Papers and Puppies!

This week, everywhere you go around campus you find people! I went to the library yesterday to try to find a place to study and nearly every nook and cranny was full. I found though, that the higher up you went in the library the less people there were. By the time I got to the 5th floor I found a nice circle of chairs and... silence. I'm just about going crazy right now trying to finish all these papers before Tuesday. Last night I finished one of my BIG ones (24 pgs) and well afterwards I had to have a dance party!! I was so excited. Now, I'm pulling an all nighter working on the next one. To help with student stress, which is higher than normal this time of year, the graduate student assembly hosted some stress relieving events. Today in the graduate student center they had therapy puppies you could play with as well as free massages. GSE had free massages yesterday. Pretty nice amenity after hours of typing away at a computer.

Snow

First snow of the year!! Picture courtesy of my friend Fabiola! It's finally starting to snow here in Philly. I heard that doesn't happen too often. I'm a Midwestern girl so we get A LOT of snow. Those of you not used to the snow though... keep in mind: You NEED an actual coat here. Not just a cute one that look stylish but isn't warm. Once it starts getting really cold people will no longer care about style. You also need a good pair of waterproof boots. This is useful for the snow and the rain (which we get a lot of here in Philly). Finally, invest in a warm pair of gloves. If your feet and hands are warm you'll be pretty good. My friend was wearing a thin pair of leather gloves the other day and her hands were freezing. Leather is not ideal in the snow folks. Once you have obtained the proper gear now you are ready to go have a snow fight with your cohort! We are already planning one with IEDP

Winter Gala

Thursday night Penn's Graduate And Professional Student Association (GAPSA) hosted a winter gala at the Ritz Carlton in Center City. It was a masquerade ball- cocktail dress and black tie recommended. Since this event was so close to the end of the semester a lot of students chose not to attend but I sure am glad that I took a night off to enjoy the fun. There was a GREAT dj, open bar, pastries and dancing.

Upcoming Events

I wanted to share some information about two very exciting events that we have coming up next week for prospective students!

The Dean of GSE, Andy Porter, our Vice Dean, Alexis Wolson, and our new Director of Admissions, Natalie Herring will be traveling next week, so we are planning to have Holiday Reception/Meet the Dean events in both Chicago and NYC.  It will be a great opportunity to meet leaders from GSE, find out more about our degrees and programs, network, and enjoy some delicious food.  As a graduate student, I know that winter break is a popular time to work on applications, so this is the perfect time to celebrate the holidays and fall in love with Penn GSE =)  You can register/RSVP for these events by visiting our events page:  http://www.gse.upenn.edu/admissions_financial/events#off_campus

Here are the details for each event:

Chicago
Tuesday, December 10th, 6-8PM
Gleacher Center at the University of Chicago
450 North Cityfront Plaza Drive
Room 420 (South Lounge)

New York City
Thursday, December 12th, 6-8PM
Grand Hyatt New York
Park Avenue at Grand Central
Uris Room

Final Weeks

Well I went home for the Thanksgiving break last week. Spent 4 1/2 lovely days in Kansas City enjoying turkey and relaxation. I decided to take a complete break from my homework, even though I have a lot to do before the end of the semester. But sometimes you just need to let it all go for a moment.

Now that break is over everyone at school seems to be "hitting the ground running". The library is packed, there are group study/work sessions going on all over campus. All you hear anyone talking about is how they were writing this paper or that paper.

GSE Admissions office is getting busy too. The other GAs and I are trying our best to pitch in and help with filing and copying for them. GSE will stop giving tours temporarily started Dec 6. but we'll start again next year! I can hardly believe my first semester is nearly over.

Teacher Education Info Session

 

Teacher Education Information Session is Coming UP!

Interested in becoming a teacher? Join us for an on-campus information session!

Whether you want to teach pre-kindergarteners or 12th graders, our Teacher Education Program (TEP) can get you on track to certification. 

Through a commitment to social justice and urban education, TEP prepares prospective teachers to transform students and schools. You can read more about the program on their extensive website: http://www2.gse.upenn.edu/tep/.

Read through the website and want to learn more in-person?

Join the Urban Teacher Education program for an on-campus information session on Saturday, December 7 from 10am-noon ET. RSVP here. (Please note only the Teacher Education program will be represented and discussed at this event.)

Hope to see you there!

Thanksgiving- Break??

Thanksgiving "break" is coming up in a few days. I'll be flying home to Missouri on Wednesday morning and I am really looking forward to spending time with my family for the holiday. Still, I put the work break in quotation marks because I don't think I will actually be able to enjoy much of a rest from school. With Thanksgiving coming so late this year when we come back to school it will be Dec 1! There are only a few weeks left in the semester and everyone is starting to feel the pinch. I can say this is the first time I'm really starting to get stressed (not bad, I made it 3 months!)

A lot of people have been asking me how long I am taking to finish my program. IEDP requires 10 CUs (courses) to graduate. 5 courses a semester is the maximum a graduate student can take so it is possible to finish the degree in 2 semesters. However, a lot of people will tell you that they don't recommend taking 5 courses in a semester because it is too difficult. I have actually not been too overwhelmed though. Yes, taking 5 graduate level courses at once is a lot of work. There is A LOT of reading and several significant papers. I do not find it to be unmanageable though. It really depends on how well you do at managing your time and handling stress. Some people I know are taking few than 5 courses and they feel overwhelmed. It also depends on what other things you have going on outside of your classes. Besides working a few hours a week with admissions my classes are really the only thing I have going on. People who work or are involved in research or other projects may find it more difficult to take 5 courses. So, you have to decide for yourself what are your priorities.

Our IEDP volleyball team has made it into the playoffs! The Pink Panthers will go against the Stouffer Strickers later tonight. It has been great getting to know the others in my program through playing intramural volleyball together. Most of the girls on the team had never played before but we have really improved throughout the season. At times it is hard get my athletic clothes on and trek down to the gym, especially when I have a ton of homework to do, but I'm glad I did. My professors always remind us that it is important to form relationships with your cohort because they are the ones who will help you get a job later!

Wharton Africa Business Conference

This past weekend Wharton hosted their annual Africa Business Conference. It is quite the big deal! Hundreds of people came from all over for it. There was a panel on Saturday afternoon regarding education in Africa. Wharton offered International Educational Development Program (IEDP) students 10 spots to attend the panel discussion that was moderated by our program director and UNESCO Chair- Dan Wagner.

Speakers participating in the panel:

Frank Aswani- African Leadership Academy
Michael Conway- Bridge International Academies
Richard Tibbles- Foundation of Learning Equality

Though the discussion was short (only about an hour) it was interesting to hear an introduction of these three organizations and their work in Africa. Each takes a unique approach to issues facing Africa and youth. ALA builds entrepreneurship, leadership, and networking skills in a select group of youth from all over the continent. Bridge is a bit wider in that it operates over 200 primary schools. Finally, Tibbles' organization is transferring online courses into downloadable form so that people with limited internet connectivity can still access the courses.

Just one of the many opportunities available here at Penn.

Ph.D. Deadline

REMINDER!

The deadline to apply for all Ph.D. programs for Fall 2014 enrollment is SUNDAY, DECEMBER 15, 2013!

This means ALL materials must be received by the admissions office by that date.

All applications received by that date are guaranteed a faculty review of all materials.

If you have not yet taken the GRE, you must do so no later than NOVEMBER 22, 2013 or your test scores will not make it to us in time.

We always recommend that you submit your application and materials earlier rather than waiting until the absolute last day!

Any questions? Please email admissions@gse.upenn.eduor give us a call at (215)898-6415.

Most Master's programs have rolling admissions but check with your specific program to make sure there is not a specific deadline. That being said, we still recommend that Master's students apply by December or early January. 

This weekend I spent the ENTIRE weekend working on homework. Blah! All day Saturday specifically I was working on a paper for my Qualitative Modes of Inquiry class (a requirement for IEDP and one of two choices required for ECS). Both my roommates happened to be staying at home and working on papers as well on Saturday. Mid-way through the day we realized we needed some motivation. We decided to give ourselves a reward if we worked on our papers until 8 pm. Rewards after a great day of studying are much needed in graduate school I have learned.

Our reward?....... drinking wine and watching Downton Abbey! Yes, both my roommates are huge fans of the show. I, on the other hand, have only seen one episode. So my roommates decided it was high time for me to be properly introduced. I'll say Netflix and abc.com have been my friend here at Penn. I don't have a tv in my house so being able to get on my computer and stay up to date on my favorite shows while also giving myself a much needed break from studying is invaluable!



WARNING: WATCHING TV SHOWS ONLINE CAN BE ADDICTIVE

GAPSA and Graduate Student Union

I know, I'm a few days late in writing about this but.. last week was Halloween. Hope you did something fun. Penn's Graduate And Professional Student Assembly (GAPSA) had a happy hour downtown to celebrate. Free drinks who wouldn't like that? It was held a fancy restaurant on the top level. Fairly good turn out I'd say a few hundred. Throughout the year GAPSA plans events for students across campus. In the fall, they held orientations and tours of Center City for new students, they offered discount tickets to the Phillys game and the Philadelphia Zoo. They are offering free yoga classes each week this month. It's always a wide variety of things they are doing and it is a great way to get involved and meet graduate students outside of your program and outside GSE (not that GSE isn't cool)

Another cool thing GAPSA offers is language chats. You can sign up to talk with a small group of students and usually a native speaker in order to practice or deepen your knowledge of another language. I think that is one of the issues facing many people trying to learn another language is that they don't get an opportunity to practice speaking it very often. GAPSA language chats are offered in Japanese, French, Mandarin, Arabic, Spanish and Korean this semester.

GAPSA's home, and where many of their events are held, is the Graduate Student Center. This building is located in the middle of campus and offers free wi-fi and a great place to relax or study during the day. Only graduate students allowed! They also have a fire going in the fireplace now that it's getting cold out. And the best thing of all.... they offer free coffee and tea 24/7!!! How great is that?

I'd definitely recommend getting involved in GAPSA while you are at Penn. You can check out their website to see more of their events going on around campus. 

Transportation

Being from the Midwest, I'm used to driving everywhere so coming to Philly has been a bit of a change for me. I have found that I can walk most places since I'm living just a few blocks from campus. The grocery store, CVS, restaurants, bars, and coffee shops are all within walking distance in and around campus. Sometimes you may find that you need to go outside University City (Center City is the next place I frequently go) in which case you could use Philly's public transportation: SEPTA. Septa operates buses, trolleys and a subway all over the city. All you have to do is put in a token and you're on your way!

 

The University of Pennsylvania also offers some options for getting students to and from campus in the evening. For example, I have a night class which gets over at 9pm. Even if you live fairly close to campus not everyone feels comfortable walking home alone that late. In this case, Penn has buses that run East and West of campus and are free for Penn students. You can catch these buses at various points throughout campus starting at around 6:00pm. Penn also has security officers who will walk you home at night if you ask them.  Even before it gets dark Penn security are out walking, riding their bikes and driving around the area. I have found that Penn works really hard to make sure the area in and around campus is safe for students.

Intramurals

Penn has a wide selection of intramural sports. As graduate students you are eligible to play and it can be a great break from studying! Right now I am on a volleyball team with others in my master's program (IEDP/ECS). It is only one game a week for 5 weeks so its not a big time commitment. We don't have tons of skill but we sure have a lot of fun!

Choosing Classes

Wow, it is already that time of the semester to be thinking about and picking courses for the Spring! I feel like I just started this semester though :) Penn has an early registration period which begins a few months before the Fall and Spring semesters. This gives students the option to request early if there are classes they really want to take and those courses could fill up. One great thing about Penn though is that the first 3-4wks of the semester students can go and sit in on classes without being enrolled in them. This gives them the opportunity to "shop around" and see which courses and teachers they really want to take. This semester I actually changed one of my courses because after being in it for a few weeks I realized it wasn't what I was looking for. I had the freedom to drop it and pick up another class without any penalty. I'm really excited about a couple courses that are offered next semester so I'll use the "shopping" period again to check them all out and find out which one is the best for me. Too many great classes.. not enough time!!

Historical Philadelphia!

This weekend my parents came to visit and we went and did some of the many historical attractions in Philly. A lot of people come to school here but never go see any of these attractions and that is a bummer because they are really great!! And I'm not just saying that because I am a huge history geek ;) 

First stop: Independence Hall

    Major events that happened here include the signing of the Declaration of Independence; writing, debating and ratifying the Constitution; it was the home for the first decade of Congress and many more! Free tickets can be picked up at the visitor's center across the street. Open everyday!

Room where the Declaration of Independence was signed.

Home to the Senate until 1800 when it moved to Washington D.C.

Next Stop: Constitution Center

Located directly across from Independence Hall this museum is a must see while your in the area. Admission is $14.50 for adults, $13 for students but it is worth it. The museum has a lot of reading so it is not really for younger crowds but you will learn a lot you never knew before. Right now they have an exhibit showing all the Pulitzer Prize winning photographs from 1942 (when the award began) to the present.

Next Stop: Elfreth's Alley

   Holding the title for "Oldest Street in America" this street has been continuously inhabited since the mid-1700s. Elfreth's alley is located off 2nd street between Arch and Race.

Other stops we checked out but I don't have pictures for:
Benjamin Franklin Museum (not to be confused with the Franklin Institute which is a Science museum). The Benjamin Franklin museum tells all about Franklin's life and achievements. Admission is $5.
Betsy Ross House It costs to tour the inside so we didn't do that, but it's pretty cool to check it out from the outside even. Betsy Ross' grave is also on the property. 
Liberty Bell you have to get in line to go inside and see the bell up close or you can peek through the window on the side and get a look that way.
 

So, it seems, it is that time of the semester for PAPERS!! While the undergrads got to have fall break the end of last week us grads didn't.  I spent the whole time working on papers. I have three due in a period of 7 days (its a wonder how I find time to write on this blog). I had a midterm paper for my class on Contemporary Issues in African Societies. The teacher gave us the prompt for the paper last week in class and it was due today. One week to research and write a 10-15 pg paper isn't easy let me tell ya! I did it though. We had to choose an African country then, use the readings and what we have discussed in class to evaluate the causes for three main issues in the selected country. I found the topic very interesting, even if it was a lot of work. My next paper is due tomorrow and after my class finishes tonight at 9 I'll go home and put the final touches on it. It is a research proposal for my Qualitative Modes of Inquiry class. Throughout the semester we have been learning how to conduct qualitative research and now we are going to conduct a study on our own. Finally, my last paper is due Monday and that is for my class on Education in Developing Countries. We have been learning about different development theories and for this paper we have to compare and contrast two of the theories. Although writing papers is not my favorite thing (in fact, it usually takes me a few hours just to write one page) I do get a lot out of the process. Writing really helps to organize all the readings and discussions we have had and draw actually meaning and application from them. That's pretty much the point of graduate school isn't it?

Something great about going to Penn is that there is flexibility to take courses all over the Penn campus not just within GSE. This semester I am taking two courses outside GSE. One is through the Fels Institute of Government called Leading Nonprofits. The other is through the Sociology department it's called Contemporary Issues in African Societies. While Education still remains my primary focus, I love being able to pursue other interests I have and in doing so I think it will make me more effective and marketable in the future.

The African Societies class has been fantastic so far. It is taught by a Nigerian woman and has looked at Africa from just before Colonialism to the present day. We read books mostly written by Africans and discuss the policies and practices which have led to the continent's current underdevelopment. I have been amazed to see how closely it relates to the classes I'm taking in GSE for the International Educational Development Program. It's refreshing to having classes where the professors don't simply take the prominent, Western view on everything but look at things from multiple angles.

Hiking Around Philly

With fall approaching and the leaves changing color, one of my favorite things to do is go hiking. I've been doing my research and there are a lot of great hiking and biking trails in and around Philly. Although Penn is located in an urban center, it's good to know that you can easily find some quiet, green space nearby.

Trails in Philadelphia 

• Delaware River Trail: The new trail is a multi-use waterfront pathway. For now, the first sections of the trail are open, and once complete, the multi-use trail will eventually run for six miles both on-road and off from Oregon Avenue in South Philly to Allegheny Avenue in Port Richmond, connecting the Delaware River waterfront to other regional and city-wide trails, including the East Coast Greenway and The Circuit.

• Fairmount Park: With more than 215 miles of meandering scenic trails featuring over two dozen historically significant sites scattered throughout, Fairmount Park is one of the largest metropolitan parks in the country, and a great start to any outdoor outing. Philadelphia Parks & Recreation maintains trails in many areas, including Cobbs Creek Park, Franklin D. Roosevelt Park and Tacony Creek Park.

Above information taken from uwishunu. More trails listed on website. 

Trails Outside (but near) Philadelphia

• Wissahickon Creek Gorge Orange and WhiteTrail: is a 6.58 mile point-to-point trail located near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania that features a river and is good for all skill levels. The trail is primarily used for hiking, mountain biking & walking and is accessible year-round.

• Ridley Creek State Park: encompasses over 2,606 acres of Delaware County woodlands and meadows. The gently rolling terrain of the park, bisected by Ridley Creek, is only 16 miles from center city Philadelphia and is an oasis of open space in a growing urban area. Ridley Creek State Park includes areas for fishing, hiking, biking, jogging and horseback riding.

 

What Graduate classes are like...

Graduate school is definitely different from undergrad. Where as my undergrad experience was a lot of projects and tests I only have one test (in total) for all my classes this semester. In my classes so far there have been mostly readings. Unlike my undergrad experience where it didn't actually matter if you read the assigned reading or not because the teacher was going to summarize the information in class anyways, in graduate school if you don't do the readings you won't learn a thing. My teachers sometimes lecture for a short portion of the class but mostly it is based around discussions. Each student is expected to draw from the reading and their experience to come up with points for discussion. Teachers here won't spoon feed you information, they may not even give you the answer to your question instead they present theories and differing sides or the same situation and ask you to decide what you think. It's refreshing to be in a learning environment like that!

So.. looking for some tips?
1. Do as many of the readings as you can. Really read them and think about what they are saying because this is why you are here.
2. Find a group of people in your class who you can form a reading group with and distribute the readings on weeks when the work load is heavy.
3. Set goals to help you regularly talk in class. Most classes have at least 10% of the grade based on participation.
4. Actively make connections between what you are learning in one class with another. Just because a reading wasn't for a certain class doesn't mean you can't bring it up in the discussion. This will make you sound even smarter because you are talking about an outside reading!

Navigating the Library System

The University of Pennsylvania has 17 different libraries! It is vitally important to learn early on how to find things in the system and tap into all the additional resources Penn can connect you with. I had to do my first literature review this week for one of my classes. In the past, I remember hating research projects because I was never able to find the articles that I needed. I would also find these awesome abstracts online but then not be able to access the full text. I have found that NOT to be the case here at Penn. On top of the millions of books and journals Penn physically owns in their libraries the university also has accounts for thousands of online journals. These can be searched through a wide range of databases on the university's website. 

Borrow Direct: This is a partnership that Penn has with several other university libraries. If there is a book that you want and Penn does not have it or their copy has already been checked out you can request the book to be sent here from one of these other libraries. I realized, a little too late unfortunately, that this is a great option for textbooks. If you have a certain book to read for a class rather than buying it you can borrow from one of these partner libraries for a few weeks. It's a great way to save a little money!

Citation management: Another excellent tool I found through the Penn libraries page is different sites which store all your references/articles in one place online. So each time you are searching for articles and you find one you like you can export and save the link in one of these citation management sites and come back to it later. This sure beats having to write it down or email the link to yourself or download everything to your computer.

The Penn libraries also have librarians dedicated to each school at Penn and they will help you find research on a certain topic if you need them.

Overall I have to give the University of Pennsylvania Libraries a 10!

Football Game

I went to the first home football game Saturday. Penn won! It sure is exciting to go to a school where the football team is actually good. This year Penn is fighting for their 4th championship in 5 years. As a student, I can get into all the football games for free. I just had to was show my ID.

Some fun facts: Franklin Field is the oldest two-tiered stadium in the country with a seating capacity of 52,598. It opened in 1895 for the first running of the Penn Relays. It has been the site of the nation's first scoreboard, the first football radio broadcast, the first football telecast, and Vince Lombardi's only NFL playoff loss. The field has also been the home of the Philadelphia Eagles.

If its your first game at Franklin Field you will notice something a bit strange. As you walk in everyone is carrying pieces of bread. I noticed one lady carried in a cardboard copy box half full of toast. Penn fans throw toast onto the field after the third quarter of every home football game. Actually a lot of people get anxious and start throwing it in the first quarter. The toast-throwing tradition was in response to the line "Here's a toast to dear old Penn" in the school song "Drink a Highball". The act of throwing toast was adopted after alcohol was banned from the stadium in the 1970s.

Juggling

I've only been in graduate school for a month but if I had to choose one word to describe my experience thus far it would be "juggling". Not only do I continually have to juggle my classes and the coursework that comes with it, but also juggling being a grad assistant, getting to know a new city and trying to create a social life. The past few days I haven't felt like I did much of anything except read. Read a few hundred pages for this class and then a few dozen for that class. Once you finish one article there are always five more waiting to be read afterwards. Then there is the juggling of the all portals and information that is continuously being thrown my way. At orientation current students continually remarked on how many amazing opportunities there are to take advantage of here at Penn. I have definitely found this to be true. There are events, conferences and happy hours happening all the time. Each time I open up one of my now 3 email addresses my inboxes are flooded with new things to read about. Then there is the facebook page to check for events with the other cohorts in my program, canvas: the site where I go to check for announcements from my professors (I didn't mention that I have two canvas sites to check because there is one for GSE and one for two of my other classes which are outside of GSE), there is the twitter page, the scope it site, and of course blogs! Learning to filter and organize all of this fantastic yet sometimes overwhelming sets of information is an adjust but one that I am learning to handle thanks to color coding, folders in my inbox and easy to click bookmarks on my internet homepage.

Where I've Come From and Why I'm Here

For as long as I can remember I have wanted to be a teacher. Everything about being a teacher fascinated me.  Even the prospect of having mounds and mounds of papers to grade using my red pen excited me. In college I studied Elementary Education and loved every bit of it. I loved creating thematic units and file folder games, making up songs to go with lessons and reading children’s books.

While attending university I started coming into contact with all sorts of people who had connections to Africa. I became enchanted by the mystery of this huge continent that was so vastly different from any other place I had visited. I wanted to see if this image I had in my head of Africa was at all close to reality. So, after I graduated, I hoped on a plane and moved to Africa. I spent six months living in Zambia and Botswana with an international nonprofit called Youth With A Mission (YWAM). I’ve never met a person who has visited Africa and not wanted to return immediately.  You get sucked in to the carefree, upbeat, colorful life that exists there. I left Africa sure I would return soon.

Once back in the United States, I taught for a year in a charter school in downtown Kansas City. I have never felt more out of my comfort zone. I had to walk through a metal detector to get into school each day. It was an elementary school! I did not know how to connect with these students whose lives were so different from mine. It wasn’t just the violence or heart breaking stories that challenged me as I taught in that school. I quickly realized that there were huge holes in their knowledge and skills. I once asked them to point to the United States on a map and was shocked to find out that in a group of 30 fourth graders only two were able to identify the U.S. accurately. It was teaching in this school that I was confronted with the fact that the American education system in some ways isn’t working- plain and simple. I realized, in today’s world there is more than just curriculum and teachers needed in a school. My students were dealing with things at home and in the community that I as an adult would have a difficult time processing and coping with. I spent a major part of every class dealing with the side effects of these issues: disruptive and violent behavior, lack of motivation, low self-esteem, and anger. I realized that education is not isolated, for the outside world leaves an undeniable footprint on each child that walks through the classroom door.

My love for Africa did not fade during the year and a half I lived in the U.S. and in January of 2009 I moved to Tanzania. I joined staff with the YWAM base in Kilimanjaro. I primarily taught English at the Elementary school level. At times I had the opportunity to lead professional development seminars on topics such as multiple intelligences, fostering student-teacher relationships, and creative teaching methods. I was able to propose and implement several new initiatives to foster academic growth school-wide. Some of the programs failed, and I was forced to admit they would not work in this context, but some of the programs flourished.

Each year I used to teach a unit on occupations. I would open the unit by asking each student to draw a picture of the occupation they wanted to have when they grew up. No surprise, most drew pictures of the occupations they saw around them: teachers, drivers, and shopkeepers. There was barely any variety. Then we started learning about other occupations, even ones that are not common in Tanzania like photographers, fishermen, and judges. When I asked my students to complete the assignment again at the end of the unit nearly every student picked a different occupation. This is why I love education. The more people know and discover about the world the more they are able to dream of what they want their own life and community to become.

I have come to University of Pennsylvania to study International Educational Development. My goal is to help build schools in West Africa because I want to give young people the opportunity to learn what is possible and even more how to dream of the impossible. By showing individuals at a young age the possibilities and giving them some of the basic skills I believe they will be the ones to foster development. They will foster the type of development that they want not our Western definition of development. What I learned in the five years I was teaching is that no one system will work for everyone. America’s system has gaps, and struggles to meet the needs of many. Why would I want to take that system and transfer it to another nation? I saw positive aspects of Tanzanian education that I would like to add to my “toolbox” and use in the future. This program will allow me to study other nations’ systems and in turn I hope to gain even more tools.