I have a deep passion for international, globally-informed learning, as well as education through travel. The first time I traveled outside of the United States was on a school trip to England when I was in 9th grade. Experiences abroad in my adolescence helped me grow into a wiser, more capable, and more empathetic person. I understand the power of travel and knowledge of other places and cultures as a potentially life-changing form of learning. In my professional life before teaching, I was a travel agent who specialized in the South Pacific region: Australia, New Zealand, and the Pacific Islands. I have a deep love of the people, cultures, history, and landscapes of this beautiful and unique corner of the planet. I believe in the transformative educational power of travel, and would relish opportunities to travel with students around the world. In the classroom, I believe that even considering different international perspectives and tying content into worldwide issues and questions can have a huge effect on student identity as global citizens.
My hope with these lessons is for students to grow in their ability to consider themselves and their actions in a larger, global context; ultimately, the objective is for students to appreciate the beauty, wonder, and humanity of other places and peoples, and develop skills in empathy and responsible decision-making. As students grow into adults, I believe they need to consider how their actions and decisions affect not only their local community and environment, but the experiences of people and environments all over the planet. |
"I have loved learning about how current events in our world connect to things that happened decades ago. It's been great to learn about the Syrian Civil War and North Korea because it was something I heard about almost everyday, but I didn't understand it until you taught it!"
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