New Worlds--by Trevor

A few months ago, I was a student abroad. Spending the summer in Guatemala on a Spanish immersion program was a natural continuation of the study abroad experiences of my master's program, undergrad, and high school. In the Fall, everything changed. With unbelievable speed, the tables turned: for the first time I was the teacher, not the student. At first, I felt unsure if I could continue to learn and grow, now that I was the one responsible for content and expertise.

 
My fears have proven totally unfounded. I am a teacher, but I am also still a student, and always learning. Although I had been to Italy 3 times before (including a 2.5 month stay in Rome), this trip was full of new experiences. I saw things I had never seen before, like a massive Roman cistern at Bacoli, the windswept caldera of Vesuvius, and Testaccio, the artificial mountain made of discarded ancient pottery. I am grateful to my predecessor Janet Rothfels for bequeathing me the idea to visit these sites and for her invaluable Italian personal contacts. I also returned to familiar places, but instead of learning about Roman building materials (like porphyry) and mythic landscapes, I was learning about how to articulate my interest in antiquity to others, how to set the right pace for a group while still moving at a speed that works for me, and how to connect with my students in new ways outside the classroom. I also revisited old lessons that needed refreshing: cooler heads prevail during moments of uncertainty, international travel can be an amazing crucible for new friendship, and that good Italian gelato possesses powerful restorative properties.

Thanks above all to my companions Kelli and Allisen: Dream Team. Thank you to my students, you guys carried yourselves with gusto and élan. Thank you to the parents, who put so much trust in us.  Thank you to Robin Wheeler for making the trains run on time.  I had a blast the last couple of weeks-see you in the classroom, around campus, and in future project weeks.

ci vediamo,

Trevor