I started this blog in 2010 to chronicle the adventures of me (a teacher from Arkansas) who traveled to Germany on a study tour with the Transatlantic Outreach Program.  The blog-posting ended, but the experience stayed with me.  TOP has provided me with one of the most rewarding opportunities for professional growth and development and has left a long-lasting impression on me as an individual.  I am truly so thankful to TOP for how it chooses to achieve its purpose.

So, now, starts a new chapter.  Here I am in Berlin, four years after my initial study tour to Germany with a new focus this time.  This time I am traveling with a smaller group of about 10 other educators from around the nation (last time it was 16). The format of the trip is to create one large piece of curriculum with several sub-units to fit into the larger scope.  The concept we are dealing with is multi-culturalism and cross-cultural awareness.  We are working in teams of 2 to create 5 separate lesson plans related to the following:  Immigration, Youth in Germany, History, Sports and Leisure, and Labor. We are using culture as the lens by which to understand these topics.  For example, how has immigration changed the culture of Germany (past and present?)  What was, and is, and is to come in regards to immigration and how does that impact the culture of Germany?  The idea is that this discussion of culture will ignite questions about what it means to be German, what it means to be American, how we understand our own culture and that of others and ultimately, how are these themes realized within our specific topics.  

Our teams will visit the meetings we find most relevant while in Germany and also collaborate to do research in Berlin and Geisa.  Tomorrow morning, we are visiting Projekt New Faces which is a project that works with young people and adults to combat tendencies toward anti-Semitism in an immigration society.  

I will be updating this blog throughout the week to provide some insight into some of our conclusions and the process that brought us to those.  But, this blog won’t be limited to the research aspect of our TOP Alumni because so many components make a great study tour.  You will see those ramblings here too!