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| Great Pyramid at Giza, Egypt |
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| Seven Pillars of Wisdom, Jordan |
As you can tell from my first post, I love to travel. For me there is nothing better than taking a backpack and going off on an adventure that is mostly unplanned. Showing up in a country not knowing where you are going to sleep may sound like a terrible idea to most but for me it makes the trip that much more exciting. Though trip planning is of course incredibly important if you have time constraints, a spontaneous adventure is what I dream about. If you are like me and you love history then travelling is important but the truth is that if you don't love history then travelling is even more important. Seeing a site where an epic battle took place or visiting the remnants of what is left of the Seven Ancient Wonders of the World, will surely inspire even the biggest critics of learning history. When you stand in front of the Pyramids at Giza or the Temple of Artemis in Turkey, you feel like you have been transported back in time.And if you have a good guide or friend to enlighten you with the truths and myths that surround historical sites, the experience really comes to life. For me, there is no better way to learn any subject that truly experiencing it. For those who love politics and law you can visit the birthplace of democracy in Greece. For those scientists and lovers of medicine you can visit the ruins from the temples dedicated to Ascelpius, the god of healing and medicine. For those engineers, all the incredible building projects of the ancient and modern worlds collide like in Egypt where you can see the bustling city of 12 million in Cairo and within a few kilometres stand in front of the Great Pyramid, in my opinion the most amazing building ever erected.My point is that there really is something for everyone, even if you don't really know it. I cannot imagine teaching students about anthropology, archaeology, religion (Judeo-Christian and Islam) without taking them to Israel to walk in the footsteps of the stories they have grown up on. Not to mention learning a new language or a skill like how papyrus is made. Teaching was not always my passion but after giving tours of the Old City of Jerusalem to friends and family and seeing their reaction and awe to my knowledge and love for history, I cannot think of a better profession for me to be part of. I truly believe that to truly learn something, especially history, you have to see it and experience it, otherwise it is just something someone else told you about, not something you have learned for yourself.
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| Perito Moreno Glacier, Argentina |
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| The Treasury at Petra, Jordan |
Cities I've Visited!!!
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Dean,
ReplyDeleteGreat post. You are incredibly fortunate to have taken these opportunities. A couple of years ago, I had a student in my class whose parents took her traveling across the world. As we studied Ancient Civilizations, she told us stories of when she toured the pyramids or stories of climbing along the walls in Machi Pichu. My favourite was the way she explained the catacombs in France...the other students seemed horrified. I was fascinated. It made me realize how importance travel is for authentic learning.
Your posts sure do tell of your passion - can you relate this to a philosophy of education?