South Africa - Day 7
Our final morning together was packed with more valuable visits to local Johannesburg sites. Our first stop was the historic Soweto township, home to two Nobel Peace Prize Winners: Bishop Desmond Tutu and Nelson Mandela. Soweto was also home to the incredibly funny comedian Trevor Noah, whose book Born a Crime was excellent preview to our experience here. A township is different than modern suburbs, as townships were intentionally underdeveloped housing for black Africans, to clear the city for white Afrikaners, during apartheid.
We also toured the Hector Pieterson Memorial which commemorates the Soweto uprising. Of all historical locations we visited in Johannesburg, this felt most meaningful as an educator as a testament to the voices of youth. These children stood up to an unjust school system and paid the ultimate price. This place was an emotional experience, but their story will be empowering to my students under the guidance of our wonderful 8th grade social studies teacher.
Final Goals Update:
Goal 1: Connecting with Peers from the Program, and in the Field
Over multiple online connections over the prior school year and this intense week together with the two other art teachers, we've grown close and plan to implement a collaborative arts project to support the Butterfly Arts Project and share what we’ve learned together at a future NAEA conference.
Goal 2: Finding South African Art to Share with Students
The photographs, artists names, art books, and videos from South Africa have increased my classroom resources by 100%. I previously had no resources and only minimal basic knowledge of African art: masks, wood carvings, and my lucky online find last year of the brilliant textile artist Abdoulaye Konaté. I look forward to using the resources I've gained this week in the classroom this upcoming year. This trip has also inspired me to use the Smithsonian's National Museum of African Art's online collection next year.
Goal 3: Make Personal Art Daily
While I haven't made any finished pieces, or even drawn daily as was the goal, my personal photographs and sketches will no doubt inspire future work. I'm fresh off an etching workshop from the excellent Chicago Printmakers Collaborative, and plan to create prints from images taken here.
Conclusion
EF Tours was phenomenal. Their well planned itinerary was a college level course and so much more. I'm leaving South Africa with my notebook filled, heart bursting, and imagination soaring. EF Tours mainly offers international learning experiences for students (and their teachers) at the high school level but they are expanding their middle school offerings. In my conversations with colleagues in this program, and hearing their success stories traveling with students, I feel encouraged to start an EF opportunity with my students at home to expand their world view and develop empathy.
Words cannot express how much I appreciate the NEA Foundation offering this Global Learning Fellowship. I encourage all educators to apply to future cohorts! The international travel was a wonderful, but the relationships I've made with thoughtful, dedicated, and sincerely joyful professionals across this country have been the most valuable gift.
This may be the final post for my South African adventure, but it won't be the last time I travel to learn and be inspired, to bring back the world to my students. Thank you for reading. Totsiens, or until we meet again!
We also toured the Hector Pieterson Memorial which commemorates the Soweto uprising. Of all historical locations we visited in Johannesburg, this felt most meaningful as an educator as a testament to the voices of youth. These children stood up to an unjust school system and paid the ultimate price. This place was an emotional experience, but their story will be empowering to my students under the guidance of our wonderful 8th grade social studies teacher.
Final Goals Update:
Goal 1: Connecting with Peers from the Program, and in the Field
Over multiple online connections over the prior school year and this intense week together with the two other art teachers, we've grown close and plan to implement a collaborative arts project to support the Butterfly Arts Project and share what we’ve learned together at a future NAEA conference.
Goal 2: Finding South African Art to Share with Students
The photographs, artists names, art books, and videos from South Africa have increased my classroom resources by 100%. I previously had no resources and only minimal basic knowledge of African art: masks, wood carvings, and my lucky online find last year of the brilliant textile artist Abdoulaye Konaté. I look forward to using the resources I've gained this week in the classroom this upcoming year. This trip has also inspired me to use the Smithsonian's National Museum of African Art's online collection next year.
Goal 3: Make Personal Art Daily
While I haven't made any finished pieces, or even drawn daily as was the goal, my personal photographs and sketches will no doubt inspire future work. I'm fresh off an etching workshop from the excellent Chicago Printmakers Collaborative, and plan to create prints from images taken here.
Conclusion
EF Tours was phenomenal. Their well planned itinerary was a college level course and so much more. I'm leaving South Africa with my notebook filled, heart bursting, and imagination soaring. EF Tours mainly offers international learning experiences for students (and their teachers) at the high school level but they are expanding their middle school offerings. In my conversations with colleagues in this program, and hearing their success stories traveling with students, I feel encouraged to start an EF opportunity with my students at home to expand their world view and develop empathy.
Words cannot express how much I appreciate the NEA Foundation offering this Global Learning Fellowship. I encourage all educators to apply to future cohorts! The international travel was a wonderful, but the relationships I've made with thoughtful, dedicated, and sincerely joyful professionals across this country have been the most valuable gift.
This may be the final post for my South African adventure, but it won't be the last time I travel to learn and be inspired, to bring back the world to my students. Thank you for reading. Totsiens, or until we meet again!
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