(Reflection of Christopher Russo, Assistant Superintendent in Portland and Reynolds and currently the Director of the American School of Asuncion, Paraguay.)
The family and I were on summer break in Colombia way out in the mountains outside Medellin. Quite by accident we found this old (but beautiful) coffee plantation with its main lodging turned into a B&B. We stayed there for about 4 days, each day wandering the place and learning about coffee (my favorite!) and the people who cared for the farm--my boys ran free through the coffee groves and up the mountain and just explored to their hearts content.
For the most part, we were the only ones there save for one evening when 3 families arrived---they were the extended family of the owners and came to have a weekend retreat from their busy city lives. What struck me (and I could hear by their accents) was that these individuals were from all over South America, from Peru to Chile, from Brazil to Colombia. A mixed family across cultures.
At dinner we all sat down together at one of the communal tables (my wife prompted us to join them) and within moments began some of the richest, most thought-provoking conversation I have had in long time. Words were singing in Spanish and English--we used whatever language felt most comfortable. No constraints.
We spoke of politics, of nature, of food--of relationships! At some point, the conversation turned to what my wife and I did--I think they found it intriguing that two N. Americans were way out in the mountains of Colombia vacationing at their coffee farm. They were digging as to what made us tick and why were we were there. When I said educators, the look that ensued I have seen so many times at the onset of so many conversations. It was the look, "what is your educational philosophy and do you believe in what I believe?"
The conversation that ensued elevated me.
We spoke of the emotional intelligence, of the importance of collaboration and cooperation yet cultivating individualism. We spoke of how kindness and empathy are sometimes in short demand, and of course about the insatiable human thirst for knowledge. We spoke of grit and resilience and dreams...
These were parents and they were describing in detail that which they held most dear in terms of educating their children--they wanted me to hear their philosophy, to discuss it and process it with them. Even validate it. We spoke for hours, absolute hours...
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