Maria-Cristina Mocanu

Writing about my Fulbright experience in the past tense is probably one of the hardest things I had to do in my adult life, not because I am unable to, nor am I the type of person who easily becomes overly nostalgic, but simply because it was an experience I would have never wanted to end. The further in time I get from it, the more I feel how it has changed me, how spending forty-five days immersed in such a transformative environment turned me into an even more focused professional, a better teacher and overall, an improved human being.

I was a part of the Media Literacy Fall Cohort in the Fulbright Teaching Excellence and Achievement Program in 2022, hosted by UW Madison Wisconsin. I had little to no knowledge of Madison and its surroundings prior to being notified of my acceptance for the program, so I started Google street viewing the minute I found out I would be living there for a couple of weeks. Little did I know that Madison in the fall would be so vibrant, that all the streets I had virtually walked on would suddenly seem too narrow for all the student gatherings at UW Madison, and that the atmosphere in the city itself would be such an interesting combination of Midwestern joy and modern youthful vibes. I got to learn the word isthmus as we were meeting our hosts online, but it was only upon arrival that I realized just how much Lake Monona and Lake Mendota contribute to the beauty of the Madisonian landscape and how living in a city that is surrounded by the calmness of the water enables one to spend at least a couple of minutes every day gazing and reflecting.

And there was surely a lot to reflect on during my stay in Madison. As expected, the program itself was intense. I was privileged enough to be part of a cohort that was hosted by newcomers to the program, as UW Madison Wisconsin had just been selected by program organizers The Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) and IREX, as a Fulbright TEA host university. I strongly believe we were offered an academic experience matching no other, as our US guiding team succeeded in providing the best possible encounters, academically, professionally and personally. The Global Engagement Office and the team in the School of Education in UW Madison thoughtfully organized a schedule that included workshops, trainings, practicum and community activities, thus providing all participants with insights into US academia, culture and lifestyle.

Our cohort was focused on Media Literacy, therefore we engaged in discussions pertaining to hot topics, from media manipulation and propaganda and how to avoid being subjected to them, to tech tips & tricks, as we worked with PBS Wisconsin, and tools to help students understand and critically analyze the media. The MIL seminar was hence among the highlights of our first weeks in UW Madison, along with the lectures on contemporary issues ranging from democracy, diversity, inclusion, climate crisis to mindfulness and coping with trauma.

Then came the school practicum we had all been waiting for, knowing we would get to interact with fellow teachers and experience American school life to its fullest. And so I did. As the time in Vel Phillips Memorial High School in Madison unfolded, I got to experience the thrill of being a new teacher again, eagerly taking in every piece of information, at times quietly observing dynamics and overall striving to adapt to a system that seemed so overwhelming at first, yet so focused on individual agency. My American partner teacher welcomed me to a classroom full of historical figures on the walls, yet everything he was doing with his students was rooted in the present and interaction was so authentic, that at times I was able to join their conversations as if I had been there forever. It might have been my enthusiasm, or Greg Mawer’s extraordinary ability to boost confidence in people, but I learned so much in so little time that I can now confidently say I am a different, better teacher, thanks to him. Teaching American students myself then came almost naturally, and I eventually understood the reasons behind the program requirement to do so. There’s a learning curve, and the more time I spent in an American classroom, the more I interiorized and refined my role as an educator, not only in that particular place, but in my home country as well. Exploring teaching protocols, strategies and tools, learning from each other, sharing culture and ultimately befriending teachers and professionals in the US has been by far the most enriching part of this experience.

They say it takes a village to raise a child, and since we’re learning all our life, I think it takes community to help one cope throughout. On top of academic and professional growth, Fulbright TEA Fall cohort gave me just that – a community of teachers I spent enough time with to be able to call friends. Being part of a group of twenty-two teachers from Eastern Europe and Central Asia, all of whom were equally eager to learn, share and improve, made it easier for us to connect and enhance our experiences together. The program provided multiple opportunities to work on common interests, lesson plans and projects, all the while sharing best practice every step of the way. Exploratory coffee driven morning walks, midnight debriefing endless conversations, intricate educational games, punchlines and inside stories have all added to an experience I am grateful for and still cannot refer to as past.

I would much rather think of my Fulbright Teaching Excellence and Achievement experience as part of my present and future, as I am still processing change and planning to work towards putting all the knowledge and skills I gained in the US to good use in my community back home.

———-

Read more about the Fulbright TEA experience at UW–Madison School of Education: Fulbright program brings visiting teachers from across Eastern Europe, Central Asia to School of Education – School of Education (wisc.edu)