I was given so much amazing advice from Fulbright Distinguished Teacher Alumni throughout the past week. Information from my predecessors in Finland about living in Jyvaskyla was priceless and our Finnish counterparts were so helpful in explaining the Finnish education system and answering our seemingly endless questions about what we will (or will not) see in classrooms abroad. Many of my practical and logistical questions were answered by the different people I spoke with through the week. All of that was helpful and I have a list of things to do before January 7th that will occupy much of my time for the next several weeks (and months). However, the most important things I heard this week were the wise words of the alums about the overall experience of being a "Fulbrighter." A fantastic panel of alumni spoke to us on Friday morning and I had many opportunities to speak to Jen, Kelly and Karen who traveled to Finland ahead of me. The most important things I want to remember about the week are the pieces of advice that are going to make my Fulbright experience the best it can be. Here are the five nuggets of advice that I want to most remember when I am abroad.
1. Say yes! We were told over and over to say yes to every opportunity. Interestingly, I've been told recently by many of my friends and colleagues at work that I need to learn to say "no" more often. Because I find it hard to say no, I end up with more jobs on my plate than I should be doing at once and end up working myself to the bone. I don't like to say no when people ask me to do things, but the things I am usually asked to do are well within my comfort zone: tutor another student, run the scoreboard at the basketball game, call a parent about our school's learning support program. I have a feeling that the things I may be invited to do in Finland will be a little bit more out of my comfort zone, but I will still need to remember to say yes as much as possible! Maybe by the time I come back I will have eaten some reindeer meat!
2. Make things happen! I may need to ask for something more than once. I may have to be more proactive in finding information I want. As a teacher I am accustomed to doing what the administration assigns to me. Fulbright will be my chance, and my responsibility, to make things happen for me. I am nervous about how I will fill my days, but I know that I will have to (and will have the opportunity to) make things happen!
3. Take time to be still, think, and reflect! When do I ever give myself a chance to reflect on my job? Rarely. Once the school year starts I often revert to running on autopilot. I rarely, if ever, think about the big picture of education once I am in front of my students and have to worry about the next class I am going to teach. Fulbright will give me a chance to reflect not only on what I see in Finnish classrooms, but also what I see in my own and other American classrooms. I won't have students waiting for my next performance of a lesson or waiting for my response to an email about their work. I will get to pause and take time to write, think, reflect and question what I am doing, seeing, thinking and experiencing. I have to remember that I do not need to fill every minute of my day with school visits, teaching, interviewing and working. It's ok, and actually necessary, to take a step back and reflect!
4. Don't compare! So often our lens of observation is a lens of comparison. As Americans we live in a competitive society with excessive evaluation. We compare ourselves to anyone and everyone about anything and everything! We have been advised to take off that comparative lens and observe schools and cultures with as much of a neutral lens as popular. We don't have to think of everything we see as "different from US schools" or "the same as U.S. schools" and we certainly don't have to, and shouldn't, decide which way is better. We can just think of something as "a Finnish practice." But more important for me, and the bigger challenge, will be to not compare myself and my experience as a Fulbrighter to anyone else. The alumni I met this week have done extraordinary things while on their Fulbrights. They have published, won competitions, founded schools, and created intercultural exchange programs. Each person I spoke to, current grantee or alumnus, has done something phenomenal in their schools or beyond. Do I really belong with this group of change makers? I've been assured that I do. Now I have to remember to not compare my accomplishments (or lack of) with my colleagues and that we will each come home with an incredible story and many more doors open to us.
5. Embrace the experience and let yourself change! Everyone I spoke to concurred that this experience is going to be life changing. It will change the way I think about education. It will be incredible for my children, husband and me to live abroad. It will change me and I have to go with the flow. Having a Fulbright won't make me a better person, but having a Fulbright experience will help me grow as a professional educator and I look forward to letting that change happen.
Below are six of the seven Finland Fulbrighters 2016!
