The teacher team wishes to thank you. Below is a note
from each fantastic role model.
To all those who care about these particular young
women...
As Academic Program Director and returning TTS teacher,
it is difficult to enter a semester without preconceived notions. Yet the
ladies of TTS24 continued to amaze me with their maturity and respect for one
another. Their curiosity never ended, so neither did their questions. Each one
not only pushed themselves physically over the past four months, but grappled
with something much more internal, shifting perspectives. Thank you for the
role you played in getting them to be a part of The Traveling School. They are
fierce, witty, compassionate, and hilarious. I grew alongside them, and loved
each moment as their teacher, friend, nurse, big sister, and mentor. It was an
honor to watch each student work hard academically not only to please the
teachers, but to set new standards for themselves, redefining their
understanding of education. It was also an honor to be the one to listen to
their fears and deep thoughts.
Adventure is a path. Real adventure - self-determined,
self-motivated, often risky - forces you to have firsthand encounters with the
world. The world the way it is, not the way you imagine it. Your body will
collide with the earth and you will bear witness. In this way you will be
compelled to grapple with the limitless kindness and bottomless cruelty of
humankind - and perhaps realize that you yourself are capable of both. This will
change you. Nothing will ever again be black-and-white.
-Mark Jenkins
With gratitude,
Sarah
Greetings parental figures and other supportive life
figures,
I am particularly thankful this holiday season for the
supportive family I have found at TTS.
At the beginning of the semester, I emphasized that I am drawn to
teaching because of a strong attachment to learning. Together with your daughters, I have
amplified and reconstructed my perceptions of this world. Via interactions with these young women, I
have fueled my dedication to creating meaningful and positive change through
education. Thank you for encouraging
them to join us: these last four months wouldn't have been as incredible with
even one person missing. It has truly been an honor to share in this experience
with 20 talented, intelligent women - this semester has been nothing short of
magic.
My gratitude extends to the other teachers on the team:
each of you played an important role in making the semester smooth, safe, and
enjoyable. I am grateful for the doses
of sanity and relaxation we have shared at crucial moments. I know you will all continue to inspire and
teach in new and beautiful ways as you follow your paths. Another network that has anchored our
semester is the home office staff - thank you for letting me wake you up in the
middle of the night, for asking the right questions, for your trust, and for
your patient and diplomatic replies to my late blog entries.
I count myself lucky to have family, friends, and loved
ones that are willing to support me in my work and travels. Thank you for your
patience with my long bouts of no communication followed by ten word emails,
for your thoughtful encouragement, and for the unconditional love I can look
forward to when I get home.
Lastly, to the students of TTS24, you have each touched
me in ways I will start to comprehend soon.
Thank you for taking ownership of your semester, for treating each other
with respect and love, and for singing the science theme song every time.
All the best,
Beth
Logistics Program Director
To the family and friends of TTS24,
Zikomo. Majita. Siyabonga. Thank you!
Thanks for your trust. I can only imagine what it feels
like to wave your teenager goodbye for a semester, not to mention a semester
far away in southern Africa. You trusted us with her physical, emotional, and
personal well-being as well as her academic progress at a key time in high
school. You trusted us to extend her comfort zone while keeping her safe. We
appreciated this every day; it is not something we took for granted.
Thanks for your support. We could not have had the
amazing adventure we've had without our loving friends and family cheering us
on from the other side of the ocean. It is hard for us to be away from you, and
it must be even harder for you to wait patiently for the next phone call or
blog post. The girls looked forward to sharing their stories over phone calls,
and these check-ins gave them strength to stay present in the challenges and
beauty of the semester.
Thanks for making this experience possible. I am so
grateful for your daughters. They are a very special group of intelligent,
strong young women. They consistently impressed me with their kindness, hard
work, and thoughtfulness about each other and the world.
Try to have patience with us as we return and adjust to
our home communities. We have grown and changed - and we can't wait to share
everything with y'all. See you soon!
Cheers,
Mary Reid
Dear family, friends, and fans of the Traveling School,
It's been a wonderful adventure and I'm sad to say
goodbye to the beautiful family that I've been a part of the past four months.
I'm incredibly thankful for the opportunity to serve as a member of the TTS24
community and it would not have been the same without the sixteen young women,
four wonderful colleagues, a driver, a cook, an amazing Bozeman office team,
and the parents.
In particular I would like to thank the parents for
raising such mature, responsible, and supportive young women before they even
joined our program. The sixteen individuals entrusted to our teacher team have
been a joy to live, learn, and travel the globe with because of the values you
instilled in them long before applying to The Traveling School. I'm so grateful for the love and support they've
given to each other and the sense of community they created early in the
semester, and I commend all of you for being wonderful role models to aspire
to. While I know you have been missing your daughters over the past few months,
your kindness, understanding, love, and trust is what helped carry us all to
the end of the semester. You've raised intelligent, caring, generous, and
brave young women, and I thank you for the opportunity for introducing them in
my life.
No matter where our travels may take us in the future, I
will be forever grateful of the moments shared with my TTS24 family. The
learning exchanged between students and teachers, is more than I could have
ever hoped for, and I appreciate everyone's contributions and generosity along
the way!
Sala Kakuhle,
Katie
To the family and friends of the TTS 24 tough cookies,
It's near impossible to express my gratitude and
appreciation within a simple email to all of you who have trusted us
throughout this grand adventure. We would not have learned or grown as much as
we did without your undying support. Although my time with our TTS family
was shortened, I am grateful for the time I had with these open-minded,
considerate and strong young women. They taught me a plethora of ideas,
kindness and generosity, and every Disney song that's worth
knowing. And for that I am grateful. Thank you for allowing these creative
young women to explore a new continent and new paradigms with us. I can
not wait to see where these women will go next. They are unstoppable with the
community and support you have given them.
Majeta!
-Quinn
No comments:
Post a Comment