The repatriation issue is a big one. Here is my background on this subject and my thinking right now…

When I was a kid growing up overseas in the 80-90s the idea that I might struggle when heading back to my home country wasn’t even considered. My father liked to say I was a “Wyoming girl” which meant I could return there when I graduated from ISKL. However, what he didn’t consider, was that I hadn’t actually lived in Wyoming since I was eight. Ten years later at 18, I was a different person, we were a different family, and it was still pretty much the same place. (I’m not faulting my parents or beautiful WYO- no one at the time was thinking this through. David Pollock and Ruth Van Reken’s work: Third Culture Kids: The Experience of Growing Up Among Worlds was years away.)

Then about 10 years ago, when I first read Pollock’s work, I recognized myself and the struggles I had with repatriating. Most of it was due to my parents and I not recognizing there was even going to be an issue. (The Wyoming experience lasted a year- then I got myself on a plane to warmer weather and a university which held a more diverse population.)

However today, I think the situation has changed again. When I read Pollock’s work now it seems to explain the experience of growing up globally as negative, one that might not be overcome. It makes me think, “Why am I doing this to my own daughter?” But that only lasts a minute, because I also believe that with the right support from international schools, these kids, fostered by this experience, can be leaders in our new flattened world. (Check out Thomas Friedman’s book.) What third-culture kids need, and what teachers and parents who recognize the TCK life as unique and beneficial desire, is information on HOW to foster this experience for their kids.

If the TCK experience is considered an opportunity, then as educators and schools we have a responsibility to teach kids about it. If our students are encouraged to think about their lives as third-culture kids as preparation for a more globally connected world- then repatriation becomes less a worry about returning to a home country and more about bringing skills and knowledge to a home population who might benefit from our ideas and backgrounds.

For my daughter, we hope to convey her repatriation as just another move. (If she does indeed choose to return to her passport country.) As the world flattens and moving becomes more of the norm whether within our countries or abroad, I think we can take some of the emphasis off repatriation. Even if a child returns to a “home country” chances are they will move again- somewhere, whether to college/uni or for work when they are older.

In 2006 when I first started thinking deeply about this issue I gave a presentation at EARCOS in Manila. Below is my powerpoint from that presentation. It is all still a work in progress, but it might give some ideas to those that are interested.

Bottom line for me: We have to teach TCKs how to take advantage of this experience. It is our responsibility as educators. What we teach them, and how we tackle this issue comprehensively in classrooms around the world is still a question. But one I think can be answered.

In my next post, I will showcase some different resources for teachers and families to use with their kids when they do repatriate. If you have ideas please share them.

Teaching Third-Culture Kids

As the parent of a TCK, I realize the value- educational value-of the trips/vacations/lay overs we take. This spring, we brought our eight-year old to Egypt for our first ever visit.

While we attended the NESA Spring Educators Conference, she was out and about in the city of Cairo with the NESA child care program. At 8:00 AM as we were entering the hotel ballroom for the Keynote Address, Sydney was on a bus to the Pyramids at Giza. Around 5 PM, when our final session of the day ended, she was just returning- tired, unbelievably dirty, but full of stories (and pictures) and confidence. The next three days followed this predictable pattern. All in all, Sydney saw more of Cairo then we did.

While I’ve always felt our trips were important, this time the value of this experience was articulated by Syd herself when she said “Mom, I think I really grew up while we’ve been in Egypt.”

As an educator of kids who are learning globally I wonder…

• How can we capitalize on these valuable vacations?
• What do we do with this knowledge when kids return to school?
• Why isn’t the TCK experience part of our social studies curriculums?

Well, only the parents of a TCK face options like these:

Looking this itinerary over- and she will be part of the childcare for 3 days- Sydney is going to see more of Cairo then we will. So, we decided to make the most of this incredible opportunity: We bought Syd a digital camera and told her to take pictures of everything she sees on her Egyptian Adventure!

]]> http://teachtck.com/?feed=rss2&p=18 0 http://teachtck.com/?p=9 http://teachtck.com/?p=9#comments Thu, 05 Mar 2009 03:13:07 +0000 munnerlyn http://teachtck.com/?p=9 Third-Culture Kids Unite! Children love to read books about kids like themselves. The Adventure Begins: The First Day at Detinu International School is the first picture book written especially for elementary-aged Third-Culture Kids. This book chronicles the ups and downs of living life overseas as a young global nomad. From transition issues such as moving to a new country, making friends, attending an international school, coping with change, and saying goodbye, The Adventure Begins allows littler TCKs to finally have their own voice in the experience of living “among worlds.”

In recent years, many parents and caregivers of TCKs have accessed books about the repatriation process. Little emphasis however has been placed on the experience of actually living as a young Third-Culture Kid. With an introductory letter to the reader describing the ways TCKs are connected, and a closing letter considering how this unique group could change the world, The Adventure Begins allows for new dialogue about what it means to be a TCK.

Welcoming students, parents, and educators into the lives of young Third Culture Kids, The Adventure Begins is the first book in the Detinu International School series aimed at connecting TCKs around the world.

We can help THEM make a difference.