Month: March 2016

This is the start of Spring Break in my school district. I have students who are traveling to visit relatives in the state, students who are heading south to warm beaches some who have left the country, and some, like me, who are staying put for a relaxing week at home.

My grandmother, would wisely say that it was possible to “travel the world” from her arm chair, just by reading a book. I feel much the same way, except now, thanks to technology, it is possible to travel the world by “virtually” following other people in their travels. As I mentioned in my last post, thanks to the blogs of fellow TGC fellows,  I have been able to climb up the steps of  Georgian castles, shop in Morroccan bazaars and marvel at vibrant blue buildings.

From Emily Litman’s blog , http://teachertraveltales.tumblr.com/

From Wendy Morales’ bloghttp://fabhistorygoesglobal.blogspot.com/

Question for students:

I would love to join you on your Spring Break adventures. If you are staying home how are you spending your time? What fun things are you doing? If you are traveling, where are you going? What new things are you seeing and doing!  Remember, there will be “prizes” to everyone who posts over break!

Imagine that you are invited to a buffet where each of the items offered are rare perfect foods that you have waited your entire life to try–but at this particular restaurant, you are only allowed to choose one!

I use this metaphor to describe how it felt to know the countries  that I , as a Teacher for Global Classrooms fellow, could be sent to: Morocco, The Republic of Georgia, India, Senegal, The Philippines or Colombia. When I learned that I would be going to Colombia, I was thrilled-but there was a part of me that kept thinking about what it would be like to travel to some of the other countries offered? Each of these would be an amazing and powerful experience.

I freely admit to being the sort of person who always is just a bit envious of what other people order from restaurants, no matter how wonderful my choice is. (My husband knows in advance that I will look longingly at his plate, irregardless of  how great my meal is!)

Fortunately, all of the TGC participants will be keeping blogs about their experiences, allowing me to follow their adventures around the world. The range of experiences and perspectives that these teachers are bringing to program are amazing!

Some of the blogs I have been following include,

• At Mrs. G’s Global Gab by Stacy Gasteiger, a 3rd grade teacher in Pennsylvania who will be traveling to The Philippines in June.
• Global Ed-Spiration and Adventure by Lauren Matsuda, a 4/5th grade teacher from Hawaii who will be traveling to India in July.
• Teacher Travel Tales by Emily  Litman, a 5th grade teacher from New Jersey who is leaving for Morocco this week!
• Fab History Goes Global by Wendy Morales, a middle school history teacher from New Jersey who is traveling to the Republic of Georgia later this month.
• Grand Rapids Goes Global by Brielle Carlson, a middle school teacher from Minnesota who will be traveling to Senegal in April.

Question for kids: If you could go to any country in the world which would it be? Why?