My sister has been playing “Where in the World is Maggie?” with her second-grade classroom, using my trip as a cool way to introduce the kids to different cultures and countries.
So a couple of weeks ago, while I was in the U.S. for family matters, I popped into the class for a surprise visit.
It was SO FUN. The kids were a delight, far more excited and engaged than I ever imagined they would be.
While I perched on a plastic chair, they sat around me in a half circle on the floor, asking smart questions like, “What’s the saddest thing you’ve seen?” “What do people in Uganda get for Christmas?” and “How do the kids dress in Egypt?”
They went nuts over a photo I took of a mummy foot inside the Egyptian Museum. (They especially loved the fact that it’s a “secret photo,” i.e. taken with my stealth iPhone, since photography is forbidden inside the museum.) And they oohed and aahed over my pictures of rhinos, gorillas and elephants. For the first time I could see my trip from a 7-year-old’s perspective, and it was a delightful change of view.
They had such innocent and insightful things to say about the world, and it was truly an inspirational morning. For them, I hope I’ve motivated them to learn more about other people and travel for themselves. And for me, it reinvigorated my trip — it made me feel like I’m doing something important and special.
Best of all, the class sent me off with a stack of fabulous thank-you notes.
Also, I need to give a big shout-out to Mrs. Klarer for constantly finding cool ways to help children learn. I’m incredibly proud of my sister. She’s the kind of teacher that kids remember long after they are grown.
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