As a parent and former classroom teacher, I believe there is a whole world outside the classroom that provides immense learning opportunities for children. Since not all kids have the chance to visit places around the globe, teachers can foster a greater understanding of countries and cultures. The learning inside school walls provides a foundation for a child’s curiosity but the opportunity to experience places studied in the classroom first-hand is incredibly powerful.
{This sponsored post was written as part of the Hilton HHonors Teacher Treks Campaign with Global Influence. All opinions are my own.}
In my first year of teaching, one of my first graders talked endlessly about Ghana. Josephina’s parents immigrated from Ghana and there were many conversations about taking a family trip one day. She talked about her favorite foods like fufu that she couldn’t wait to eat with family members, the traditions observed at home, and her clothes worn for special occasions. As someone who didn’t know much about Ghana, I was inspired by Josephina to teach my students more about Ghana and other countries in Africa.
Collaborating with another teacher, we planned a month long study where we read traditional folk stories such as Anansi, incorporated geography, and created art inspired by what we saw in books. Towards the end of the month we celebrated by inviting family members to visit and share any experiences they had that we could also learn from. At the end of our study, Josephina was so proud to have taught her classmates about the place where her family was from and as a teacher, I was pleased to have provided this educational opportunity to my students.
As nurturers of future generations, teachers have a profound impact on their students’ lives to seize upon teachable moments to provide a learning opportunities directed by their interests. Teaching my students about Africa not only taught them about the countries, traditions, stories, and art but also helped foster a greater understanding of countries and cultures. One day I would love to visit Africa to experience what I taught with first hand experience.
Through the Hilton HHonors Teacher Treks Travel Grant, 30 teachers will have the opportunity to enrich their students’ learning through cultural opportunities through funds through travel or in-school programming. Hilton recently announced the 30 finalists in their competition and need your help in voting for 15 winning teachers to travel and experience subjects they teach first hand. Votes can be cast between now and April 30 at www.hhonors.com/TeacherTreks to provide experiences to teachers that will ultimately enrich classroom curriculum and inspire students to explore the world. Each vote you cast counts as an entry toward a $250 Hilton HHonors gift card.
HHonors Teacher Treks Travel Grant features 30 incredible prizes that include:
- 15 winners will receive a grant valued at $6,000 to travel to a destination of their choice and in addition, each winning teachers’ school will receive a $2,500 grant to use for cultural activities or enhancements
- 15 runners-up will each receive a $2,500 grant for their school to use for cultural activities or enhancements
- 1 winner from all submissions will receive a cultural excursion for their classroom valued at $1,500
- 10 random winners who vote in the Teacher Treks competition will be eligible to win 1 Hilton HHonors Gift Card valued at $250
TeacherTreks is part of Hilton Worldwide’s Travel with Purpose™ commitment to celebrating cultures and the power of travel to build stronger communities.
