I’ve just returned from a remarkable trip to Singapore.  The director of Trainix Corporation read one of my books and contacted me two years ago.  He wanted me to fly to Singapore to conduct two, 8-hour workshops for teachers and school personnel.  When he wrote to me in 2008, I just shook my head and politely refused.  Why in the world would he want to fly me across the world to offer “one-time-only” presentations?  Why would I travel so far to do that when there are opportunities much closer to home?

But Paul Lim, their Business Director, is patient and persistent.  When he contacted me again in 2009, it sounded more like a call to adventure than a crazy idea, so I accepted.  Instinct won out over reason, and even though I tend to think carefully before I make a decision, I’ve learned that I can over-think, taking so much time to weigh the pros and cons that I miss my chance.

When it got down to the hard work of planning the trip and the workshops, I briefly regretted signing the contract; but a more powerful voice was telling me, “If not now, when?”– I am so glad I went.

We built in a week on the beaches of the South China Sea in Indonesia so I could adjust to the time change–a brilliant move.  By the time we returned to Singpore, I was rested, but still filled with the same worry that dominated my thinking as I prepared for the presentations.  My inservices are usually about Classroom Management–how to get those kids to settle down and go along with your program.  But the international students I’ve had the privilege to know over the past 30 years are almost without exception polite, dutiful, and driven–especially the Asian students.  I was sure that I would get up to talk about common discipline problems and how to deal with them, and the Singaporean teachers would smile, nod politely, but walk away thinking “what a waste of time.”  I can’t stand to waste people’s time.

But within 15 minutes of the first workshop, I realized that these teachers were dealing with many of the challenges that we face every day in our classrooms in American.  As they described some difficult students, I breathed a sigh of relief–kids are kids all over the world.  People are people all over the world.  We have have much in common, and after you peel away some cultural differences, we’re just talking about human nature.

So I spent two days sharing with intelligent, sincere, thoughtful educators who care enough about their students to take the day to listen to an American teacher tell what she knows.  It was an exhilarating experience, and I walked away with a renewed sense of conviction.  We can solve these problems that plague countries all over the world.  Peel away the fanaticism, greed, and lust for power and what you’ll find are people who pretty much want the same things:  a safe place to raise their families, meaningful work that pays enough to provide for their families, and a sense of respect for their culture.

And we teachers are in a perfect position to do that.  I don’t care what subject you teach, if you are not incorporating the Big Picture — the answer to “why should I learn this?” — you’re wasting time.  Every skill our students practice should go far, far beyond passing a test or building the perfect college résumé.   Our students should leave our classes with a clear picture of how these skills will prepare them to create safe communities to raise families, develop meaningful work, and embrace cultural diversity worldwide.  We can do this.

In my 61st year, I flew to Singapore.  I’m so glad I did.