Teaching stories: October 8

Today I had the privilege and oh-so-much-fun spending time with 3rd and 4th graders at two local elementary schools to share some stories from my expedition in the Arctic as a Grosvenor Teacher Fellow. I led students through a See-Think-Wonder thinking protocol as we looked at and discussed pictures of a polar bear + 2 walrus encounter I was lucky to observe and photograph in Svalbard. In both classrooms, I was blown away by students’ observations and thoughtful and creative questions. We also talked about ice and the diverse land and sea life in the Arctic. And, of course, we talked about what it means to be an explorer {the third graders are doing a year-long study of exploration and I was a “guest pilot” today in class!} I haven’t taught elementary school in 7+ years and I felt a little rusty. I’m sending huge kudos to Jeff Tuttle and Amanda Short for being awesome teachers and to their students who helped me out today and who were just about as excited about the Arctic as I am. Truly thrilling to be with young Explorers! And, as always and forever, a huge shout out to @natgeoeducation and @lindbladexp for the amazing opportunity to Explore.