Refugee Stories
Thanks to the Transatlantic Outreach Program and the Fulbright fellowship I participated in, I’ve been able to bring many lessons back to my students in […]
After the 1:1 Honeymoon Period
My Love/Hate Relationship With Student Chromebooks This article originally appeared in Literacy Daily, the International Literacy Association’s blog. I looked at the pile of Chromebooks on […]
This is Cuba!
As I sat in the cockpit of the Airbus A320, I thought, “What a fitting end to my first trip to Cuba.” Our three-hour flight […]
Two Stories
I had conversations with two Cubans in twenty-four hours, representing very different points of view. A Dream Denied I strolled down a side street in […]
Wi-fi and Ballet
Here is a post about two unrelated Cuban experiences. Wi-fi “Do you need a wifi card?” a young man on a bench asked as I […]
Fish and Revolution
A Chicken for Fish “The man with the fish is here,” whispered the owner of the house after she quietly called our guide away from […]
Viñales
Farming is a hard life no matter where you are. Imagine having to sell 90% of your crops to the government at a price the […]
Don’t Ask Why
One of the first things I learned from our guide, photographer Luis Alarcon, was “Don’t ask why.” Why is the salary of a doctor just […]
A Mystery
Cuba is a mystery. I was there for just two weeks and have left with many more questions than answers. I have also left with […]
Simply the Best
Even though our group had an early flight (except for the three of us who would be staying in Europe), we gathered in the hotel […]
The Rest of the Story
There was so much more to our TOP Tour than the few posts I’ve written. Here are a few highlights from some of the other […]
Sachsenhausen Memorial and Museum
It was the only cool and rainy day of our two-week TOP Tour when we rode the train to Oranienburg, about 35 kilometers from Berlin. This […]
Berlin
Berlin is amazing. After spending a week traveling between villages and small cities, our TOP Tour allowed us to experience Berlin for an entire week. […]
The Living Room
Wohnzimmer It simply means living room. This is the name of a project in Fulda, a city in central Germany. We visited Wohmzimmer during our […]
Before the Deluge
The torrent began the moment the ref blew the final whistle. Buckets upon buckets of water fell from the sky. There was no hope of […]
Going to Schule
I’ve had the chance to meet with students and teachers at three German schools during this TOP Tour. I’ve learned a lot, so this is […]