About a month ago, my Fulbright cohort convened for two days in Đà Lạt where we shared updates and stories of successes and failures teaching in gifted high schools, colleges, and universities across Việt Nam. After hearing from everyone, I felt a renewed sense of inspiration to get back into the classroom, to return to my students, to revamp my curriculum, to resume teaching. I felt excited and motivated again, remembering my purpose for coming to this country, because since arriving in my province, I’ve experienced a gradual decline in actually wanting to be here. This mid-year meeting has been, in many ways, refreshing.
It’s been a little over five months since I left home to move around the world to teach English. I look back now and am astounded at how fast time has flown, how much I’ve grown, and how much I’ve learned (more) about myself. I knew coming here I’d expose myself to many learning opportunities and challenges, whether they were laid out in the open or disguised and hidden in the dark.
Being half-way through my Fulbright fellowship, I thought I’d take the opportunity to reflect on three key experiences so far: my classroom, my community, and myself. I’ll be splitting my mid-year reflection into three parts, beginning first with my classroom.
