On August 2, 2014, I started the second half of a great adventure as a part of an exchange program between the United States and Brazil for school leaders. The first part of the exchange occurred in October, 2013, when the Highland Falls-Fort Montgomery Central School District hosted three school administrators from the states of Roraima, Para, and Ceara, Brazil.

I traveled with seven other administrators from all over the United States (Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, New Hampshire, Texas, California, and Alaska). We arrived in Brasilia very early on August 3, and spend the morning touring around the capital. The next day we went to the U.S. Embassy and were treated to a welcome by Lilian Ayalde, Ambassador to Brazil.

We also attended a presentation on the school management leadership award program and the U.S. Brazil School Exchange, by Beatriz Cortese from the Center for for Studies and Research in Education, and a presentation by Ricardo Martins, Senior Education Advisor, House of Representatives, National Congress, on the panorama of Brazilian education, that included a data driven discussion on accomplishments, challenges and opportunities. After lunch we met staff from the Embassy to get a general overview of the agenda. The next morning I boarded a flight for my first stop in Boa Vista, Roraima.

On August 5, I was greeted at the airport in Boa Vista by the 2013 award winner Edilma Ribeiro, the Coordinators for the program, Geruzia and Valdeni, a translator (Victor), and a driver. We went directly to the hotel where I was able to change from my traveling clothes into business attire, and then we left the hotel to go to the Department of Education, where I was ushered into the auditorium and welcomed with great applause by approximately 80 people, including the Secretary of Education and his staff. Students with guitars were seated at the front of the room and performed two songs. This was followed by a presentation about education and the schools in the region. That evening the Secretary hosted a dinner at his home where I met all of the award winners from the state of Roraima since 1999. This was one of the highlights of my visit, as I was able to talk to them about their experiences in the United States and how it impacted their practice and their schools in Brazil.

I spent the following day at the 2013 award-winning school, Mario David Andreazza State School, where the principal, Edilma Ribeira, gave me a tour of the school. I observed classes in progress, spoke to students and met with teachers. The students and teachers organized a cultural presentation that included singing and dancing. At the end of the day, the school hosted a reception and I shared my work with pedagogical innovation and instructional technology.

On Thursday, August 7, I spent the morning at the Elzica de Souza State School. I was treated to cultural presentations by the students and teachers. In addition, the principal gave me a tour of the school, and we visited each classroom where students asked me questions about my school, New York, and the United States.

In the afternoon I met with the President of the Virtual University of the State of Roraima and her staff. We had a stimulating conversation about the infrastructure and best practices for distance learning. The President asked me if I envisioned ways for us to work together. I told her that I felt it was imperative for us to consider ways to work together, as she has the capacity to connect teachers in Roraima to teachers in the United States. This would allow us to create and share professional learning opportunities for our educators and to model best practices for global collaboration for our students. As I contemplate this conversation, I realize how important this really is, as we can not grow in isolation, and by leveraging the technologies for communication, collaboration, and reflection we can expand our thinking and the learning opportunities for our teachers and students.

Still riding high from the conversation on Thursday afternoon, Friday morning I headed to the Martinha Thury Municipal School. Again I was greeted by a student performance. This morning was particularly interesting, as the students used sign language while they were singing. Later that day I went to the Federal University of Roraima where I presented on technological innovations that contribute to the teaching-learning process. Approximately 80 educators and leaders attended the session, and after the presentation the attendees asked me many questions about the model of change we have adopted at the Highland Falls-Fort Montgomery Central School District.

On Friday evening the staff of the Roraima State Secretariat of Education treated me to a farewell dinner, where we were able to enjoy the results of our visits and envision next steps to connect the students and teachers in our schools.