Teaching Traveling Night’s Amazing Panelists and Partners

Teaching Traveling Inspiration Night took place in Boston on Thursday, March 31, 2011…

…and it was a raging success!

Over 100 aspiring teacher-travelers showed up (despite the shocking Springtime snow!) to learn from the 10 panelists, numerous handouts, and 12 partner organizations exactly HOW a teacher can make his or her travel dreams a reality!

TeachingTraveling.com and AroundTheWorldL.com will publish a series of articles in the next week summarizing the delectably helpful information conveyed during this evening. Today, we shall start with…

Teaching Traveling Panelist and Partner Organization Profiles!

Browse this impressive roster, and leave a comment if you want me to put you in touch with any of these superstars for advice!

1. Lauren Brett: Charlestown High School, Teacher.

Areas of Interest/Expertise:

• Summer traveler, just for fun!
• Travel when you have a baby at home

Lauren visited Tunisia (the whole country!) for 3 weeks in 2005 with her “work wife” Marcy and had the best time! No tour guides, only the “Tunisia Book” to guide her through Tunis, Carthage, Sidi bou Said, el Jem and the coliseums, to the middle of the Sahara Desert in Tozeur, to the Island of the Lotus Eaters (Djerba) and back to Sidi bou Said for one of the most romantic dinners ever, overlooking the Mediterranean Sea. The two teachers decided on Djerba that they should next hike to Macchu Picchu! And they did, in 2008. They took 10 days to visit Cuzco and to hike for 5 days (with a super-awesome tour guide) over a mountain, through a jungle and to the top of Winapicchu, the peak overlooking the ancient city of the Incas… and all this while Lauren had a little baby back at home!

2. Erik Kruthoff : STA Travel Expert.

Areas of Interest/Expertise:

• Budget traveler
• Travel photographer

Erik has personally traveled extensively on a budget and has lived abroad in Europe and Central America. He now works at STA Travel facilitating teaching abroad and travel opportunities. He also works with university professors planning short term programs abroad, helping manage budgets, air, rail, ad ground itineraries, accommodations, etc. He assists teachers planning personal trips over summer, holiday, winter and spring vacations. He provides expert tips for saving money, maximizing time, and planning trips effectively.

3. Michael Maguire: Boston Latin Academy, Teacher.

Areas of Interest/Expertise:

• Experienced study tour leader with EF Tours

Michael has experience leading groups of students abroad with EF Tours. He assisted on a trip to Italy and led a trip to Ireland. Next year he will lead students on a trip to Barcelona!

4. Brendan Malanga: TechBoston, Teacher.

Areas of Interest/Expertise:

• European Study Tours
• Global Classroom
• Teacher Created/Designed Trips for Students
• Fundraising for Student Trips

Brendan has traveled with students to Europe for the past 5 years to visit sites of significance related to the Holocaust and WWII. His groups have toured various cities in Germany, Czech Republic, Poland, Belgium, and France.

5. Lillie Marshall: Boston Public Schools, Teacher.

Areas of Interest/Expertise:

• Career-break travel (Leave of Absence to travel)
• Unstructured and structured travel
• Extended, solo travel

Lillie took a year leave of absence 2009-10 from the Boston Public Schools to travel 9 months solo: 4 months of “non-educational” travel through Southeast Asia, 3 months volunteer teaching in Ghana, and 2 months of “non-educational” travel through Spain and Portugal, working on own travel website and networking. She has also taken many summer trips for tourism, volunteering, and Spanish classes. She runs www.teachingtraveling.com and www.AroundTheWorldL.com and organized this event!

6. Michael O’Neill: Travel and Teaching Abroad Consultant.

Areas of Interest/Expertise:

• Teaching and Recruiting Teachers for Abroad Programs

Michael taught English for one year and directed recruiting efforts abroad for two years. He has lived in Taiwan for over three years, lived in France for one year and has traveled solo throughout SE Asia.

7. Breanna Reynolds: International Education Development Program, Boston University, Graduate Student.

Areas of Interest/Expertise:

• Fulbright Exchange Teacher (India)
• Resident Director of American Councils Summer Program in India

Breanna spent six months living and teaching in India at KV #4 government school as a Fulbright Exchange Teacher. She has also directed a six week summer teaching program in India for US teachers with American Councils of International Education and will lead this program again this summer. In addition to studying the education system in India, she has spent time visiting Ghanaian schools as well.

8. Pamela Farmer: St. Mary’s Bay View, Teacher

Areas of Interest/Expertise:

• Experienced EF Study Tour Leader

Pam went to Spain during her junior year in high school and knew then that she would be a Spanish major and eventually lead student groups around the world. Six years later she was teaching Spanish and leading her first trip to Spain. In 1982 she started using EF and has since lead more than 35 tours with EF. Her groups have ranged in size from 7 to 80. She spent 30 years traveling with high school students and now leads middle school girls and their parents on tours.

9. Terri Wellner and Danielle Merdin: Henderson Elementary School, Teachers

Areas of Interest/Expertise:

• Creating a global classroom
• Fund for Teachers/Grant Writing

Danielle and Terri spent time in Nairobi where they observed classrooms and teachers at the Kilimani Integrated Primary School They learned a lot from this school that teaches students who are typical learners, the visually impaired, and deaf/blind students. They brought back many videos and photographs showing best Kenyan inclusive practices to share with their school (the Henderson) community.

Through Fund for Teachers funding, Danielle and Terri provided a laptop, digital video and photo cameras, and installed WiFi at Kilimani, which formerly had no computer or internet access. They sent one teachers from the school through a six-week IT course, hired an IT consultant to support the school in the V.I.P. exchange for one year, sent 50 fourth grade students on a full-day Ecology Excursion to experience their tropical ecosystem outside of the city limits.

Through the V.I.P. partnership, Henderson students are now a resource for Kenyan students at Kilimani Primary to understand our temperate climate and ecosystem and the Kilimani students are a resource for Henderson students to understand the tropical climate and ecosystem through email pen pals and virtual field trips by way of digital video and photographs. V.I.P. has also established a cultural exchange between Boston and Nairobi schools and shown that “inclusion is global”.

Fantastic Partner Organizations and Resources at 3/31/11 Teaching Traveling Night:

Chris Christensen: Noted travel blogger and podcaster at AmatuerTraveler.com

Melissa Dattoli: STA Travel

Michael O’Neill: GoOverseas.com

Dottie Engler: Boston Plan for Excellence and Fund for Teachers

Amanda Grillo and Alex Luther: EF Tours

Elizabeth Hammett: International Education Program, Harvard University; World Teach.

Lindsey Musen: Limitless Horizons (Guatemala)

Maki Park: World Teach

Michaela Potter: Meet, Plan, Go!

Rachel Wasser: GEEO (Global Exploration for Educators). Contact Jesse Weisz for more info on discount teacher group travel: [email protected]

Bethany Wood: Director of International Programs, Boston Public SchoolsDepartment of Teacher Development and Advancement

So there you have it, dear reader… Teaching Traveling Night was an evening to remember! But don’t be sad if you missed it, just leave a comment letting us know who you want to be put in touch with! Remember: by helping teachers fulfill their travel dreams, we can transform our world educational system!