Please join the Vermont Folklife Center in welcoming Ethiopian educators Mr Adane Kebebew and Ms Tadelech Assefefa on Thursday, May 7, at 6:30 PM. Adane and Tadelech will share their perspectives on education—here and in Ethiopia—in a panel discussion moderated by Walden Project founder, Matt Schlein. The panel discussion will be held at the Vermont Folklife Center’s headquarters building at 88 Main Street in Middlebury.
Adane Kebekew teaches at Tabor High School and Tadelech Assesefa is a teacher leader and administrator at Negat Kokeb School, both in Hawassa, Ethiopia. They are visiting Vermont through the “Vermont to Ethiopia and Back Again” program organized by the Willowell Foundation in partnership with the Vermont Folklife Center, Castleton State College, and local school districts.
As educator Matt Schlein observes, “Via travel to different locales, we can often gain insights and understanding of the lenses which color how we see our own culture and shape our sense of place.”
The “Vermont to Ethiopia” program explores how a sense of place is fostered in different educational settings. To articulate this sense of place, last year Vermont teachers traveled to Ethiopia to experience the universal and particular struggles of educators there. Now the Vermont teachers are hosting their Ethiopian colleagues here.
Through the partnership and exchange, this project provides teachers the opportunity to discuss and examine the ways in which culture influences the structure and practices of education and how this impacts students' learning and ability to access the curriculum.
For information about the May 7 evening with Ethiopian educators contact the Vermont Folklife Center at (802) 388-4964 or visit www.vermontfolklifecenter.org .
For more information about the “Vermont to Ethiopia and Back Again” program contact the Willowell Foundation at info@willowell.org or (802) 453-6195.
The Vermont Folklife Center's mission is to broaden, strengthen, and deepen our understanding of Vermont and the surrounding region; to assure a repository for our collective cultural memory; and to strengthen communities by building connections among the diverse peoples of Vermont.
Bob Hooker Administrative/Development Assistant Vermont Folklife Center 802-388-4964 bhooker@vermontfolklifecenter.org
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