I am exhausted, fatigued, and yet…I want more. As we begin day 2 (or is it 3 with the time change?) I am yearning for more information and experience. Whether I was just so sheltered as a kid, or the media has totally put imaginary blinders on me for my expectations of Israel, I am blown away by day 1 here in the country.
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Our tour guide Sara talks to Angela about a cistern and why it is so important.
- As we went to Neot Kedumim after getting off of the plane, I had no idea what this first site visit would entail. It not only allowed me to see the vast countryside of Israel, but allowed me to put some things into perspective as a person, an educator, and an information seeker. Our tour guide, Sara, did an awesome job giving us some background information about the water issues that Israel has embraced and endured over the years, as well as the current struggles they still have. She talked to us a about cisterns and how they have been used to collect water during the rainy season.
After the discussion of the water crisis, we were given a task that was sure to throw everyone out of their comfort zone. (Or so we thought!) Our group was split in two and our task was to go herd 8-10 sheep and goats to an area about 75-100 yards from where they were currently resting. Although our group had no goat farmers or any real agricultural experience, we jumped right in and started trying out our ideas. Although the task itself took less than 3 minutes to complete, the takeaways can be viewed in various perspectives.
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Sam corralling a few sheep with leaves and figs from a branch we broke off the tree the sheep were resting under.
As we think about our experience, what is your takeaway? Will I go home and change careers to open a petting zoo with sheep and goats? Will give up my job as an educator and become a goat herder? Very unlikely on both accounts. What this activity did was make me realize that no “kid” can be left behind. Although this is kind of a pun (credited to my roommate, Sam), it is absolutely true. It took a well-determined team of people to accomplish this task today. We moved this group to our desired location in a few minutes with proper care through planning, working together and executing our plan (although a few wandered every now and then). Don’t we spend everyday doing this for our students? Don’t some of our student lose focus and stray away at times? I want to give all of my teachers a little heads up….we may be visiting a goat farm during one of our PD days in August. Get ready!! Lead them!!