teacher blog — Travel Blog, Teacher Blog, Tech Tips, Travel Product Reviews, Travel Tips, Teachers Pay Teachers

When I first met my husband nearly two decades ago, our travels revolved mainly around attending weddings and family gatherings, which meant packing numerous outfits and shoes. With the addition of young children to our family, our luggage load increased even more, and the fashion trends of the early 2000s didn't exactly make it easier. However, times have changed, and now our focus is on maximizing space, minimizing weight, and ensuring we're prepared for any weather conditions.

In this blog post, I'll share some essential items that my husband swears by and always includes in his carry-on suitcase.

My Must-Have Amazon Travel Products

Are you planning an international trip? If so, put these things in your Amazon cart immediately! I travel internationally for work (usually with a large group of students!) and for fun, and these are the things I don’t leave home without.

The Top 5 Things To Do in Edinburgh, Scotland with Tweens and Teens

I recently visited Edinburgh, Scotland with a group of tweens and teens and I was amazed at how much there is to do with this age group. It is a perfect size….easy to explore and navigate (and to give teens some freedom) but large enough to have tons to keep everyone entertained. Here is my list of must-do itinerary items.

TravelEmily PhilpottApril 9, 2023Global Education, Teacher, blogging, teacher blog, Travel, Teens, Edinburgh, Scotland, Calton Hill, Edinburgh Castle, Royal MileComment

The Top 5 Things To Do in Paris with Tweens and Teens

One of the best things about visiting Paris with tweens and teens is that they are old enough to appreciate the city's many cultural attractions. They can visit the Louvre, the Musée d'Orsay, and the Centre Pompidou, and they can also take in a show at the Opera Garnier or the Moulin Rouge. Paris is also a great city for shopping, and tweens and teens will love browsing the many shopping streets and beautiful department stores. Sometimes the sheer number of things to do in Paris can seem overwhelming, especially if you only have a few days to enjoy the city. After many trips to this amazing place with students, and my friends and family, here are my favorite things to do with tweens and teens in the city of light:

TravelEmily PhilpottApril 3, 2023Global Education, Teacher, blogging, teacher blog, Paris, Travel, Teens, Versailles, Eiffel Tower, Louvre, LadureeComment

Favorite Feature Friday: Google Doc Checklists

You know it is the “back to school” season when my Favorite Feature Friday blog is posted on a Saturday 🤣. Oh well! This week I am highlighting a really cool… but oh so easy…trick in Google Docs. If you create assignments in Google Docs that you share with your students, then check this out! Often I will have a list of things for students to accomplish in the instructions OR a list of assignment requirements for them to go through. This feature makes it super easy for students to check things off of a list, and then I can see it when they turn it in or submit it to me in Google Classroom. Check out these instructions!

20 Back to School Stories From Around the World

It’s back to school time! This means that it will soon be story time again in early childhood and elementary classrooms. If you are looking for some new read-aloud books, especially some that provide different perspectives on all of the first days of school feelings, add some of these to your classroom library. I have compiled this list from recommendations by amazing global educators.

Favorite Feature Friday: Make a Copy for Each Student in Google Classroom

This seems like such a small and simple thing, yet I truly don’t know if I could teach without the “make a copy for each student” feature. It is the main reason that I use Google Classroom even though my school has another LMS system that they pay for.

Favorite Feature Friday: Prezi Video Presentations

Do you have a presentation to give over Zoom or Google Meet? Do you want to wow the participants? Check out Prezi Video!

Travel, Technology, EdTechEmily PhilpottJuly 30, 2021Teacher, blogging, teacher blog, edtech, Prezi Video, technology, Zoom, Google Meet, Favorite Feature FridayComment

Top 5 Technology Tools I Will Use This Year, Even If I Don't Have To!

During the pandemic, we have all embraced new technology out of necessity…even when we didn’t want to. So, I completely understand the desire to toss your computer, iPad, camera, headset, etc. out the window and to erase all evidence of virtual and remote learning. However, when you think about this upcoming school year, is there anything that you plan on keeping even if you return to fully in-person instruction? What improved teaching and learning in your classroom and is now a “go-to” technology resource? What ed tech tools and platforms will I use in my classroom this year, even if I don’t have to? Here are my top 5!

Forgotten Promises

In my psychology class, we discuss the power of music. It can evoke an immediate emotional response or a memory so vivid that we are transported back to a specific moment in time. My students learn the neuroscience behind the intersection between our processing of sound, emotion, and memory, and even though I have been teaching the phenomenon for many years, it can still amaze me how one song can perfectly encapsulate an experience. No matter how much time as passed, listening to it can make the years disappear and take you back to that place.

Together Again

When I left Diass, Senegal last May, I never imagined that I would see Moustapha again so soon. However, in an amazing turn of events, we were reunited in Milwaukee this past weekend!

Jerejef

Over the past few months, I have fielded many questions about my time in Senegal. What was it like? Did I have a favorite part of the trip? How was my experience at the school? What did I learn? What was the food like? And many more. I have found it difficult to answer these in a way that can fully encapsulate Senegal and all of my experiences there. How do you describe a place to someone in a minute or two? How do I succinctly share what I learned about this special place while avoiding only giving one story? If you have never seen Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s TED Talk entitled The Danger of a Single Story, I highly recommend watching it. It is a great reminder to avoid describing a place or person in only one way or dimension. While I have enjoyed sharing my experiences, I hope that I am able to portray Senegal and all of its nuances and angles.

Sights of Senegal

On our final drive to the airport I was staring out the window just trying to take it all in. The sights that had been new to me at the beginning of the adventure, had become a normal part of my everyday experiences. There was so much to experience visually that I found myself keeping my camera out at all times, even when riding in a car or bus, because I was trying to capture everything new and fascinating to me. While the following sights are in no way a complete list of the wonderful and exciting things that continuously caught my eye, I will always remember these sights of Senegal!

Sounds of Senegal

I will never forget the sounds of this place….at times loud and jarring, at times soothing and peaceful, and at times everything all at once.

Mister Mister

I feel so fortunate to be paired with Moustapha Fall, a dynamic and engaging English teacher who has done so much work to make our visit special. It is clear that everyone in the village of Diass respects him and enjoys being in his company. Upon our arrival, we learned that his students have a nickname for him. They call him “Mister Mister” because they say that he is a “Mr.” to them since he is their teacher but he is also a “Mr.” to the teachers at the school because he teaches them in so many ways, especially when it comes to English and technology. This also explains why the teachers call him “Tech Teacher”. Moustapha has gone out of his way to make us feel welcome and loved by the entire community of Diass and we cannot thank him enough. Here are some pictures of Mister Mister in action.

Fashion Week

The clothes. THEY ARE AMAZING. The contrast between the tans and browns of the sand and dirt and the vibrant colors of their cloth is stunning. Pictures just don’t do it justice but here are a few of the designs that I have captured this week.

Why Start a Blog?

I never imagined that I would be a blogger. For years I have read blogs, benefited from their insight and wisdom and laughed at their humor, but never thought that I would have my own. While I do not enjoy self-promotion and generally spend more time in the social media world reading what others post rather than posting myself, I am about to dive right into this thing called blogging. Here is what led me to start a blog.