Monday, July 22, 2019

Global learning experience


As educators, we often encourage students to continue learning over the summer break. I took that advice to heart earlier this month when I traveled to Switzerland as part of an international education conference. Thanks to a scholarship from the New York State Council of School Superintendents (NYSCOSS), I was afforded the remarkable opportunity to participate in the Global Leadership Summit with several of my colleagues from around the state.

The learning experience began with our first day landing in Geneva when we toured the Cathedral of Coure de Saint-Pierre in Geneva, a Gothic cathedral that became the adopted church of John Calvin, a leader of the Protestant Reformation. Such rich history!

The next stop was Lausanne and a visit to the Rolex Learning Center on the campus of Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), one of Europe's most famous science and technology institutions. The Rolex Learning Center, with its innovative and energy-efficient design, functions as a laboratory for learning, a library and an international cultural hub for EPFL that is open to both students and the public. On our walking tour of Lausanne, which runs along Lake Geneva and has the Swiss Alps in view, we visited many cathedrals and churches that overlook the city, as well as green grass and flowers that blanket the entire city.

From Lausanne, we headed to Zermatt where we rode a Matterhorn cable car to the Matterhorn Glacier Paradise. Many of us went tubing down parts of the Matterhorn as well as climbed through glaciers.  At the peak of the Matterhorn, on the viewing deck, we were able to look down on the Swiss, Italian and French Alps.

Next, we traveled to the city of Lucerne, a city famous for its medieval architecture. We walked the Chapel Bridge, which is the longest and oldest covered wooden footbridge of its kind in Europe. The bridge, with its decorative interior paintings, spans the River Reuss. We then visited another iconic site ‒ and my most favorite ‒ the Lion Monument, a large stone carving along the side of a cliff. This monument, which is a tribute to Swiss mercenaries who were killed or executed during the French revolution, depicts a dying lion impaled by a spear and his expression is visceral.

Our tour continued in Zurich with a stop at the Education First headquarters. While there, our group of New York superintendents met with counterparts from Ohio and discussed a variety of topics including best practices in education, the pros and cons of the education systems in our respective states, and the power of communication. Later that day, we took a relaxing cruise on Lake Zurich where we were able to network with colleagues and enjoy the picturesque scenery.

The following day we visited Liechtenstein, which is one of the smallest states in Europe, adding another stamp to our passports. Located between Austria and Switzerland, this small country is home to about 5,000 residents. While in Liechtenstein, we visited the National Museum and its famous collection of bejeweled Easter eggs.

Later that week, our group joined teachers and students from North America and Europe in Davos, Switzerland for a three-day leadership conference. We heard from such inspirational speakers as slam poet Clint Smith, journalist Ann Curry, musician Kai Kight, and a panel of young adult activists including David Hogg, former Parkland student and the cofounder of March for Our Lives. As part of the leadership summit, the 2,000-plus international students were assigned to groups and worked tirelessly on projects based on the summit theme: “The Power of Communication.”  The final day of the summit, educators worked with the student groups who presented their proposed solutions to global communications challenges. We were asked to listen to each group’s one-minute pitch of their product/idea that would improve communication and offer our feedback. We rated the student projects, and the top 10 groups were asked to deliver their one-minute pitch on stage. A panel of judges comprised of the guest speakers and Education First guides then selected the winning project. That project will be on display in the Nobel Museum in Stockholm, Sweden.

I found the Leadership Summit so impactful because students were working on real-life, hands-on projects for the entire weekend. They all embraced working in and collaborating with diverse groups – it didn’t even matter that it was a Saturday! What stood out most to me was the energy in each room that I visited. It caused me to pause and ask, ‘why can’t every classroom look like this?’ Students were having fun learning, collaborating and problem solving. They were so proud of their creations and were accepting of the feedback that educators shared with them. It’s important that in Watervliet we strive toward creating learning spaces where students can be creative and motivated while learning. In an ideal world, I would love for students in Watervliet to travel outside the U.S.  Until that becomes a reality, we must work hard to bring these types of world experiences to them.

I am so grateful to have had this unforgettable experience, and for the connections, comradery and collegiality that I experienced among our group of 20-some educational leaders, and with the students and educators from other parts of the world. Oh, did I mention the Swiss chocolate? Yeah, that was pretty fantastic, too!
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