Thanks to Penn GSE, we had such an exciting opportunity at the high school I student teach at recently. Google Expeditions came to our school to take our kids on “explorations” around the world. It’s kind of like a virtual reality. You look into Google cardboard glasses, that look like binoculars meets a viewfinder, and you get a 360 view of an area.
These videos might help make the idea seem a bit clearer:
These videos might help make the idea seem a bit clearer:
We checked out the Great Wall of China, the Grand Mosque in Dubai, and even the moon! We also took them to check out ancient Maya, Aztec and Inca ruins, as we were going to use that as a segway to use visualization to summarize an article about new findings at Teotihuacan.
This amazing opportunity for myself as a teacher, for my school and of course, for my students, was all organized with the help of Penn. The opportunities available to us as teachers through Penn’s partnerships and resources are really amazing. I felt that this opportunity not only introduced my students to some amazing things, but also helped me grow as a teacher. I realized the importance of taking advantage of all opportunities presented to me and find a way to make them work within my classroom.
Not only is Penn a great resource for my growth as a teacher, but it’s really provides an incredible system of support. Last week while I was taking my dog out at night, I was hit by a car that knocked me onto the ground and ran over my foot. It was a really traumatizing experience, as well as a very physically uncomfortable one. I took 2 days off from student teaching to go to the doctor, get x-rays, stay off my feet and emotionally recover before taking on the relatively draining experience of student teaching again. I’m fine- nothing is broken and I’m out walking the streets with my chihuahua again. But during this time, my classroom mentor stopped by with flowers and chocolate. My Penn mentor called me almost everyday to check in on me and offered to bring me food. My professors emailed to check in and told me to put taking care of myself as my number one priority. My classmates reached out and offered love, support and funny gifs and cute animal photos. It was a rather stressful and scary time for me, especially because I realized I’ll be wrapping up my masters program in about 10 weeks. I was a nervous wreck. I was bruised and scared. And I couldn’t stop thinking, “I can’t miss these 2 days! I have stuff I need to get done!” Having the support of everyone at Penn and the reassurance that my comfort, my sanity and my health are really a priority to them has eased my mind greatly. I was fully aware how supportive the program was prior to this event, but having their support and kindness through this has made me realize how lucky I truly am.
At Penn, I’m not only getting my masters. I’m growing as a person, as a teacher, as a colleague and peer. I am being offered amazing opportunities for myself and my students. And I am doing all this with the comfort of knowing I have an incredible support system.
This amazing opportunity for myself as a teacher, for my school and of course, for my students, was all organized with the help of Penn. The opportunities available to us as teachers through Penn’s partnerships and resources are really amazing. I felt that this opportunity not only introduced my students to some amazing things, but also helped me grow as a teacher. I realized the importance of taking advantage of all opportunities presented to me and find a way to make them work within my classroom.
Not only is Penn a great resource for my growth as a teacher, but it’s really provides an incredible system of support. Last week while I was taking my dog out at night, I was hit by a car that knocked me onto the ground and ran over my foot. It was a really traumatizing experience, as well as a very physically uncomfortable one. I took 2 days off from student teaching to go to the doctor, get x-rays, stay off my feet and emotionally recover before taking on the relatively draining experience of student teaching again. I’m fine- nothing is broken and I’m out walking the streets with my chihuahua again. But during this time, my classroom mentor stopped by with flowers and chocolate. My Penn mentor called me almost everyday to check in on me and offered to bring me food. My professors emailed to check in and told me to put taking care of myself as my number one priority. My classmates reached out and offered love, support and funny gifs and cute animal photos. It was a rather stressful and scary time for me, especially because I realized I’ll be wrapping up my masters program in about 10 weeks. I was a nervous wreck. I was bruised and scared. And I couldn’t stop thinking, “I can’t miss these 2 days! I have stuff I need to get done!” Having the support of everyone at Penn and the reassurance that my comfort, my sanity and my health are really a priority to them has eased my mind greatly. I was fully aware how supportive the program was prior to this event, but having their support and kindness through this has made me realize how lucky I truly am.
At Penn, I’m not only getting my masters. I’m growing as a person, as a teacher, as a colleague and peer. I am being offered amazing opportunities for myself and my students. And I am doing all this with the comfort of knowing I have an incredible support system.