On Our Way Out

A snow day and a two hour delay fornore the snow and ice meant that I didn't have as much time talk with my classes about the this trip as I had planned, so I wanted to make a quick post about what I'm hoping to explore and bring back to ARHS.

I teach Constitutional Law, US History and Economics, and this exchange is an exciting opportunity to explore topics for all three classes. In Constitutional Law we study First Amendment issues in the free exercise of religion and the separation of church and state; we also have a unit on comparing the US Constitution to constitutional systems in other countries. So this curriculum is a perfect match for the grant. I've a done quite a bit of reading on the challenges of religious pluralism in Indonesia today, and this awareness has already begun to shape the ways that my class approaches the issues framed in the Bill of Rights. As a former Peace Corps volunteer and teacher in international schools, I know that the conversations and experiences we will have in Indonesian schools and cultural sites will force us to reconsider some of our own assumptions about the way that negotiate political and cultural issues in the US. I have had Indonesian legislators and educators visit my classes at ARHS in the past, and I know that the students will benefit from similar opportunities that are part of the grant in the future.

Indonesia is also a fascinating case for exploring global economic developments and the foreign policy issues that are part of the US History course. The Indonesian economy was among the "Asian Tiger" economies in the 1990's and the economic collapse that ensued transformed their political landscape. Every trend that we study in our unit on globalization has manifestations in the Indonesian economy; the challenges of foreign investment, export markets, corruption, the IMF and domestic development programs are all topics that I hope gain more insight on as we travel from site to site. Understanding the evolving relationships between US and Indonesian governments, particularly during the Cold War, will help my history students put other major topics like Korea and Vietnam into context.

Put it all together, and I'm very excited about this chance to meet our Indonesian partners and to bring our experiences back to ARHS. Now to finish the packing.

Program Description

Welcome!
The purpose of this blog is to document the adventures of three teachers from ARHS. Samantha (Sam) Camera, Tom Fricke and Kristen Iverson are headed to Indonesia this Friday....here's why:

Program Description
Democracy and Tolerance is an exchange program between American and Indonesian Educators for the purpose of studying how each nation addresses the key Democratic question “How do people balance democracy, which allows majority choice, and tolerance, for those who find themselves in the minority?” The program is funded by the U.S. Department of State and is conducted through a partnership between the University of Massachusetts Civic Initiative, the Teacher Training division of the Indonesian Ministry of Education, The Center for Pancasila Studies at Gadjah Mada University, State University, Makassar, the English Training and Testing Center-ETTC Kota Balikpapan, and the United States-Indonesian Society.

Using religious tolerance and free expression as our comparative focus we will increase teacher and student knowledge, improve cultural appreciation, develop and distribute a curriculum unit, and build long term relationships among educators.

The Civic Initiative began in 2003 as the brainchild of Dr. Mike Hannahan. Having spent years teaching and working in politics and government he wanted to create an organization to promote civic education and foster research on democracy. His ideas found a home at the University of Massachusetts Donahue Institute, the research, consulting, and outreach branch of the University of Massachusetts Office of the President. To read more about this program you can go to the website.

Wish us luck! We will be traveling to Indonesia from Janauary 30th-February 17th, 2009. Check this blog to see what we are up to!