Global Horizons: Fifth Grade- Foxworth & Bosch

Today was a very different kind of day.  (To be honest, everyday is! ) We began the morning with practice drills for intruder alerts and hurricanes.  Then I conducted a mini-lesson partially in Spanish, requested by Senor Frank.  We did a taste test.  He brought in bananas and plantains, and the question was, “Cual es mas dulce?  El platano grande o el platano pequena?”  We also got to taste fresh pineapple. 

Our block times were greatly shortened today.  We reviewed vocabulary and passed out papers for folders.  Then we had some conversation about the ways the world is changing. 

Last year I read Friedman’s book, The World Is Flat.  It had a profound impact on me, especially related to my responsibilities as a teacher.  Last night I participated in an internet online live conference session related to K12 education and the use of technology.  51 educators from around the globe participated, including people from Canada, China, and New Zealand.  The world is a rapidly changing place, and the world our children will live in will be a vastly differently place from the world in which we grew up.  I take seriously my responsibilities as a teacher, and I want to do everything I can to prepare my students to be successful.  Interestingly, a little while after the online session ended, I received a phone call from a person conducting a survey about radio stations in Columbia.  He had a strong accent, so I asked him where he was calling me from (excuse the dangling preposition), and his reply was “Manilla, Phillipines.” 

This experience provided some interesting conversation in class today.  Yes, the world is flat, and I need to do whatever I can to prepare my students to compete in a global economy.  Forgive me for this philosophical rambling, but in addition to being a teacher, I am a lifelong learner…the 2 are inseparable.

(I know that you are reading this blog…I can check on the numbers…sometimes it’s over 100.  I would love to hear some feedback in the form of comments! )

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