Christmas Markets

Twinkling lights, steaming mugs of gluhwein and rows upon rows of little wood shingled sheds. It’s Christmas market season. Now the location of said Christmas market could be just about anywhere. After spending some time this season in a few countries, checking out my share of markets, I found they had a distinct look and vibe. Of course each has its own flair and unique touches that sets it apart from the others, but the magical Christmasy feel engulfs them all. I’ve always liked Christmas, but it wasn’t until a few years ago that I started to really love Christmas. […]

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May Flowers STEM Fun

With real Spring weather (some warm days!) finally upon us I decided it was time for a more bright and colorful activity for the STEM lab. The saying, April showers bring May flowers was inspiration for a Tulip STEM challenge for students. The lesson fused social studies, science and reading beautifully. We are studying the seven continents so we were able to explore a place in Europe (The Netherlands) famous for their tulips, while creating using the STEM process. This week in reading our anthology featured Gail Gibbons, From Seed to Plant, so the tie in was perfect. Gotta love […]

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Take Off to South Africa 

I can’t believe it’s finally here! Time to get out of dodge and hit the open road. I have been patiently (or not so patiently) waiting for this trip to South Africa for almost a year, but now that it’s finally here I can’t believe it!  Not only am I beyond thrilled to be spending two full weeks in South Africa, but my friend, Christine and I even snagged some bonus time in Germany. I mean, when you’re looking for the cheapest flights possible, sometimes you have to do an eleven hour layover. No complaints here, since it will give […]

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New Year, New Adventures 

Where did 2016 go? I know I am a bit late to the party, and we’ve already had more than a full week of 2017, but better late than never.  Before we get too far into 2017 I thought it would be good to take a moment to stop and take a look back at all that 2016 had to offer. It was certainly a whirlwind year of travel, new friends, and new adventures. Here are some of my favorite highlights from the past year:  1. I started blogging about teaching and traveling. Blogging has given me a great outlet […]

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Sweet Summer Time 

Well another school year has come and gone. With the final announcement for student dismissal to the buses, the students filed out of the school and teachers prepared for a traditional mini celebration. Armed with music makers teachers line the front walk as loaded buses take extra laps around the Circle so the teachers can send them off with a joyful farewell. It is one of my favorite traditions at our school. It truly sets the tone for the kick off to summer. Check it out on Instagram! The end of the year is always bitter sweet. Everyone is more […]

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Sunset at Santorini

Santorini is famous for breathtaking sunsets. Specifically, Oia is the town that is known for the best vantage point for the sunset. Unbeknownst to us, when we booked our AirBnB cave house (which you should totally stay in if you go to Oia), we would be staying smack dab between the most photographed place to take pictures of Oia looking back on the town, and the lookout point for sunset. Boy did we luck out!  Our first day on Santorini was quite full, and we were looking forward to relaxing for a bit in our very own cave house. We […]

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A Kid Again, Biking Through Copenhagen

This past summer my family and I took a cruise through the Baltic Sea out of Copenhagen. Before setting sail we flew into Copenhagen so we could spend a little extra time taking in the city and seeing some of its highlights. One of my favorite experiences was using the bike share program. Much like in Boston, renting a bike was easy in Copenhagen. There were bike hubs all over the city, all you had to do was find a bike not in use to ride around. What was different on these bikes was the iPad like tablet attached to the […]

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Packing Light Round 2: Carry On

After pairing down my checked luggage for Spain to a carry on size bag, which at this point if stuffed to the gills and would never fit in those tiny overhead bins, I decided my carry on could use a little trimming. I had to do a little more cramming into my checked luggage (meds, converter, flashlight, you know the essentials) but the zipper still closes so we’ll call it a success! By putting those last few items into my luggage I was able to get my backpack down to a reasonable load that won’t break my back. Not to […]

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Packing Light

So many of you probably will look at my suitcase and what I am bringing for a 10 day trip to Spain and say to yourself, “she thinks that is packing light?!” Well for me it is a major victory. There will be no bell boys, assistants or parents on this trip to cart around my luggage, it’s just me and whatever I can carry. And quite frankly, I’m tired of heaving around my large luggage up narrow European staircases, or squeezing into impossibly small elevators. The time has come to downsize. Hence the carry on size bag, packed to the gills […]

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Learning (Finnish) Isn’t Easy

Recently I had a major lightbulb moment about teaching and learning. To prepare for my upcoming trip to Finland this summer, I decided to embark on a quest to learn a new language, Finnish. For some this may sound like a walk in the park, but for me let me tell you, it is not easy. I have never considered my self a “language” person. Three years of Spanish in high school was my own personal hell as far as I was concerned. A passing grade through Spanish III was enough to meet the foreign language requirement for an advanced diploma at my […]

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