What does a cupcake have to do with group work? Well, a red velvet cupcake combines several surprisingly different elements (cream cheese frosting, fluffy cake, and red food coloring) to make one luscious dessert. Similarly, great group collaboration unites the diverse skills and characteristics of each group member to produce a fabulous project… together! (Ok,… [Read More]
Teacher Travel
Ephesus: Astounding Ancient Greek and Roman Ruins
Some of the best ancient Greek and Roman ruins aren’t in Greece or Rome at all. The Greco-Roman empire stretched across Europe, over western Asia, and into northern Africa, so I shouldn’t have been so surprised to arrive in western Turkey and learn that one of the region’s top tourist attractions is Ephesus: the site… [Read More]
Ireland’s Most Unexpected Best Tourist Attraction
Sometimes the best tourist attractions are the ones you least expect. My husband, baby, and I were on day three of our Ireland road trip, and as our car rumbled up the path from Clifden to the Connemara Heritage and History Centre of Ireland, I tried to figure out what the heck this “Centre” even… [Read More]
Did You Know This About Visiting the Taj Mahal in India?
Don’t slap me for procrastination, but I’m FINALLY writing about seeing the Taj Mahal during our 2012 India teacher tour. So without further ado, here are 12 things to know about visiting the Taj Mahal: the world’s most famous monument to love, built by emperor Shah Jahan in 1653 in memory of his wife. 1.… [Read More]
Monkeys, Imprisonment, and a Fall at Agra Fort, India
“This is where they say Shah Jahan, the man behind the Taj Mahal, was imprisoned BY HIS SON.” Our India teacher tour guide paused dramatically, and our group gazed around Agra Fort, soaking in that shocking history. Agra Fort in Uttar Prasdesh, India is really more of a giant walled city than a mere fort,… [Read More]
Surprises in India at Keoladeo National Bird Sanctuary
Let me be blunt about the first surprise of Keoladeo National Park and Bird Sanctuary in India: On the day we went, the air was so cloudy that we could have seen further by sticking our heads into bowls of oatmeal. Look how ghostly the birds appear in the next photo… We had to squint… [Read More]
