“You Will Teach What You Need to Teach and Learn What You Need to Learn”
A lesson from 21 years ago has new relevance for me now
The message that popped into my head
In 2001, as I took a long look at my life and near future, I determined to wind down my career as an urban public school teacher and apply to become a Peace Corps Volunteer, thus being able to fulfill the long-held dream of my youth, when President John F. Kennedy created this agency.
At my interview, the recruiter assessed my foreign language skills and, based on the fact that I could speak intermediate French, informed me that I would most likely head to Francophone West Africa.
My invitation letter arrived during Thanksgiving weekend of 2002, informing me that, if I accepted the invitation, I would be going to Mauritania.
Hmmmm. Mauritania???? Where’s that?
Upon returning to my classroom on Monday morning, I headed to the world map, with its border that displayed the flags of all nations.
When I saw the flag of Mauritania, which prominently displays the star and crescent of Islam, I got a sick feeling in my stomach. Here we were, just fourteen months after the brutal takedown of the World Trade…
