Sociocultural Understanding, Equitable Learning Communities, and Diversity and Inclusion in U.S. Education and Society, California State University at Chico
Happy, honored and grateful for becoming a member of the global Fulbright community of scholars!
The SUSI Program was an awakening, transformative, socio-educational and socio-emotional experience; an adventurous, colorful, multinational, multicultural, socio-academic journey, full of discoveries, rediscoveries and pleasant surprises.
Enthusiastic and committed educators from different countries (Bangladesh, Bahrain, Costa Rica, Egypt, Eritrea, France, Greece, Honduras, Hungary, India, Kazakhstan, Liberia, Norway, Palestine, Panama, Portugal, Serbia, Tunisia, Venezuela, Vietnam, Azerbaijan), cultures and perspectives came together only to reconfirm, that, despite their diversity, they all face common challenges, they all share the same concerns and, above all, they are all united in their continuous quest for better education, for Equality and Equity pedagogical practices and outcomes, worldwide.
SUSI participants had the opportunity to attend engrossing academic lectures by distinguished professors and exchange views on topics such as: Inclusive and Bilingual Education, Experiential and Socioemotional Learning, American Educational Foundations, Equity and Educational Leadership, Inquiry Based Learning, Intercultural Communication, Native American Education, Special Education in the U.S., Access and Equity in U.S. Education and the World, Perspectives in Gender and Schooling, Youth Service Projects in America, Alternative Educational Options in the U.S.
Visiting different types of schools and discussing with American colleagues was one of the highlights of the program, as it offered us all an excellent first-hand experience of the American educational system and the numerous traditional and alternative educational options currently available.
Special emphasis was placed on engaging educators from different parts of the world in teambuilding and networking activities, with the most challenging and most rewarding one being the research projects.
Bonding with American host families and visiting sites of interest helped SUSI participants immerse themselves in different aspects of American life, history, culture and society.
All in all, it was a socioemotional journey that started in Chico, California, with the best of intentions by all parties involved, and one that is bound to be continued for as long as its “travelers” will continue their quest for Education for All, for Equality and Equity, for Peace and Democracy, not shying away from the pursuit of their own “Ithakas”.
As you set out for Ithaka
hope your road is a long one,
full of adventure, full of discovery ..
Ithaka
By C. P. Cavafy
(Translated by Edmund Keeley)
Photos: Eleni Papamichalaki
You can learn more about Eleni Papamichalaki's work in Greece by accessing the co-edited article on the European ENABLE program, or by watching the project of the second grade students of the First Junior High School of Petroupoli on Children's Rights through Greek Art.