Day 23: Community.

Write about one way that you “meaningfully” involve the community in the learning in your classroom. If you don’t yet do so, discuss one way you could get started.

     Like most international schools our school has a great sense of community. Students, parents, faculty and staff feel involved in school life and many venture out into the local polish community through service-learning or CAS projects. As a school we are doing a good job.
     Involving the community in the learning in my classroom is another matter. It's great for the Polish teacher who can take her kids out to practice whenever she feels it is necessary and whose students can use their Polish skills when they go out to the orphanage, refugee camp or other local institutions we have ties with.
     Not so much "involving" is possible when you are teaching French in Poland. We have very few members in the community who speak French fluently. If I could manage it, it would like to set up a service learning project with a school somewhere in a francophone African country. A colleague of mine from another school in Eastern Europe did it for one year and said it was  a great success. But she was lucky, because the school in Africa actually approached her.
     Again a lot of it comes down to time and effort. Would I do it if I was presented with the opportunity? Of course I would, so if anyone knows of such a project, be sure to let me know.