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The Polar Bear Express

Anybody have a map?

4/11/2018

2 Comments

 
Picture

When I was a kid, I used to go to school then come home and play school. I would, as teacher, create a worksheet and then I would, as the student, do the worksheet before I, as teacher, would grade the worksheet. Sometimes I got answers wrong and graded accordingly.

I studied my teachers just as much as I studied any subject, and, over the course of my life, I have created a colorful and odd mosaic of what it means to be a Teacher. Teacher means you could be, among other things:


  • a nun
  • a former nun
  • over 6'7" tall or under 5' (or somewhere in between)
  • a person who pulls on children's ears
  • kind
  • a professional writer
  • an MMA fighter, after hours, of course
  • an ice hockey referee
  • a copy machine whisperer/ technician/ executioner/ victim
  • loud
  • a musician
  • a stand-up comedian
  • a woman who has a coffin in her mobile home
  • stylish
  • stressed
  • a bingo-caller
  • a mentor
  • an outdoor adventurer
  • happy
  • unforgettable
 
After two decades as a teacher, I can safely say this - teachers are incredibly....human. And our Teacher Journey is unique because we get to plot our own course. We make our own map. It's messy, painful and white hair-inducing. It's glorious, creative, thrilling, and never boring.

My journey now includes being a Grosvenor Teacher Fellow (GTF) and I couldn't be more excited. My experience with this two-year professional development experience  started in Washington, DC, in March at our Pre-Expedition Workshop.
This year, 40 teachers from across the US and Canada are going on expeditions to extraordinary places across the earth so that we can come back home and share our experiences with our students and communities.

Picture
Photo by JT Hardin
Our workshop was fast-paced and awe-inspiring, filled with sessions on photography, videography, writing for impact, Google training,geo-inquiry, Sciencetelling Bootcamp, and visual note-taking. There were teacher conversations over breakfasts and lunches and cupcakes and dinners. And  there were sessions about life on board the ship, our specific expeditions, and what to pack!

We were treated to inspiring talks and visually stunning photography at every turn. We were gifted time together filled with wonder and fun. We met alumni who told their stories with joy and passion. It is humbling and exhilarating to be part of the excellence and legacy of National Geographic and Linblad Expeditions.

A highlight of the workshop was meeting my ship and adventure mate, Danielle. It's a thrill to be connected through this awesome experience and we're literally counting down the days to when we will board the National Geographic Explorer for our exploration of Svalbard (we leave in 33 days.)
Picture
Through the GTF program, being a teacher now means being an adventurer and explorer. How awesome is that?

Teachers, are you feeling inspired?

  • Access a variety of lesson plans, activities and resources at National Geographic Education.
          Some of my favorite resources are the MapMaker Kits and MapMaker Interactive.
  • Learn more about how to become a National Geographic Certified Educator.
          I completed my certification in December. You can see my Capstone Project here.
  • Connect with teachers passionate about geography education at Google + Nat Geo Educator Community.
2 Comments
erick r
4/17/2018 12:04:34 pm

When I was a kid, I used to go to school then come home and play school. I would, as teacher, create a worksheet and then I would, as the student, do the worksheet before I, as teacher, would grade the worksheet. Sometimes I got answers wrong and graded accordingly.

ms this hurt my brain

Reply
erick r
4/17/2018 12:10:58 pm

(only) 8424000 seconds or 140400 minutes until you go miss

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    Author

    As a Grosvenor Teacher Fellow, I traveled to Svalbard in May 2018! Thanks to Lindblad Expeditions and National Geographic for supporting teachers and encouraging us to be explorers.

    Learn more about the Grosvenor Teacher Fellowship!

    Author's Note


    Some of the text shared here was written in my journal or through social media posts while I was on expedition.

    But much of the writing shared here was written in the months following my return home.


    I had this idea that I would embark on my journey and, in real time, reflect and write and create blog posts and videos and online albums and photo books and postcards. I had fantasies of sitting in the ship's library with my pen and notebook, collecting and composing what I'd seen and experienced and manifesting deep, profound thoughts.

    Yeah. That didn't happen.

    My experience was so intense, so surreal, that I had difficulty finding adequate words to describe it all. Silly, inconsequential, and unsatisfying words were all I had - great, amazing, unbelievable, incredible. At the end of each day I would try. After dinner, somewhere between 10pm and midnight, I'd make my way up to the library to write. But I would get distracted. The large, glorious, gorgeous windows were too inviting and each moment was unique. The clouds were shifting, the water was moving, the ship was in motion, the ice upon the water was drifting.
    Each and every moment was unique.

    My eyes were up and wide open. I was outside on the deck feeling the cold air and the lightly falling snow on my face. Or I was sitting on the bridge, snuggled in warmth, with a pair of binoculars looking looking looking. Oh, I tried to shift my thinking to writing something more than a bulleted list, but I just couldn't pull it off.

    To put it simply, I couldn't focus.

    I coined my condition Wonder-Induced ADD.


    It is a beautiful affliction to have.

    Picture

    Archives

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    Arctic Ice
    Expedition
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    This blog is dedicated to my aunt, Tina Chavez, who is always my biggest fan and supporter. When I told her about my expedition to the Arctic, she asked, "So, when do you go on the Polar Bear Express?"

    She also told me to run fast from the polar bears, but naming this blog "Run, Jen, Run!" isn't as charming as calling it "The Polar Bear Express."

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  • Home
  • About
    • Contact
  • Think Global - Svalbard
    • The Polar Bear Express
  • Vamos Explorar!
    • Background and Inspiration
    • The Geo-Inquiry Process >
      • Student Blog Posts
    • Expeditions into New Mexico Wilderness Areas
    • Content and Curriculum Resources
  • Think Global - Finland
    • Introduction
    • Education in Finland
    • International Expressions of Global Education >
      • Global Education Concepts and Definitions
    • Case Study: Global Education in Finland >
      • Global Education Initiatives Timeline
      • Themes of Global Education in Finland
    • Curriculum Development >
      • Resources for Teachers
      • Finland Blog
    • Gratitude and Dedication
  • Think Global - Germany
    • Teach Global - Germany
  • Think Global - Colombia
    • Journal
    • Think Global Resource Guide >
      • Essential Question
      • Standards Based Global Education
      • Global Education Unit: American Indians and Indigenous Peoples of the World – Past, Present and Future
      • Digital Learning Environment Inventory
      • Local Resource Guide
      • Global Education Unit: Being American: An examination of the struggle for civil liberties for historically disenfranchised groups of Americans
      • Global Education Student Assessment Tools Inventory
      • International Project -Based Learning Opportunities
      • TGC Teacher Blogs
  • Teach Global
    • Think Global - Peru >
      • Virtual Field Trip to Peru >
        • Tasty Peru Tour
      • Peru Teacher Resources
    • Virtual Field Trip to Pakistan
    • Social Justice Heroes from Across the Americas
    • Global Leadership Odyssey Project: Introduction Videos to Students in Cartagena, Colombia
    • Colombia Lessons and Presentations
    • Schools Around the World
    • Ancient China
    • iEARN Global Learning Circle - Spring 2014
  • Chaco Canyon Trek 2018
  • Non-clickable Page