A Week Without Wires

This coming week I'll be disconnected from the world...and will be enjoying it. 

Each year our high school students take a week off away from the walls and classrooms and head out into the world to learn. Our Global Citizen's Week (GCW) is a great opportunity for students to see the word, interact with others, and get to know school mates away from school.

I'm leading a group to the Maekok River Village Resort. We'll be there for a full week where we'll be teaching K-5th graders English as well as building a new cafeteria for the school. It's a great opportunity to disconnect and just "be" with students, with the people in the region and with nature. 

  Here's what I wrote my students on the trip.

I know I keep talking about taking away your mobile devices and forcing you to disconnect during the trip...and I'll need your help reminding myself to do the same.

We now live in a time of constant connections. Whether it's our cell phones, laptops, iPods, or even the TVs in the hallways of ISB.

There are few places left in our daily lives that we can truly just "be". This is one of those opportunities. An opportunity to be with others, to be with nature and to reflect on the world around us. I for one am looking forward to not having to check Facebook, no e-mail, no buzzing of a text in my pocket and just spending time getting to know all of you and just "being" with people less fortunate than myself and with nature. No screens, no distractions. Just us enjoying each others company.

So know that I will be collecting all electronically devices after we get to the lodge. They will be secured in my room and I'll take responsibility for them. You will get them back when we board the bus to the Airport on Feb. 12.  Let's enjoy being disconnected together.

So I'm off the grid this week enjoying time just "being" with kids and nature. I encourage you to do the same at some point this year as well.