France visits the White House

My morning routine consists of listen to National Public Radio for its morning news while sipping on the water bottle and the breakfast I brought from home.  Today NPR reported that a Russian jet was shot down by Turkey in the Turkey-Syria border because the Russian jets have violated the warnings that Turkey gave it.  Ok, I got it, a jet got shot down due to some violation. No big deal.  And then NPR announced France's President Francois Hollande will be speaking in the White House with the US President.  During the joint meeting, President Barack Obama welcomed President Francois Hollande warmly with a fifteen minute speech. Obama reminded the leaders that Americans love France and its diverse culture; we will always remember the Eiffel Tower, going to the local café and the brasserie for lunch, walking along the river Siene while vacationing in the City of Lights.  Obama also remembered the time when the French stands by the US side when the 9/11 attack happened and ended his speech with the confirmation that America will stand by and give unlimited help to France.  And in return, President Hollande accepted the confirmation for unity with the US.  

One of the wisdom I discovered is it takes experiences to know what we like in life, no matter how smart we are. I was never into politics when I was younger and it took me almost a decade to find that politics is one of my favorite subjects and how it can benefit anyone.  Recently, I did some traveling in the US and in Europe and politics very much fascinate me. I visited political sites such as the House of Parliament in London where the guided tour talked how the political houses in England works, went on a walking tour where a Paris tour guide talked about the political scenes in France,  and visited the French embassy in New York City. Now I find politics very relatable to my own life and to my own world.  My mind is more open to different subjects in the world and to what is out there. When I was in school, I always cringe when I had to go to a history class or any class and the main reason is I did not know how to relate what I learn in school to my own life. I hated how I had to memorize facts and how they do not relate to my life in anyway.  My world was too small and I did not see the world enough to know but traveling showed me the reality of what is out there and forever changed the way I see myself and especially life.  

School should focus on helping students to connect what they learn to their own life. The purpose of education is to teach the students to think for themselves and to relate to what is taught in school to what they know.  It is not about absorbing information and passing tests, it is opening the students’ mind to different cultures and to cultivate well-rounded students who are open to ideas and theory.  Easier said than done, but if we believe it is possible then it truly is.