Michael Berino (ACE 19) has expanded his teaching and learning by spending the past nine months in Senegal. Thanks to a prestigious grant he received from The Fulbright Program, he has worked with the Office of English Teaching at Senegal's Ministry of Education, assisting in professional development for English teachers throughout the country as an English Teaching Assistant (ETA) & Teacher Trainer. This blog post is the third and last in a series of reflections on the tie-ins between his Fulbright experiences and the three pillars of his formation as a member of ACE Teaching Fellows. Here, he discusses the pillar of spiritual growth.
When the Senegalese ask “How you are doing” in Wolof (the most widely spoken language in Senegal, even more than French), the standard response is, “Maangi fi,” which literally translates to, “I’m here.” It bodes well with Senegal, and shows the importance of simply being present.
