to that building.

At any rate, I also have to say I LOVE the fact that I can access my schools 24/7. I was never allowed to do that. Mostly I appreciated it because it forced me to take time off and relax and focus on myself and family. There were times, however, when it was really annoying. When my kids were small and I couldn't pop in on a Sunday evening to prepare for a sub knowing I wasn't going to be there on Monday so I had to go in early just to go home so my students would have a productive day. (This was also true any other day of the week!)

Of course, having access 24/7 can be dangerous because sometimes its too tempting to be there because there are always more things to be done. It's the nature of the beast. Fortunately, my new district is 45 minutes away so I won't be popping over on weekends very often! I do like having the option to go in, however, if I really need the time/space to work.

I got my keys on Wednesday and got to see both of my spaces and Friday I went to my elementary school and began setting things up. I'm not sure how long the previous teacher had been in there but it was clearly a long time. She took nothing with her. (I mean, I found silverware and other personal effects!) I spent a good deal of time purging, sorting and putting things I just don't know what to do with in closets. Fortunately, I have a ton of storage space in there so I am utilizing two closets and the other two and the big storage cart are housing things I just didn't know what to do with or where to put it. It's a solution for now. As the year goes on, I will purge and clean bits at a time.

I went back in Saturday (yep, on Saturday!) with my family. They helped me move in my big furniture items (small group table and my rocking chair) that I knew would be too heavy for me to move on my own. I also brought in some teaching materials that I have, plus desk and teacher organizational items. My youngest stuck around yesterday to help me finish up what I could.

There is a huge pile of tables and garbage that has to be removed (and I feel bad for the custodians), but otherwise the space is more or less functional. I do still need to replace the bulletin board paper and do a little decorating but I'm not as concerned with that since I won't have students in there all day every day.

The next big thing I need to do is figure out my tech cabinet and projector. It's so different than what I have had before so I have to spend some time figuring that out so I can use it once I do have students in there.

I'm excited for the space, though. It's big and open and with really only doing testing and small groups in there, I have a ton of open space and I love that.

This week I have meetings Monday-Tuesday and Thursday-Friday that was offered for teachers new to the district. Some of it I probably know (the math curriculum is one I used for 11 years!) but I am unfamiliar with the science/social studies/writing programs they use so I'm excited to learn about those. There are also a couple of half day trainings on Kagan and CHAMPs, both of which I've never had training in so I'm excited for those.

Wednesday is my only open day and I'm hopeful to know by then if that middle school space is solely mine or has to be shared. I want to get in there and make it mine if I don't actually have to share it and Wednesday is really the only day in which I will have to do that. I have a really nice standing desk at home that would go perfectly in that room.

I'm glad I'm the kind of teacher who enjoys setting up learning spaces because otherwise it might be kind of annoying to have two spaces to set up...but truthfully I am so glad I do. Especially that middle school space, it is beyond amazing. By far the best room I've ever had. (That's why I'm so hopeful it is just for me!)

Stay tuned for pictures of my final setups!

It's back to school time and that means educators are either already back in their classrooms (mostly in the southern US states), gearing up for their week of PD or realizing they have a few weeks of summer left (it varies so greatly by region).

But one thing I can almost guarantee is that every teacher is surfing around on social media, whether that is YouTube, Instagram, FaceBook or Pinterest for inspiration in the form of decor ideas, motivating quotes or even lesson plans. As I am not going to be a general education teacher this year, I haven't really bought anything. I totally skipped the Back to School sale on Teachers Pay Teachers because I have no idea what I will want/need for my new role. This is the first time ever in my career that I have not purchased school supplies for an eager classroom of children. (It's a little weird if we are being honest, but my wallet is happy.)

That said, I am one of the teachers who is still scouring the internet for inspiration. I won't see my new students until September 3, so I have awhile to go. I still am unsure about my middle school space because principals and secretaries don't return until next week and thus I can't see it yet.

BUT...

I do know that I want whatever space I have there, be it an office/closet/classroom/whatever, to be welcoming. I want it to be somewhere that my students know they can come find me if they need me. I am crossing my fingers for a classroom, even if it is a small one because then the students and I can collaboratively work together to make it OUR space (I think this is going to be super important since I'll likely only have 1-2 actual "classes" that I see daily).

It also has not escaped my notice that I'm brand new to my new district. Nobody really knows me. None of the kids will know me. And that means I can set the tone immediately for how I want the students (and hopefully my colleagues) to perceive me.

I have done a lot of learning about Restorative Practices, Trauma Informed Schools and Growth Mindset in the last few years. The biggest thing that has come out of all of the self-initiated learning I've done is the reinforcement that relationships matter and should be our first priority. (It's not a coincidence that my good friend, Dan Kreiness asked me to be on his podcast talking about how important relationships are.) Every student needs to feel loved, valued and welcomed. I think that is incredibly important.

When I came across a picture somewhere on social media where a teacher had put, in huge letters, above her classroom door "Hooray! You're Here!" I knew I wanted to do that too. What a positive, welcoming and affirming message to give to every student, adult, parent, PERSON who walks through the door. That you are valued and that you matter.

Because I have some time before I am likely able to get into my space(s), I made one and hung it up over the archway into our living room (my teenagers think I'm a little odd, but that's nothing new). I'm super excited to bring this to school and let everyone know that they are welcome here in this space with me and everyone else.

In years past, once the calendar turned over to August, it was go-time. It was the unofficial signal that it was time to think about back-to-school. To be sure, if I had stayed in my old district, I would have had access to my classroom as of August 1st so that would have almost made it the official start.

My new district doesn't start with students until September 3 so I've still got a month of summer to go. That seems so crazy to me, but at the same time, I am grateful for the time. With all of my struggles with anxiety and depression over the last year, I think having this extra time will be really good for me to continue to focus on my mental health.

To be perfectly frank, it has been difficult to get back into a steady routine since I came home from Uganda on July 1st. I think part of that is because I don't know my curriculum and programming schedule in my new job so I can't even do any "under the radar" planning because I don't know what I'm working with. I also think I have needed to just truly not have a schedule. I'm a busy lady -- I am constantly in "go" mode because there is always so much to accomplish. This forced break has been wonderful, but it also makes it difficult to get myself to the gym. I think part of that is because I always went to the gym before school and because I'm not going to school, it's hard to get motivated to go.

Alas, as the calendar has turned, my mind is now on school. I know I have a classroom in my elementary building that I won't have to share, but I'm still not sure about middle school (6th grade is moving back to middle school so there may not be an empty room for me to have). Regardless, I have been thinking about some things I want to do/change as far as what I do with my instruction.

I took part in a 3-day SIOP training in early July and got a ton of new strategies I'd like to incorporate. I'm also going to really focus on making my content and language objectives clear and meaningful.

I'm really excited to start my new job. I think this is going to be the change my restless spirit has needed for a while. I'm excited to document my new journey as I figure out what I'm doing too.

Yesterday afternoon/evening, I met with my new ESL team for my new job. How did I get so lucky to have two amazing people to work with on this new journey? For real, they are fabulous and I'm blessed to get to work with them both.

One was on my interview panel. I did my demo lesson in her HS ESL class. She invited me and our colleague to her house for dinner and mojitos. (You know they had me at mojitos, right?)

It was super fun and informal, which was perfect. Just getting to know each other on a different level without the formality of being at work was really quite lovely. I also learned a bit about my new role.

Surprise! I'll mostly be working in the middle school! I find this to be hilariously ironic because the very day I applied to my new district I had a disastrous interview with another district for a middle school ESL position. It wasn't disastrous because I didn't know my stuff, it was disastrous because they were not welcoming AT ALL and I didn't feel comfortable in that space. The other EL teacher pointedly asked me if I felt like I could connect to middle schoolers having really only taught elementary (to be fair I have worked with middle schoolers as a sub and in summer school). I just find irony in the fact that she asked me that and here I am with a middle school position.

I will also support one of the elementary buildings two to three days per week depending on the needs of the ELs there, but for the most part, my home will be the middle school. I am SUPER stoked for this because I've wanted to transition to middle school for a long time, but never really had the chance.

This role will also allow me to (sort of) keep my toes dipped in elementary so it'll be the best of both worlds, I think.

Without knowing exact numbers/needs, I will most likely have 1-2 classes at the middle school where I teach an ESL class. It will for sure be 1 class but could be 2 since the 6th grade is moving into the middle school and my colleague didn't work with the elementary last year so isn't 100% sure on the numbers/needs for that group. So for sure 1 class, possibly 2 where I'll have a bigger group and we will work on strategies and things like that. The rest of my time will be spent doing push-in co-teaching at the middle school or at the elementary building. I do know I'll have a classroom at the elementary school so it's not unlikely that I could do some pull-out as well depending upon schedules and needs.

I am super excited though. I think this is the perfect move for me -- I'm still teaching but I'm not confined to one room all day every day with the same kiddos. Don't get me wrong, I have loved my time in elementary but I'm so ready for a change and a challenge and I am confident that I have found it.

My new team and I are scheduling another day to get together formally in August so we can visit our respective schools, see our spaces, and hopefully start to navigate the data and information for our students. I expect to be pretty lost/confused/overwhelmed the first few weeks of my new job as I figure out my schedule and balancing my two schools, but I'm excited to dig in.

Here's to lots of opportunities to learn and grow.

One of the best things about traveling to other countries is the opportunity to experience another culture and really learn from the people who live there. Depending upon where you visit, you can experience a little bit of culture shock or not really feel like it's very different from where you live.

When I traveled to Finland/Sweden in 2015, I didn't feel out of place or like I wasn't in a familiar place. Obviously, the environment was unfamiliar and I had no idea where I was at any given moment, but the areas I visited didn't feel so "foreign" that I felt like I was actually in another country. I could very well have been visiting different states/cities in America (except I would say their architecture is pretty unique).

This was not true in my visit to Uganda. I will wholeheartedly acknowledge the privilege I have in being a white woman. I have no idea what it is like to be a person of color or oppressed (aside from work-related gender discrimination but it's not nearly the same as POC deal with).  I have always been the minority in my classroom. All 13 years of my career, I was the minority as most of my students have been of color. It has never affected me too much, however, because I've always been in an environment/culture I'm familiar with. That was all gone when I arrived in Uganda.

It is not uncommon for people, children especially, to see a group of white people and immediately point and shout "Mzungus!" (Mzungu means white person in their native language of Rukiga [pronounced Ru-chi-ga].) We would never in a million years in America point to someone of another race and proclaim their race. But it's normal for this to occur in Uganda. It took a few days for us to get used to it. It would even occur as we were traveling to our schools or to the excursions. People would see our buses/vans driving by and point and shout. It was decidedly odd. Fortunately we got so used to it that many of us bought shirts that say "My name is not Mzungu" as a joke because they know they do it and we experienced it. It became funny after awhile.

Another thing that was pretty different was how women are treated. We could argue all day about whether women are treated well in America (see Women's March). I saw a mix of how women are treated in the area we were in. The night I arrived in Uganda (to the airport in Entebbe), there was another group of fellows that arrived after my plane landed. As we were waiting for everyone to get their Ugandan SIM cards all set, we got our first glimpse of how women are second-rate to men. The last group of fellows were getting their SIM cards and these two men walked up and more or less cut the line to add money to their phone accounts. The person waiting on them allowed this to happen - the men were allowed to cut to the front. I also noticed this during the school conferences: men would move ahead of us fellows (mostly women) in the line for food.

This is not to say that they treated us poorly. They did not. That is not the impression I want to leave. It's just DIFFERENT. Men don't hold doors open for women there and I would bet money that the term "ladies first" has never been thought of there. What I found to be the most interesting about this is how some of the men we worked with showed care toward women.

One school day I had a really upset stomach and went to school late. One of the team leaders had to go into town and said I could just go with her later if my stomach was feeling better (I had taken some medicine and we were just waiting to see if it had worked). On the drive to my school, a boda boda (motorbike taxi) was driving toward us very fast and erratically. The roads are pretty rough and mostly dirt. He was driving way too fast for the condition of those roads. We had passed these two women walking on the side of the road just before this boda boda went past. It was pretty obvious the dude was losing control and sure enough, just after he had passed us, he wiped out. One of the Ugandan men who works with the organization I was with turned in his seat and expressed concern for whether the women behind us walking had been hit or hurt. (He even went on to say he didn't care about the boda boda driver because he was acting stupidly.) Having seen how women were not necessarily revered in other respects, I was touched to have seen this obvious care for whether these women had been hurt by someone being careless. I'm positive it was actually care for the women that mattered to him because there were other men around and he didn't express concern for whether they had been hurt/affected by the reckless driver.

At our school one day, during a break, we had a wonderful discussion with the local teachers we were working with. They were just as fascinated by what was normal to us in America (or the UK as was the case for one of our fellows) as we were to what was normal to them. The head teacher was fascinated to learn that my husband didn't have to ask permission to marry me or pay a dowry of cows or goats to my father in order to marry me. They were equally surprised to learn that my husband can't tell me what to do. (That conversation will forever been embedded in my mind. I think you had to be there, but it was quite funny when he said, "so your husband can't tell you what to do?" and I half-laughed and said, "well he can try, but it doesn't mean I will listen.")

I think one of the most fascinating parts of their culture, for me, was how the women dress. We had been told prior to our fellowship that we needed to be sure we had long skirts (that at least covered our knees) and shirts that didn't expose our shoulders. We could dress as we pleased at the lodge but at any time we were in town or our schools we needed to be covered. As a born and bred American, I can assure you I realized how vastly immodest we are in the States. The women in Uganda dress for modesty. We do not. Of course there were exceptions (we did see women in pants in some places, but they tended to be much younger women), but for the most part this was true.

I'm forever grateful for the opportunity to visit Uganda. I learned a lot and recognized how one culture is not better or worse than another. In fact, during that conversation when the other teachers were asking us about marriage in America, one of the teachers I worked with said, "that's their culture though, it is normal to them." (I was proud of him for recognizing that it's not weird, just a different culture.)

Going into another culture with the expectation that you'll learn from them and be changed by them is the best way to experience another culture. Being open minded and willing to learn allows you to really immerse yourself into the experience and be part of something unfamiliar without feeling like you have to shed your own culture.

Tomorrow marks a full week since I arrived home from my month-long trip to Uganda. The jet lag has been intense...almost a full week later, when I thought I was finally over it, I took a 3-hour nap today. Alas, things are starting to get back to normal for the most part.

There is so much to say about this trip. It was a life-changing experience for sure. As someone who has taught predominantly ELs for my entire career, I can say this trip gave me a new perspective and appreciation for the students I've had over the years who weren't born here in the USA.

Most of my students who aren't native English speakers speak Spanish at home. I cannot speak Spanish. I can understand some (and often I can get the gist of something more because I speak "mom" than because I really understand their exact words), but generally I'm lost when parents are speaking to a translator or getting on their child's case in their native tongue. It has never bothered me because I have been in an environment/culture that is familiar to me.

In Uganda, working at the school I had the absolute privilege to work in, more often than not, during break or lunch, conversations would come up in their native tongue of Rukiga (pronounced Ru-chi-ga) and I suddenly was 100% in the shoes of my students and their families, especially those that were not born in the US (I haven't had a lot of refugee students considering how long I have taught, but I have had a handful). It made me think...while I was fine in this environment because I had two other fellows to chat with in English, I have a new appreciation for how hard it is to go into a new culture where you don't know their "norms" AND they are speaking a language you do not understand. That takes some real guts.

I only had two do it for two weeks. Doing it for months (or years) as you learn a new language and culture can't be easy! I have a ton of respect for these families anyway but now even moreso.

I'm excited to share the experience but also unpack and process it all for myself. It was truly an experience I won't ever forget. The friends I made, the bonding we did, the affirmation I found in who I am as an individual and as a teacher leader made it an invaluable experience. I can't wait to share it here.

*PS Agandi means "How are you?" It is a typical greeting you would receive in the part of Uganda we stayed in. The appropriate response is always Nee-jay which means "I am fine."