Agilent-TWB China 2006
Gail Peiterson
Punahou School
Honolulu, Hawaii

• I still await my AH-HA moment thinking that it may not ever occur.
• I heard so much about the trips to South Africa and wonder when my moment will happen…
• It didn’t cause me to well up and weep.
• It made me question my ability to teach and inspire others.
• It made me wonder if I would be remembered by the Chinese teachers who gave a week of their vacation to spend it with us…
• It stretched me to the limit, then gave me 10 new friends and a respect for the teachers I met in China.
• It made me realize that giving is really an easy thing to do if you open your heart and listen to the words of others even if those words are in a different tongue combined with facial expressions, smiles, hugs and bows.

I really don’t know what difference I made in the lives of the teachers in China but I know by my observations that I caused a reaction… Witnessing seven physics teachers’ lively discussion about the image of a 99cent magnifying glass projected on a piece of white paper …as if the future of the world depended on it… Is it real??? or is it virtual??? … discussed in Chinese and by 7 teachers who 3 days before had never met. These teachers represented 6 schools that had never shared teacher development opportunities until this workshop. Gesticulating and waving arms and talking right in my face …all the while knowing I understood nothing they said, but still with the energy that suggested the future of the world depended on the answer to an elemental problem… then I realized that the future DID depend on that moment. The future of the education of Chinese children, the future of the relationships of two countries, and the future of teachers around the world IS the HOPE of the next generation … The future of our children all around the world, discussions and laughter and fellowship around a common theme, be it science or language or art or music… Teachers shape the future, plain and simple, and I am thankful that I was part of the first Teachers without Borders – China program.

While I still question my effectiveness in China, I will not forget the translation of the young woman that spoke on behalf of the Chinese teachers at the closing ceremony. She said she had learned that our students were our friends and were people we engaged in conversions and discussions on many topics and on many levels. It made me remember all the former students who were involved in educational fields or those who remained in contact with me after all of the years since they left high school.

While I still await my AH-HA moment, I believe that I heard my calling and it is not in Chinese, but in English. It is not thousands of miles away but an hour’s drive away. There is so much to be done in our backyard, and I know now …that is why I went to China – to confirm that I can help other teachers in my community and I do have something to offer. I want to support the development of teachers in my home state.

I have spent days working with new teachers since my return from China and these teachers are from the rural areas on the island of Oahu. I have begun to mentor young teachers in the new Teach for America program in Hawaii and sharing in the energy of helping teachers that are struggling to bring HOPE to the next generation of global citizens. By helping new teachers and being active in the science teachers community, I believe that I will help to inspire the next generation of students, to become citizens without borders.