Back during my February Presidents Week break from school, I sat down and began thinking about what I wanted to do during the summer. It's a great perk, summer break, that is, for a teacher, but I sometimes feel it to be a burden to plan something each and every summer. Having done something amazing and life affirming one summer makes me feel that I have to equal that or top it each subsequent summer. I know all you non-teacher readers are throwing tomatoes at your screen, but these are my feelings and I'm allowed to have them! (See what therapy can do?)
I thought about how great it would to be to actually do some teaching for six weeks. Hmm, let's go abroad. Well I went to China last year, and I really like Indian food, so let's go to India. And maybe it could be an exchange gig. So, I sat down at my computer and typed in "Summer 2008 Math Teacher Exchange India" and the first link that came up was a six week summer teaching program for US High School Math teachers in New Delhi, India under the auspices of the Fulbright program in the US State Department. The program would take six teachers (2 English, 2 Science and 2 Math). I could not have dreamed of something so perfect.
I downloaded the application, wrote and essay, of which half was a photo essay with commentary from my China trip last summer, and secured a couple of letters of recommendation from colleagues (shout out to Chris D. and SSK for their quick turnaround) and sent the package off to Washington, DC.
After a month, I was contacted to state that I had made it to the interview round. I spent fifteen minutes on a phone interview, which I felt I could have done much better on. I was nervous, which means I talked in circles not really honing in on the point I'm trying to make.
Then today, I got this email:
You are among the group of applicants selected as the finalists for the India Summer Teacher Program.
We are currently in the process of matching U.S. candidates with schools in India. We will notify you by early May if you have been awarded the grant.
Although you have been deemed eligible for program participation on the basis of your application, supporting documents, as well as your interview results, there is no guarantee that you will be selected for the exchange.
So this doesn't mean that I'm for sure going, but I've gotten to this stage where the schools in India select the teachers that they want. Upon further discussion with the woman who interviewed me, each of the six teachers would work with a teacher in their discipline at a school in New Delhi. The purpose of the exchange is to share teaching philosophies, strategies and ideas between the two countries. If selected, I would be representing the United States and would travel under a State Department visa.
So, I'm totally psyched to have made it this far in the process. I'm re-reading my application and wondering what was in it that made it stand out. I won't question it, but I'll ask that everyone keep their fingers crossed! I'll let you know how it all turns out in a couple weeks.