Dr. Lynne Noble, professor of early childhood education at Columbia College, has been selected to teach educators and teacher candidates in Mongolia as a Fulbright Scholar . She will teach and conduct cross cultural/comparative research in Mongolia from February through June in 2011.
I work at the Mongolian State University of Education. The University has 13 Schools and 1 Affiliate. Schools are free standing buildings and are spread out all around UB. This is my school, the Teacher's School. We have three departments - Maths and Science Studies, Human and Social Studies, and my department, Education Studies and Methodology. The Dean of our School is Enkhtseseg, and the Director of my department is Byemba. I already have several assignments - lecturing, visiting schools, working with faculty on their methodology and writing.
This is our office. In the back is Byemba, our Director. My desk is right next to hers. Oyunaa and Odgerel will complete our group. A student is diligently filling out forms in the foreground.
Today was the first day of classes, and this is a seminar class (I'm on the left, saying Kimchi). Lecture courses include about 90 students, and seminars about 30. Half the students have not returned to campus since next week is the Lunar New Year, and they are staying home until the celebrations are complete! These students had lots of questions about American Education. How do I get there? I walk, about a mile, on mostly icy, definitely uneven sidewalks complete with the occasional missing or wobbly manhole cover - apparently more than person has fallen in! The most fun, though is crossing the streets. The painted pedestrian crosswalks have no meaning at all, and even the flashing green go sign is open for interpretation! I just find someone else crossing and walk next to him/her - on the other side of the line of cars.....
Have I mentioned that it's cold?
