Learning

Learning is so important to me as a person, not even in the classroom, but anywhere I can gain knowledge on things that I can apply to real life situations or even just interesting facts. I love it all. Everything you do is a learning experience. These PD tours are a chance for teachers to kind of take the back seat and let the students be the drivers. We had 6 very talented students on this tour who each had a lot to teach in terms of how we want to be taught and the best ways we take in history.

This was my second tour and for me personally, they have been the greatest learning opportunities in my life. Not only do I get to meet some of the most kind, brilliant, great people from all over the country, but I get to explore another part of the world that I have never seen before.

I think that students really benefit from hands-on learning experiences where they can not only learn about their subject but also learn life skills. So much of what we learn is all made for us to memorize and then answer in a multiple choice test never to be thought of again. The teachers on this tour are so eager to get students engaged in history and for them to actually take concepts and ideas away from what they are being taught. On both tours I saw teachers who cared so much and really wanted to know what students thought and how we wanted to learn and it gave me so much confidence and understanding on how I wanted to learn. I really applied that knew knowledge when I got back to school after my first tour. Whether or not my teachers cared about how I wanted to be taught, I told them. And I was able to take my new abilities and use them when I didn’t understand something in class and do it my own way so I could get more out of it.

I am about to attend university in the fall and while I’m nervous for such a big step in my life, I feel ready to take on this new way of learning and I hope that I can apply everything I’ve learned in these past two tours and really excel at university. A trip like this can really benefit student’s confidence level, their interest in learning history, and the way they view the world and make connections. I’m so thankful to have had this opportunity and how far it’s taken me in my education. We cannot grow without learning and I can’t wait to learn and grow more in my education and career. Without these PD tours I wouldn’t have been able to come this far and excel the way that I have in school and in life.
 
- Submitted by Emily​