Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/129419
FRANCE Traveling gives teachers insight to their content areas, says Joe Massaro, standing here in front of the Louvre Museum in Paris. Teachersshare travel tales/tips "When teachers travel, it helps with their content areas. Being a music teacher, I like to visit places where composers lived. It gives me better insight into their creative processes that may have influenced their work," says Joe Massaro, El Monte Union Education Association. "It's always enriching to visit other cultures and get a world perspective when you are away from your day-today routine." The Arroyo High School band teacher says travel helps his own creative process, too. He prefers to make his own travel plans; he redeems his credit card points for flights, cashes in on "rewards" programs for hotel stays, and asks friends in the hospitality industry for the "friend and family" rates to cut costs. TRY A TEACHER TOUR Ed Campos wants to experience everything a country has to offer — the food, the language and culture. "I've always wanted to travel and see as much of the world as possible," says Campos, Visalia Unified Teachers Association. "I don't need to be catered to. All I need is a backpack, something to snack on, a camera, and things I've never seen before to stretch my vision of what the world is." The independent studies teacher has seen a lot of the world thanks to Global Exploration for Educators Organization (GEEO), a nonprofit that runs travel programs for educators at a discount rate (www.geeo.org). GEEO tours for teachers — and their guests — combine sightseeing, history, culture and even a school visit with fellow educators. A tour guide fluent in English accompanies the group. Open to teachers of all nationalities (K-12, college and retired), participants may earn graduate school credit (three units through Indiana University) and professional development credit while seeing the world. "It's cheap, it's subsidized and fun, and it's also not a lecture tour," says Jesse Weisz of GEEO. "Beforehand, each teacher submits an action plan on what they want to learn and bring back into the classroom so we can help them meet their goals." Campos has been on two trips — one to Costa Rica and another to Peru — and will travel to Thailand, Laos and Vietnam this summer. "It saves me about $100 to $150 per day (flight is separate) and includes accommodations, transportation between cities, fees for visiting museums, national parks and some meals," says Campos. "You meet amazing people who have good hearts, compassion, and care about kids. It's easier to jell with 10 to 15 teachers. On every trip, we donate school supplies to impoverished areas, play games with the kids and teach them some English." His Costa Rica trip livened up volcano lessons, and a visit to Machu Picchu reshaped history curriculum and Peruvian cooking projects for students. "I would definitely recommend one of these trips to recharge your teaching battery, get some new motivation and find inspiration," says Campos. "It's wonderful to bring back that enthusiasm to the classroom and refocus your students." COSTA RICA Ed Campos canyoneering in La Fortuna, Costa Rica. May 2013 www.cta.org 11