Overall Reflection

Seeing and immersing yourself in another culture truly helps you understand your own. Through comparing a contrasting the American/ Italian school system I questioned aspects from both sides. Something I admired about Italian elementary schools was how well the teachers collaborated with one another. Since there are two teachers per class that stay with the same group of kids as they move up through Elementary school, they seem to truly complement each other and know where one teacher lacks the other teacher has a strong point. It goes back to how it take a village to raise a kid. I noticed how it was the relationship my host sister had with her two teachers and mom that added to her impressive English skills. Italian classrooms face similar struggles as American classrooms such as a wide range of ability and discipline. I do believe how the students get a break in the middle of the day to go home and eat lunch with their families helps with their attention spans. Overall, being around the students of the Gasparotto school, reaffirmed my passion for teaching and how as a teacher you get the opportunity to provide the fundamental knowledge that is going to stay with the students for the rest of their lives. When I was teaching the fifth graders one day, I stopped to have the English teacher ask the students if they were truly understanding what I as going over. She responded with "yes, they're following and can understand you, keep going they want to know more." The feeling I had in that moment has to be the same feeling rock stars get when their on stage or when a doctor competes a successful open heart surgery. That you're succeeding at your career passions.

I loved every minute of living with the Luvisotti's. Living with such a caring Italian family is how I got a taste of true Italian culture.  I went to water polo matches, sampled amazing desserts, went to their favorite pizzeria, witnessed parenting moments, went for afternoon espresso, shared stories about life experiences, went through family photo albums, played in family monopoly games, and learned what it was like to be a big sister. I leaned so much from Daniela about parenting and how to do everything you want to do before you settle down and have kids. She taught me that serving your family good food is important and you don't have to always be in a rush to get somewhere. Little Agnese taught me how to have a lot of energy and how to have fun even despite language barriers. Her English improved so much while I was there! She read my thank you note to the family aloud my last night there as the whole family was in tears thinking of the impact we left on one another.


I've also learned how traveling is the one thing you spend your money on that truly makes you richer. During my travels I met two teachers, First was the 88 year old women I sat next to on the plane from KCI to New Jersey. She shared with me touching stories of how her old students found their way back into her life down the road. Education really does come full circle. You can learn as much from your students as they learn from you. My own elementary school teacher commented on a Facebook post that got me sentimental thinking about the lifelong impacts teachers have on their students. (Jack Haupt and Linda Jackson were two of my favorite teachers)

Another teacher I met on the train from Siena to Rome. She noticed my KU Education luggage tag and we got to talking about her career in the Kansas City area school districts. What I learned from her is how we are able to share out experiences (especially travel expereinces) with our students. I can't wait to teach my students about ancient Rome and the lost city of Pompeii now that I've been there.