I am back..into teaching. This time teaching teachers in Nepal instead of international students abroad. I figured educating teachers in Nepal on how to impart critical thinking skills on student might have a bigger impact than teaching students at one school. If you are interested in having me be involved in teacher education at your school, let me know!
From the late nineties, I have always wished that Nepal UWC committee would be able to send children from poor and/or marginalized backgrounds. All the time I have been involved in the committee, I have done what little I could to make that happen. This is the story of the things I did and the little gains we have made so far to that end.
When a baby or toddler throws a temper tantrum, the easiest way to deal with it is to divert their attention to something else by talking to the child. It could be about something you see in the sky or nearby or it could be about the music you just started playing etc. The very very short attention span of such children means that they will readily and easily refocus their attention to a new stimulus from what they are fixated on when they are throwing the tantrum.
Grinnell College and my Grinnellian community of friends and peers have humbled me once again!
One of the many issues I identified growing up in Nepal, which I believed would be the source of many unwarranted struggles to make something of myself, had been my severe lack of social capital. So, I worked really hard to escape from the country. Succeeding in doing so and spending most of my adult life abroad, I practically ensured I would have even less social capital when I finally returned home! #LifeEh!
Was the universe putting obstacles in my way to direct me homewards? While I enjoyed both teaching and traveling, issues at work and outside -- especially ones based on my nationality and/or skin color -- were making it harder and harder for me to continue to do so. With time, I also discovered my options for places I could seek work decreasing. I even lost a job!