Last week, two of my colleagues came to my house and prepared materials for the children and teachers I have been visiting in Kenya this week: beautiful books donated by Scholastic, school supplies we’ve collected, leaving room for the gifts being brought over later by teachers from the Bronxville school: story strings made by teachers for teachers as well as teaching supplies so desperately needed in Africa.
It all made me think again about the things we carry and how we prepare for our journeys. I brought very few clothes and assorted extras and used every available space for the gifts that have the potential to transform a teacher and inspire a classroom. As always, it’s been an extraordinary and joyful process and I have been so thrilled and rewarded to see the community of the Red Rose School again.
Some time ago I talked with my LitLife colleagues about what’s in our bags. We talked about what we pack when we go to schools. We had some good laughs over this: our crunchy granola bars, that book we can’t let go, the secret stash of chocolate for that two p.m. lag, the essential LitLife documents and a memory stick.
But there’s plenty more to go into those bags. And plenty more to leave out. What do we choose to carry?
Here’s what I hope we all carry when we share education and literacy:
- Core Values: Collaboration, Dignity, Equity, Responsiveness, Reflection, Innovation.
- Inspiration: Ignite the fire of others and honor even the smallest steps with grace.
- Content: The juice! Actual evidence of work you’ve done to prepare… bring the gifts, the lessons, that will change lives. Take time for preparedness.
You don’t really need to pack much, but you need to pack wisely. With that, what I saw in watching my colleagues so carefully make sense of all that should and could go in my bags for this trip was an essential collaboration. I could not make this journey without them, and even just the joy in sharing the experience of that became part of what I took with me on this journey
A final set of reflections:
- Let your colleagues inspire you. Reach out to them. Let them help you. Be there to help them.
- Pack your bags wisely and well. (Don’t pack too heavy; bring enough to share).
- Arrive with gifts. (Let people know you care).
I look forward to sharing with you soon stories of the amazing visit I’ve had to Kenya this week with the incredible children and my inspiring Kenyan colleagues. My journey is drawing to a close today, as I repack my bags now to head towards home (with a quick stop in Illinois to give a talk tomorrow morning).
I hope you are now preparing your bags for our trip together around the globe on March 3 for World Read Aloud Day. Even if you are simply participating by spreading the word online, the words you choose to share on and for that day will show the world what you carry and how you carry it.
With joy,
Pam
