Am I A "Scaredy Cat"?

The count down is on for Korea and the anxiety level is slowly starting to rise.  The other day I was talking to my 89 year old grandmother (even though she will be turning 90 in a few weeks, she still tells everyone she is only 83)  and she asked me if I was "scared".  Being scared never crossed my mind.  I have had my nervous moments, but never scared.   Then my mind started to race back to my first experience in a Korean store and a Korean restaurant.   I was completely lost, I could not read a single thing.  I felt a bit uncomfortable and out of place.   How am I going to react when I am in a completely different country, where I am not similar with the language, smells, foods, and culture?

By starting to prepare myself for this adventure, I have eased the anxiety and brought up my excitement level up to a new high.  Though I know that I will not be prepared for everything that I will encounter on this trip I feel ready to go.    Watching videos, reading books, listening to our guest speakers in class all have helped me better understand the country that I will have the privileged of spending four weeks in.   Being an agriculture teacher, I am use to living out of a suitcase. With weekend leadership conferences, regional and national competitions and conventions, I can easily travel over 3,000 miles a year.  So why not take a great opportunity to represent my school, state and country and further myself in a profession that I love. 
 

After this experience, I hope that my students realize that outside of  our small town there is so much more.   I want my students to experience and understand that there is so much available to them.   I hope that this experience will lead my students to be able to compete in a global market.  Students need to be globally competent and be able to fully understand the world around them.  I am preparing future employees, helping to create future business leaders, scientists, and develop educated citizens. The 21st century students are members of the community and some day they too will be role models in the community.   I have to model an open-mind, curious behavior and demonstrate a desire to explore the world which can help a student become globally aware.

I hope if I am able to do anything  from this trip, that I will be able to play an important role in spreading tolerance and understanding of other cultures and can have a profound impact on my students' lives. Touring the agriculture industry in Korea and meeting the students and teachers, I will be able to share the culture with my students.  I want to be able to share real experiences with my students about the culture and industries in South Korea.  I am not going to be a "scaredy cat".

Looking towards a more global approach to teaching and learning