Feeling Grateful on this #Thanksgiving Eve

On the eve of Thanksgiving, as the founder and president of Birthright America, I have much for which to be grateful.

From those who have discovered us on social media to friends and family to potential business partners, all have greeted - with support and enthusiasm - the idea of a non-profit company with a mission to ensure that all children can visit their national parks.  In just over two months, Birthright America went from a concept to a 501c3 nonprofit organization readying to accept its first applications and take its first group of students to Yellowstone and Grand Teton in the summer of 2018.

In this post, I would like to introduce you to two of our key partners, companies and people with whom I am very proud to associate Birthright America.

Rising 10th grade students from Breakthrough Miami will be Birthright America's first travelers.  Working with CEO Aubrina Mumford and Managing Program Director Lauren Kellner Rudolph to fine-tune the curriculum and partner on grant applications is an ongoing pleasure.  From my years at Miami Country Day, one of the five host sites where Breakthrough scholars take enrichment classes on Saturdays throughout the school year and during the summer, I know firsthand the great work they do.  Their 1200+ scholars take full advantage of Breakthrough's goal "to help our scholars 'break through' the social, cultural and economic barriers to high achievement."   Therefore, I am extremely grateful for the honor to provide some of those scholars with the opportunity to "break through" the barriers that keep so many from fully exploring our country's national parks.

To make this inaugural trip an extraordinary experience for our students, I reached out to Jeff Shulmin, Director of Putney Student Travel.  Jeff and I share the goal for our students to "be travelers, not tourists," so I knew Putney was the ideal partner for Birthright America.   Despite having their own robust slate of programs, in addition to noteworthy collaborations with National Geographic and The New York Times, Jeff and his team got right to work to create a meaningful  journey for Birthright America, one that will enable our scholars to live the curriculum they will have begun learning in the classroom this coming April.   For their expertise, their passion, and their collaboration, I am enormously grateful to the team at Putney Student Travel for helping to bring this trip to life.

On this Thanksgiving eve, through meaningful collaboration with some truly remarkable people, Birthright America is ready to make a profound difference in the lives of children.  For this I am enormously grateful.

The Craft of Creating Impactful Curriculum

In addition to providing the opportunity to travel to and explore the national parks, Birthright America will prepare its students to fully appreciate and enhance their experience through an ongoing classroom and distance learning component.  Experiential learning may be a buzz word in education these days, but for lifelong educators, it is the substance of most of the meaningful work we accomplish with students.

As an educator for twenty-five years, creating impactful curriculum is something I love to do.  Understanding what students will enjoy and how to translate that enjoyment to deep learning is my passion.  Therefore, creating the curriculum to accompany the students' first trip to Yellowstone and Grand Teton has been one of the most rewarding (and easiest) parts of getting this first trip planned.

Below are some of the contenders being considered.  In addition to studying excerpts from books and documentaries about the parks, students will study photography and science, historic documents and current events, as well as learn some practical tips about traveling they may not have known before.

Partnering with me in creating the curriculum is Cynthia Hori, a science teacher I have known since we worked together at Miami Country Day School.  Her ability to make students excited about science inside a classroom is dwarfed only by her own passion for experiential learning in the national parks.

Of course, there will be ample opportunities for additional lessons in health and physical education, as students go horseback riding, rafting and hiking through the parks.  

Needless to say, having a classroom without walls is one thing; having Yellowstone and Grand Teton as your classroom is something else entirely!  Most students are excited for the school year to end and summer vacation to begin.  Those lucky students who travel with us next June will be eager for the school year to end in order for the experiential learning to begin.

Books on all of the national parks...

Books on the Grand Canyon...

Books on Yellowstone...

Just for fun...

If you are familiar with any of the books featured here, or have other suggestions you would like to share, please leave a comment below or contact me through the website.  

As the detailed itinerary for the trip is finalized, we will share that planning process here as well.  In the classroom next May and throughout the trip, the students will share their questions and insights, which will be shared with you all.

Through this blog, I hope that labels such as experiential and distance learning become concepts that the non-educator comes to understand and appreciate.  Tying the traditional work of classroom learning to the 21st century educational expectations of getting students out of the classroom, effectively using technology as a tool, to become creative and critical thinkers, entrepreneurs and innovators, is as much Birthright America's goal as the mission of providing these students with the opportunity to visit their National Parks.   

Thank you for your ongoing interest and support.  To make a profound difference in a child's life, you can donate here.