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First session started at beautiful beach in Guadeloup I learned to talk about my name and the meaning of my name and identity relation between them. Every person see the world at another angle in life it makes different  for everyone . It was very nice start

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Our first sessions took place on an amazing beach, where we were surrounded by coconut trees, the sea and the shirking sounds of the crickets. On this magical place we were told about Guadeloupe, the fact that it’s a melting pot of various cultures, it’s culinaire traditions, historical background and the role of religion.

Some of this information was not new to me since I had done some prior research but I was fascinated to hear about the impact of a lighter skin color in the family, that there are real differences on the Island since one section is inhabited by white people only.

A name and it’s meaning is very important in the Persian culture so a lot of time and attention is devoted to finding the right name of the new member of your family. This was of course also the case for me but during our first assignment we had to think of a number and a color which we associated with our name. This was a very interesting experience for me since I had never thought about it.

I loved reading the poem by Benjamin Obadiah since I could really relate to him. Living in Holland means living with 196 other nationalities on everyday basis. And even though we live, work, even eat next to each other, I don’t think there is an actual closeness within. Everyone is tolerated but not accepted and this has to change even if it’s going to be a very slow one.

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Reflection on our first session of the Classroom with a view on the world project

We spend today contemplating what constitutes a national identity and how international projects can help our students get a better view of their own national identity.

Exactly by exposing them to other countries and cultures, they learn what it means to be Dutch. Because in these other countries they can see, both what they share with other European countries and which is part of their identity, but they can also see the what sets them apart as Dutch people. This lets students learn what it means to be a Dutch person in Europe.

I was also personally inspired by the idea that any place can be a classroom, often on these exchanges in other countries you talk to your students in the hotel in the evening and talk to them about what they noticed and what’s different etc.. These conversation can be used much more effectively if you are aware that such a situation is effectively an opportunity for you to teach them something about this national identity. In my experience you can often learn children the most in situations where they are not even realizing you are teaching them.

I think this is what this course means when it talks about providing structured support to guide students during a cognitive disturbance, to get the most meaningful insights and ideas out of those conversations. You have to realize in advance what you want students to take away from trips like this on their own national identity, and use that goal as a way to structure your conversations with students during these trips, so that they end up with the learning goals you, or the project, has set for them.

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As teachers we help teenagers through one of the most difficult and transformational stages in life: puberty. A key question in their lives is 'Who am I?'. We were asked to ponder the same existential question in paradise (a.k.a. A pardisiacal Guadeloupean beach).

The course called 'Classroom with a door to the world' couldn't have kicked off with a more meaningful question since knowing your own identity is closely related to how you view your culture, customs, family etc. By defining ourselves as  Dutch we might actually be saying a lot. Would I ever define myself as 'European' or as a 'global citizen'? In my heart of hearts I do not think so. An objective we as teachers need to reach though is making pupils aware of their European identity, or helping them grow a European identity. Knowing and doing are two distinctly different things though. I know I am European but do not feel like one; I know I need to help our pupils grow in this sense and yet ... I have some growing of my own to do.

Today I realised yet again how vital it is to keep an open mind (keep the door open to invite strangers, different outlooks etc.). It is by crossing figurative and personal borders that we get to learn both ourselves and others. A national identity is important so people take care of their country and its inhabitants but it is equally important to have an international identity. Finding common ground makes it easier to connect with people who do not share the same identity, be it cultural or professional.

During lunch we could share our national identity by sharing Dutch food gems like a peanutbutter sandwich, chocolate spread and choclate sprinkles on, what else, bread. We crossed our national boundaries when we experienced typical Guadeloupean food (a coconut as a treat) and Lithuanian food (a cakelike snack). One might argue that this was just 'small step' but for me it was a GIANT step when I tasted something I potentially would not like. As a notoriously bad and fussy eater I tried a little bit of coconut, dreading it a bit since I did not like the Bounty bars filled with coconut either. I was pleasantly surprised when I actually liked it and even went for seconds, thirds and fourths :).

Small step for MAN, giant leap for ME.

Let's cross some more (personal) borders these two weeks and see whether I can teach my pupils how to do the same.

In the picture you can see my giant leap ;).

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The first session was about internationalisation and national identity. First we learned about the population of Guadeloupe, about the culture and what it means to be in a classroom with a door to the world. You can create a classroom everywhere and there you can learn and accept about the differences that exist between people from all over the world.
Does a national identity exist? It is more about personal identity: professionalm leisure, family, psychological experiences, religion, beliefs, music, etc. these are all elements that make someone unique. So, after all it is a whole package of elements that makes us a unique person.

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For session one we drove to a lovely litte beach, where we talked about the meaning of names and (national) identity. We had a discussion about what is really important in finding and defining your own identity. We agreed it was important for students all over the world to be aware of their own identity. Because only if you truly know what your own identity is, you can start discovering their are different identities all over the world. You can only learn from and accept other kinds of (national) ideas, habits, and different ways of life, if you have a solid base from where you can start making a comparison. We have to make our students aware of the fact that they will find a lot of similarities but also some differences. The task that lays upon us is teaching young people that you can learn from each other rather than emphasize the differences. That is what I hope we will find out this week: how can we put our thoughts into actual things, assignments or projects that we can implement in our school curriculum.

I had a lovely day out there, and enjoyed the lunch with food from the Netherlands, as well as typical Guadeloupian things. Looking forward to session 2 tomorrow, where we will learn more about the history and culture of Guadeloupe.

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Today I learned a lot about the meaning of names and the feelings you may have hearing a name. All names do have a history. My name runs is the family and I have a white feeling about it, like a bright star.

The talk about identity inspired me. There are so many different cultures as you can see on the island of Guadeloupe. It is interesting to approach culture and identity in different ways as we did during the discussion this afternoon, it opens your mind. The open air classroom was a perfect area to discuss and listen to each otheres experiences and opinions.

As I said, this talk inspired me and I will use this experience in my lessons in the future maybe in the concept of transformational learning, which is really an eye-opener.

We finished the day with a French lesson. I was able to use some new learned words enetering the hotel and greeting the staff. I was a great day and I am looking forward to the learning experience of tomorrow.

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Today we talked about internationalisation and a national identity. There are differences when we talk about an identity; family, professional, personal. I never thought about that but everyone sees you in a different way.

I like the fact that we discussed that we always look at the differences between people instead of there similarities. Its much more easier to communicate with people from all over the world when you look at the similarities instead of there negative points.

We discussed about our own identity. What is your personal identity? A personal identity can be so many things. I wrote down the words; Dutch nation, sportive, food (to eat and to cook), german teacher, love painting and a fashion lover. This is something that makes me unique and its possible that someone else also loves painting or is very sportive but even then there are differences between every person.

It was nice spending time together at this beautiful location on the beach and talk about this and that. Normally everyone is so busy doing there thing that we forget to talk, discuss and gaining ideas with each other. I think we can learn a lot from each other because each of us has there own experiences and its important to share that.

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The first session centered around identity and what elements make up your own identity. We also learned how we share certain elements of identity with others, such as how you can enjoy the same food, or spend your leisure time in much the same way. And yet being uniquely you, because of the unique combination of elements that make up your identity.

The segment on national identity made me realize how students can appreciate their own heritage and cultural idiosyncrasies more once they learn about other cultures. Learning about this on a Guadeloupean beach, surrounded by their cultural identity made that all the more poignant.

And I guess most of all this session was helped a lot by the time we had to explore the beauty of our location together.

Quote: "To know and understand our own culture, we must learn to see it from the point of view of other cultures...

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White sand, palm trees that draw a horizon where the blue of the sky is confused with the wonderful Caribbean sea. A whole show for our senses that has helped us to think about our identity as a whole. Because we are a product of the union of all identities such as nationality, profession, character, name, color, family ... It has been a luxury to share with my classmates a little of their identity. Thank you😊

Also we learnt some important sentences and words in french; I think It will be useful for tomorrow in the market.

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Today we went to a heavenly beach,coco palms,turquoise sea,white  sand.There we had a discussion about identity and what it means to oneself. For some people it means food and leisure others say family, language, music.Of course we had a few breaks. Because we were on this beach like paradise we swam in the sea. After that we talked about the meaning of our names. And in fact your name is also a part of your identity. It was great to hear from the whole group the meaning of their names.We wrote a similar story like the American writer Sandra Cisneros wrote. We asked ourselves questions like: what colour is my name and what number? After lunch we had the French lesson. After a last jump in the sea, we went home. It was a splendid day.Quote of the day:What is in a name?