Final Thoughts on CSA 2013

Sitting in the Friedrich Ebert Stiftung listening to the presentations is very enlightening.  There are so many different ways in which we can use these materials for creating a learning environment in our classrooms.  All lesson plans are very capable of being  "tweaked" so that we could use them for individual classes.  I am especially thankfull for the non-native English speaking teachers who are willing to step out of their comfort zone and participate, present, and perform in a language that may be uncomfortable for them.  It is precisely this voice of the non- American teachers and the various perspectives they bring to the discussion that makes this conference more enriching thnt it would be if it were presented only from an American perspective.  This is a roaring endorsement of diversity in education. We need to hear many voices.

I have grown personally and professionally at this conference.  The connections that were made go far beyond this conference.  I am looking forward to continuing these connections.  The Centropa concept is precisely the idea of "schools without borders" and using the virtual world to do so.  We may be limited by our own geography and cultural/political reality but centropa allows us to leave those borders and be a part of the world.

Thank you to  all the participants and a special thank you to the staff for making this one of the most rewarding experiences of my life.