Deep Culture in the Elementary Classroom

 I want you to think about people who you find are highly creative in your personal life. Maybe, it's an aunt or an uncle, a close friend, whoever it maybe, just someone who you think is highly creative. If you know their background think about that and maybe the commonality of their background to other highly creative individuals. Based on Dean Simonton,a professor at the University of California-Davis, researched the following question, "What elements in a person's developmental environment (when they are kids) might contribute to the likelihood he or she will be a person of high achievement?". What he found is extraordinary, of course many factors positively influenced achievement, but one of the most significant was exposure to cultural diversity!!!!

That is absolutely amazing! Living in a circumstance where different cultures collide and mix (a melting pot) helps develop someone into a more rounded and creative individual! Who would have thought that? He continues to say that, "We believe that exposure to cultural diversity may force children (or even adults) to form new neural connections in the brain to be able to sufficiently interpret meaning in things to which they are not accustomed." We develop ways to understand what is around us. These neural connections, once developed, will always be at our disposal to assist in a myriad of ways, problem solving, language processing and more.

So, as a teacher in TESOL how can I introduce this concept to students, especially elementary-aged? Most people think, well what about holidays, food, music, dances, etc. Well these are all good and they do matter but cultural instruction is much more than that, so let's dig a bit deeper. This is a big challenge that all teachers face, there isn't just one answer. Knowing that Ireland celebrates Saint Patrick's day is important but that doesn't help foster deeper knowledge and thinking. It is also hard since age-appropriate deep culture is limited, many cultural elements are too complex for elementary-aged children.

These next few examples, are things that aren't as complex, but they can help with teaching deep culture to elementary children. They are actually the subjects I have previously talked about, Gestures, Manners, Expressiveness, and Stories from local experiences. These are some of the basics that anyone can see at a glance. These are the things that can intrigue anyone. Teaching culture in school is so important in helping everyone to become the beings they are meant to be, because I believe everyone is worth a lot more than we give ourselves or anyone credit for.

Culture and Psychology 6.06

I have talked a lot about culture and different things that go with it. But now I'm going to throw in some Psychology. I actually enjoy Psychology, I took a class on it in High School and aced it. I found it fascinating and it just made sense to me. I even debated going to school for it, but that's besides the point. The big question is, "What is culture and what does it have to do with psychology?".

Basically, Cultural Psychology unites psychologists, anthropologists, linguists, and philosophers for the common pursuit, the study of how cultural meanings and practices influence individual human psychies. 

As we know culture is much more than food, festivals, and costumes. It's the ideas and the actions that encompass the meaning of a group of people. More often than not, these ideas are inherit and automatic, guiding our everyday business of life. As people interact and engage with the culture's practices and traditions, their thoughts, feelings, and behaviors reflect what they have learned of that culture's values and beliefs. 

That is only part of the story though, culture shapes the individuals minds and actions as much as the minds and actions shape the culture. As a result, “People are active cultural agents, rather than passive recipients of cultural influences,” said social psychologist Chi-Yue Chiu, University of Illinois. “They create, apply, reproduce, transform, and transmit their cultural routines in their daily social interactions.”

Without human beings, cultures wouldn't exist, and without cultures, human beings wouldn't exist. See the dilemma? We go hand in hand. What separates humans from other species is our ability to produce and sustain cultures.

Differences in Manners 6.04

This topic is going to expound upon the things we talked about in Cross-Cultural Students.

What are some habits you were taught not to do because they are considered rude? Burping, putting your elbows on the table, putting your feet on furniture, don't cough or sneeze without covering your mouth, tracking mud/dirt into the house, these are just a few of the things we are taught we shouldn't do.

Several cultures it is actually ok or even still not ok to do them. For example, in much of the Far East it is a compliment if you burp, because it is seen as a compliment to the chef and that you enjoyed your meal. In the Middle East, it is especially rude to point your feet, particularly the soles, at another person or to display them in any way. In the Philippines, giving someone a really hard handshake is a sign of aggression, it is seen as if you squeezed any other part of their body. If you remember from a previous post called Cultural Miscommunication, in China if you clear your plate it is rude for the host not to refill it. These are just some simple examples of different manners in different parts of the world.

My last post, Cross-Cultural Students, I talked about how some people feel that "Sir" and "Ma'am" is offensive when it is supposed to be respect. It comes from the words "Sire" and "Madam" as in "My lady", how are those offensive? I always feel fancy whenever, almost never have been, called that.

All of these things are just the differences in manners when it comes culture to culture. What are some manners you've been taught that vary around the world?

Cross-Cultural Students in the Classroom 6.04

This topic is going to expound upon the things we talked about in Differences in Emotional Expression.

Who has heard of the debacle in the United States, mainly in the west, about being offended about getting called "Sir" or "Ma'am". It is mind boggling to me that someone would get upset about someone calling them "Sir" or "Ma'am". I used to live in the South, I lived in Georgia for two years, in fact I completed my Senior year of High School there. It is very common and it is ingrained into kids to say it to their elders as a sign of respect. I read a story about a kid that called his teacher "Ma'am" and she made the student stay for detention because she saw it as disrespectful. This can be a difficult habit to break, but more and more in today's world it is seen as offensive, but it is culture paradigm. I had a friend in Utah that was from the South, and she was in her mid-thirties, that people didn't want to talk to her because she said "sir" and "ma'am" to them while doing customer service. I feel like people need to get out more and experience more cultures.

Asian students, especially if they weren't born in American and moved later, tend to be less expressive. Of course this isn't always the case but happens more often than not. As it is for kids from the South it is ingrained in Asian students to be respectful of the teacher. Sometimes this means they won't speak up in class for fear of showing they don't know something that the teacher maybe didn't teach well enough, or they are questioning the teacher's opinion. Questioning or disagreeing with their elders is very rarely done in Asia. Some students won't even look a teacher in the eye because it would show disrespect. I am unsure why this particular thing is seen as disrespect, as long as you aren't doing it in a aggressive manner anyways.

There are many other things about other cultures that we as Americans find different that actually are a sign of respect in that culture. For example bowing, it is common to do in Asian culture and we only do it after a performance as a thank you kind of gesture. Being a teacher anywhere around the world you need to be mindful of the customs of respect that people have. Don't criticize a culture for showing respect or the likes of such, just because you don't like it. To me this will help bring a small piece of peace to the world because we are opening up communication and not misunderstanding each other.

Sedona, AZ Memorial Day Weekend 2019

For Memorial Day Weekend Mikel and I went to Sedona! We had a blast doing the different activities we planned, but we did have a few bumps along the way. Before we go into the trip I'm gonna give a little bit of history of the town and how it got its name.

This is of course how the story goes, after Theodore Carl Schnebly and his wife, Sedona, moved from Missouri and settled down. The few families in the area complained to Theodore Carl Schnebly about inconsistent mail and convinced him to establish a post office in his large home. There are various accounts to suggest that he asked the government to name the post office Schnebly Station or Red Rock Crossing, those names were denied for being too long. His brother, Dorsey Ellsworth Schnebly, suggested Theodore's wife's name, Sedona, and so it came to be on June 26, 1902.

So, lets recap my weekend day by day.

Saturday:

We left at 10am and got into Sedona around 1pm. We were hungry and stopped and ate at The Hudson. (Had good food we had the Hudson Mushroom Burger, was warm not to messy was a good steak in a sandwich as my husband says, and the Chicken Caprese Sandwich, which was very juicy had good flavor enjoyed the pesto and balsamic syrup had some good size chicken pieces, the place was a very casual but classy ambience, had some amazing views of the Red Rock Country if given the chance sit outside)
We then headed up HWY 89A and hung out at the Dairy Queen for a bit while we figured out where to stay. When I initially planned this trip I planned for us to stay at a Dispersed Campground up North of Sedona, when talking with someone they suggested not too because a few days prior it snowed and they said it would be muddy and wet. We tried a few other campgrounds but they were full. At the Dairy Queen there was several stands with Native American jewelry and such and I found a Christmas Ornament. I loved the dream catcher look and it is a souvenir of our trip.

 After talking with one of the Native American ladies about trying to find a campground she told us that we should go try out the first one I had planned to see if it was even muddy anymore. So on our way there we were talking about our supplies and we realized we didn't have anything to start a fire with, no matches no lighter. We grudgingly turned around to make the 20 min trek back into town to get one. Dropped Mikel off in front of a store and drove around a few minutes then grabbed him and we were finally on our way. 

We headed to the Dispersed campground North of Sedona like I said but be warned this one is closed during the winter season and had just opened back up in April I believe. 

To get to this campground get on HWY 89A and head North towards Flagstaff. It is just north of Oak Creek Vista (it is a pulloff for pictures and such) there is a dirt road called Rd 535 on the left, there is a gate but it is usually open all along that road is where you can camp. There aren't any facilities so be aware and pick up any trash. Here is a picture of different sites for the area that have dispersed camping, all the little dots are areas you can camp along the roads, of course none of them have facilities. We were told that camping in the East of Sedona would be really windy.

 So we found a spot and decided to set up camp and by this time it is around 7pm. Mikel worked on the fire after putting up our tent (which only took like 5mins) I worked on getting our air mattress in it. So, on the tent packaging it specifically states the tent can fit one queen air mattress, so I was inclined to believe. Well this is how it turned out. 

It isn't a very flattering picture of me but you get the point. We couldn't close the door and the air mattress wasn't even blown up all the way. It was sad looking. We decided after dinner I would go to the closest Walmart (which was in Flagstaff) and grab a new and bigger tent.

We made burgers for our first night and after I got the first one on the pan I realized we didn't have a spatula! The first burger wasn't actually hard to flip quickly with my fingers but after that one was done Mikel made the fire bigger and hotter which made the next burger, which happened to be mine, stick to the pan! After some effort we got it too flip without burning ourselves. We made a quick list of things for me to grab at Walmart and I left. A tent, spatula, and more wood. Found a few other things that were handy to have like a mallet. 

So in the dark at 9pm we put up the new tent and officially had camp all set up. Shortly thereafter we went to bed and during the night it was so very cold.

Sunday:

So one of the things Sedona is known for is the energy Vortex power spots. So I found a Jeep tour (which I highly suggest doing one, any of the ones offered in the area) that was called Scenic Vortex Tour, done by Earth Wisdom Jeep Tours (if you are going to do one of their tours they were a little hard to find their location their number is 928-282-0254 they were by the Sacagawea statue. They advertised the tour as "Learn the facts, feelings and fallacies of Sedona's vortex power spots, the reasons behind the sacred site phenomena occurring here and around the world." It was a 2.5 hour very small and intimate tour. There was only 6 of us on the tour. The first Vortex we went too was Airport Vortex. They said this was a masculine energy otherwise known as a "yang". Our tour guide said that masculine energy is very energizing and really good for getting your energy moving. They are perfect for forward movement, setting intentions and increasing your resolve and stamina, she described it somewhat like drinking a double espresso, so if you've ever had that you might know what that feels like. The area of the body that I felt the energy was in my abdomen lower and back area. 

The other vortex's she didn't really tell us the name but she then took us to a feminine energy vortex or a "yin" energy because the energy is very nurturing, soft and welcoming. Yin energy can help you with inward activities such as contemplation, meditation and reflection. Mikel thought he would try his hand at balancing some rocks. And here is a beautiful cactus bloom in the area. 

She showed different views of Bell Rock and Cathedral Rock. Talked about Coffepot Rock, Sugarloaf Mountain, Chimney Rock, and Courthouse Butte. I don't have pictures of all these formations but I'll tell you what I can. 

Cathedral Rock supposedly has a Man and a Woman (man on the left woman on the right at one point in time it was said they faced each other but now they are turned away) I don't really see it but maybe you do. Tell me if you do or don't in the comments.

The very last spot she took us was a obscure hidden trail and only two companies can go there because they don't want to wear out the trail. We had to do some simple off roading to get there and then a simple hike up but was totally worth it. Tell me if you agree. The one with the tree if you look at the branches they are twisted because of the energy here in this area.

That was our tour it was a lot of fun and learned about the area.

After our tour we went and had a couples energy/tarot reading. First I'll say this, Mikel is sceptical of this sort of thing but felt she wasn't entirely off point and I like it and feel there is some truth to it but I wouldn't put all my hopes in it kind of idea, but we were open minded. At Sedona Crystal Vortex, we had a very positive reading and we had our Auras taken. You put your hand on an sensor for electromagnetic waves and it would show your aura on the computer.

After we decided we would go get some ice cream and found a shop called P
ussyCat Gelato which was delicious. I had a Honey Lavender Bath and Spumoni Delight, Mikel had Salted Caramel and something Peanut Butter (he doesn't really remember). Would definitely go again I am not a big ice cream person (I am slightly lactose intolerant) but I enjoyed what I got it was very creamy. Then we finished off the afternoon with a little bit of shopping because I wanted to find a summer dress or something similar. We then went back to camp and hung out and had a nice big fire and roasted marshmallows. When it started to rain and eventually started to hail we put some of the stuff away so it wouldn't get wet and went to bed.

Monday:

All night it rained not very hard but a very consistent rain. We decided we would just pack up camp as quick as we could since it was still raining and would go out to eat on our way out of town. We got up and outside the tent there was ice! Thankfully it actually hadn't been cold during the night and we were nice a snuggled up anyways. We packed everything up in and I had Mikel pick a random place to eat and he picked Cafe Jose which actually ended up being delicious. I had Banana Pancakes and Mikel had the Mountain Man omelette and we shared some biscuits and gravy. It was a quaint little place the service wasn't anything worth mentioning but it was good food so it was a great stop on the way out of town.

We decided we would do Predator Zip Lines at Out of Africa! So we were literally zip lining over Lions, and Tigers and Bears, Oh My! Had a blast doing this and met some wonderful people. The one thing about doing this was it was superduper windy.

We sadly weren't able to go to Sliding Rock due to weather and having trouble on Saturday finding a place to set up camp. So, this month we will go up just to experience that and I'll tell you all about it.

Basic Notes:

Locals go to Crescent Moon Park to go fish and it has some good swimming holes 

(Jeep Tour Guide is a local and suggested this place to go)

Suggested Apps:

All Trails- it can hook up to GPS, rates the trail on how hard and gives you maps of the area 

(this works for all over the world not just Sedona; also note didn't get the chance to test this app out myself but it was suggested to me by our Jeep Tour Guide)

Personal Space Differences 6/1

When you think of personal space you usually think of a big bubble around you. That is your area and no one is supposed to enter that bubble unless you allow them too. It is our own personal force field, it is an instinct we develop to have our own space. It is our personal territory and if intruded on when unwanted we fight to get it back.

Does anyone hate crowds, like riding on the bus, or train or being at a concert? Yes, many people hate feeling closed in and intruded upon. For example claustrophobia comes to mind, the fear of small spaces.

Teaching children that everyone has personal space and to not intrude upon that space unless told otherwise is unwise and can be rude. Getting up in someone's face can be sign of aggression. Helping children work out differences and respecting each other is key.

Different cultures have a difference on how close someone is when talking. It isn't something we necessarily think about but we subconsciously observe it and follow. Americans born and raised in a city usually stand 18 to 48 inches from each other and stand in the same place while talking. The Japanese, with his smaller 10 inch intimate zine, will adjust and invade upon the American's intimate zone. Being aware of how other cultures see personal space can be helpful in adjusting to that particular culture.

Attributional Tendencies 6/1

What is attributional tendencies? Something to do with behavior or emotions right? Yes, it is when a behavior is attributed to internal or personal factors, or the process of inferring the causes and behaviors. For example: Maria's car breaks down on the freeway. If she believes the breakdown happened because of her ignorance about cars, she is making an internal attribution. If she believes that the breakdown happened because her car is old, she is making an external attribution.

Attributional tendencies refer to what we attribute success, to what we attribute our personal failures, to what we attribute the successes of others, to what we attribute the failures of others. In our culture, in all cultures, we're always attributing things to other things.

The fundamental attribution error is our tendency to explain someone's behavior based on internal factors, such as personality or disposition, and to underestimate the influence that external factors, such as situational influences, have on another person's behavior.

What impact do attributions for behavior really have on your life? The attributions you make each and every day have an important influence on your feelings as well as how you think and relate to other people. We need to keep this in mind when we are dealing with students and their parents in and outside the classroom. 

Individualism vs Collectivism 5.30

What is Individualism? In short, it is the habit of being independent and self-reliant it is the freedom of action! Most people in the United States and Europe, are very independent and thrive on being individualistic. We like being our own person and doing the things we like. We don't like getting in trouble for someone else's wrong doings. Those things are along the lines of Collectivism.

So what exactly is Collectivism? It is the practice of principle of giving a group priority over each individual in it. Basically, Collectivists believe in order to form the common good, the people should be united as a whole, living their lives for the community, nation, or society. An example I can think of is from a book I recently read, The Girl with Seven Names: A North Korean Defector's Story By Hyeonseo Lee, in North Korea if one individual was seen doing something that was against the beliefs of their Country the whole family was then marked down as being dangerous and untrustworthy it was a blemish on the family name from then on, they weren't given privileges of those of higher ranking, like good jobs and such.

A few countries that are considered collectivistic include Japan, China, Korea, Taiwan, Venezuela, Guatemala, Indonesia, Ecuador, Argentina, Brazil, and India. Being aware that certain countries are more collectivistic than individualistic is important when you are out and about as a tourist or a teacher in that country. The cultural differences can influence many aspects of how the society functions. How people shop, dress, learn and conduct business all can be influenced by whether they are from a collectivist or individualist culture.

Knowing the differences between the two as a teacher can impact how comfortable someone feels about opening up. It can also help us to prevent misunderstandings that can come about from different cultures having different assumptions. However, thinking about individualism and collectivism can help us to better understand ourselves and our interactions with others. The way we think about ourselves and the world around us is only one of many.

Differences in Emotional Expression 5.28

When you think of a culture who expressions public emotion who or what do you think of?

I think of a New Yorker yelling at a cab driver,

A Greek wedding,

A United States Southerner expressing American Pride,

A Jewish Bar Mitzvah,

these are just a few of those that are expressing high emotions in public.

We all feel the same emotions but different cultures express them easier in public vs in private.

It is very easy to misinterpret people's emotions from one culture to another.

In private everyone is more likely to express the high emotions everyone has such as, being afraid, angry, annoyed, delighted, distressed, excited, frustrated, disgust, and other emotions similar to those.

With that in mind several cultures won't show emotion in public for example,

Asian Cultures typically don't.

A study was done where American and Japanese participants were asked to rate faces on how intensely they were expressing certain emotions and how intensely the posers were actually feeling said emotion. The American participants, gave higher ratings to the external appearance of emotions. The Japanese participants, assigned higher ratings to internal expression of emotion. In conclusion, depending on cultural contexts, internal turmoil might not necessarily be legible on the face, while an overly excited smile might be hiding only lukewarm enthusiasm. 

I guess this is where "Fake it until you make it" comes from.

Being an ESL/ELL Teacher can be a little difficult if you are trying to get a reaction from your students on something in particular if you have several students from a culture that don't show emotions in public.

Keep this in mind.

In Asian cultures, the eyes are typically used to express emotion, while in America, Europe, the Western Cultures the mouth reflects the emotion expressed.

You will learn the telltale signs of emotions in your students over time.

Cultural Miscommunication 5.24

Miscommunication...

It is a BIG deal. 

It can cause wars, murders and many terrible things, but let's not talk about those.

Mainly,

It can cause difficult situations or simple misunderstandings. 

Here is a compilation of HSBC Ads about Culture that are amusing but simple misunderstandings.

Teaching English to those of different cultures can be challenging.

The first and foremost problem faced in teaching is the 'Language' itself. Both teachers and learners face limitations in different ways in dealing with language. The content of the class can also be a challenge. Last but not least, culture shock can be a severe obstacle in gaining the desired goal. Some other challenges that are related to language are:

Native English speaking teachers-

Speed, accent, tone, pronunciation, and pitch can be a challenge for the learners in not being able to understand, or not following what the teacher is saying. 

Stereotyping, on the teachers and the learners part. 

Non-native speaking teachers-

Sometimes students think that non native English speaking teachers do not know much.

The Learners-

They sometimes face language shock, they experience doubt and possible confusion when using English. They are under pressure of accuracy and such.

Culture Shock-

A person can experience considerable amount of stress and anxiety when they are living in a different culture with different values from their own. It's all new and the new culture may not view some things or values the same as they are used too.

We should not push students to learn, instead try to pull them in and support them within their learning. Students will rise to our expectations if we provide them with the path. That path, consists of all the things we say and do in order to help our students learn.

Cultural Differences Concerning Time 5.22.2019

There are so many cultural differences around the world but the way different cultures view time can be big one. Especially if you are trying to understand or interact with that culture.

Some cultures namely the USA, Canada and Europe are what is called Monochronic, which means people who do things one at a time, and in a planned order, a schedule as you would say. 

Whereas places like Latin America are known as Polychronic, which means often attempting many tasks simultaneously. For example a manager's office in a polychronic culture typically has the door open, a ringing phone and a meeting all going on at once. Their primary concern especially those closely related to them are people and the relationships they build during their life. 

People who are used to a schedule the monochronic business people don't understand why the person they are meeting with, who is polychronic, is always interrupted by phone calls and people stopping by unannounced. We usually, the monochronic people, find it insulting that we don't have their undivided attention. Similarly the polychronic employee of a monochronic business will find all the closed doors cold and uninviting. 

No one is trying to be rude or uninviting it is just the cultural norm.

Being able to recognise whether you are dealing with a polychronic or monochronic society and how time and relationships are valued is crucial to being able to communicate effectively across cultures.

What are your thoughts on Monochronic and Polychronic? Which one are you?

Cultural Paradigms 5.21.2019

Did you know there are 196 Countries in the world?! And each one of them has their own habits and peculiarities. The thing is though, those habits are only peculiar because it isn't something you are used to seeing or doing.

My husband eats grilled cheese with ketchup! I think it is weird and kind of a gross idea, but that is because I grew up having it with tomato soup (which is TOTALLY different) or chicken noodle soup. We are all used to different things.

Some of the habits or traditions others have around the world may seem weird or some just interesting. Who knows maybe you'll like the idea and maybe use it in your life, you never know.

In Venezuela, it is rude to show up early to something! I am definitely one of those people who likes to be early to everything. I was once told for a job of mine, "If you are early you are on time, if you're on time you are late".

In Denmark, citizens have to pick from a government approved list for baby names! Honestly this isn't such a bad idea, this law is to help children to not get ridiculed about their name. If the parents want a name that isn't on the list they have to get approval. 

In Greece, when a child loses a tooth instead of putting it under their pillow like we are used too, they throw it on their roof for good luck.

Here is a sad one which thankfully has stopped but used to be common. In China, young girls would go through the painful process of foot binding. For almost a thousand years, the Chinese thought that small feet were desirable among girls. This caused men and women to intentionally restrict the girls' feet from growing bigger. In the late 1940's, this tradition stopped because of the debilitating effects the young Chinese girls suffered from. Sounds painful.

In Thailand, there is a Monkey Buffet Festival and it is exactly how it sounds. Monkeys feast on over 3,000 kgs (over 6,600 lbs!) of fruits and vegetables out on display for the monkeys to gorge on in Lopburi, Bangkok.

Cultural Paradigms are fascinating! Just be careful and aware of other cultures when you are traveling, so you don't make the mistake of insulting or maybe accidentally breaking a law.

What Started It All!

I LOVE to TRAVEL! I figure you can guess that based on my Blog name but that is my passion. My second passion is English. Just about anything to do with English. Reading, Writing and Teaching English. I wasn't always passionate about Traveling. I did always have a love for English especially teaching and writing. 

In High School, my dream was to travel Europe after Graduating. I had found a website that I could go with a group but my plane tickets weren't included in their price. It seemed unattainable, and for many years it was for me. It wasn't until 2017, five years after I had graduated, mere months after a terrible divorce, I was determined to travel Europe by myself. AND I DID!

I loved it! I was so nervous sitting on the plane by myself surrounded by strangers at the Chicago Airport. I had flown before many times. My first trip by myself was when I was 15 going to visit family I hadn't seen in several years in Seattle, Washington from Phoenix, Arizona. I fell in love with Seattle but sadly haven't made it back there since that trip in 2009. I used to live in Germany when I was 3 years old. I only have a few vague memories so I hardly count it as traveling. So I wasn't afraid of flying. I was afraid of flying to another country by myself. 

Traveling has changed me for the better! I found myself while I was abroad. I know some people think why can't you find yourself where you are living why did it have to be in Europe. My reason is I had to be outside my comfort zone and in a place I had always wanted to be. I finally had to do something for myself that made me happy. Traveling makes me happy! I love having new experiences!

Seen the ball drop in Times Square in New York City on New Year’s Eve
I have Skydived in Moab, UT
Skied (for the first time) in Toronto, Canada
Took a cooking class in Paris, France (with my bestfriend I might add)
Ate Escargot at 1am in Paris, France (totally would eat again!)
I did a river boat cruise in Frankfurt, Germany and in London, England

I love having experiences and I hope to encourage others to take the leap and go outside their comfort zone.
Safe Travels! C'est la vie!

Verde Hot Springs Adventure

Hidden Gem near Camp Verde, Arizona

In the mountains near Camp Verde and Strawberry, Arizona is an abandoned Hot Springs. When you think of Arizona you think hot desert sand and prickly cactus, but tucked away in the forest is a hidden gem.

I heard about this place while I was with a few friends out to dinner. I wanted to go as soon as the words were uttered, "Abandoned Hot Springs". Sounds nice to me! It took a little pleading on my part to convince my husband but he was on board in the end for a little camping trip.

I did a little research but in the end the websites I found didn't piece the whole picture together. So let me break it down for you so you don't have trouble finding it like my husband and I did.

This is to help anyone not make the same mistake as us. We left a little late on Friday Evening since we were finishing our packing and Mikel got off work later than I did; we hit the road at about 7pm. We knew we had about a 3 hour drive ahead of us so we got going as soon as we could. 

It all went wrong when we took the exit Orme Rd/Dugas Rd off of I-17 N (we didn't know better though!). We drove along and had a bumpy ride. Based on some of the sites I had previously found I expected a little bit of a bumpy ride. But this was a rougher ride than we would have liked. We did almost get stuck on some of the rocks that were on the road. This road seemed to be one used to go off roading in Jeeps and such. (I was doing this in a Toyota Highlander!) It was late, we were getting nervous and we didn't know exactly where we were going, we just trusted Google Maps to lead the way. After being on this bumpy dirt road for an hour and a half we finally pulled over and decided to sleep in the car and decide what to do in the morning. When we got up and packed the car again we decided to try again but a different route. We finally found the right road we should have been on through a bit more research. The website we found still had some errors about the roads and such so I wont post it here. 

The Right Directions...

No matter where you are coming from you need to go to Fossil Creek Road just outside of Camp Verde. THIS IS THE ONLY WAY TO GET THERE! You could be stopped by a Forest Ranger asking for a permit. Some of the area you will be driving through you do need a permit to stay but for Verde Hot Springs you do not. You'll take Fossil Creek Rd for about 12 miles. Please take your time on this road!!!!! It is a windy dirt road I highly suggest using a high clearance vehicle. Eventually you'll come to a stop sign, there is usually another Ranger here to check for a Permit. Just inform them you are heading to Verde Hot Springs they will tell you to turn right. This road is Forest Service Road 502 you'll be on this road about 6 miles. The last 1/4 of a mile is where you'll want the High Clearance Vehicle. These directions will take you to Childs Dispersed Campground. The Verde Hot Springs is only a short hike from here. 

From the Campground to the Hot Springs. About 1.5-2 Mile Hike

Coming straight from the road is a sign of just basic things about the area, you'll want to go right (it's about North East) you'll follow the camp ground dirt road to a fence. This is a trail along the river. (Going Upstream) You'll take that trail a bit you will see a electricity area fenced off. There is a trail by it so head up to that. You'll follow this road for about a mile and a half until you see some rocks that are spray painted green. There are a few of them one of the bigger ones is a green arrow. (If you miss the rocks you'll come across a sign about launching a boat and such, it means you went too far, but don't panic you are close just go back a bit.) You'll then go down to the river bed following a trail that is there. You will need to cross the river to continue following the trail. 

When you cross it looks like you can go either left or right but go left because the other way is a dead end. Just follow that trail and it will lead you right to the Hot Springs. 

You'll start to see some of the foundations that used to be part of the building which burned down a long time ago. Also if you are so inclined in certain areas you are aloud to paint on the walls and such (they have a post stating you can paint)

I loved our weekend getaway to this wonderful place. We had a lot of fun. Met some people and played a game of hammer and nails, which Mikel accidently put a small hole in our tent because of. xD Please use some sunscreen we were a little excited and forgot to put it on and now we are dealing with some burned shoulders.

Safe Travels! C'est la vie!

Notes:
Childs Dispersed Campground National Forest Page

"Is the Great American Teacher Dead?" 05.01.2019

"O Captain, my Captain." -Walt Whitman

When I was reading "Is the Great American Teacher Dead?" What kept pressing upon my mind was the movie "Dead Poets Society". The above phrase is said numerous time throughout the movie. If you don't know what the movie is about or haven't seen it. It is about an English Teacher named John Keating, who inspires his students to look and think about poetry with a different perspective, along with telling the students that their future is for them to seize, Carpe Diem meaning seize the day.

If I might be so bold to quote the movie directly, "We don't read and write poetry because it's cute. We read and write poetry because we are members of the human race. And the human race is filled with passion. And medicine, law, business, engineering, these are noble pursuits and necessary to sustain life. But poetry, beauty, romance, love, these are what we stay alive for. To quote from Whitman, 'O me! O life!... of the questions of these recurring; of the endless trains of the faithless... of cities filled with the foolish; what good amid these, O me, O life?' Answer. That you are here - that life exists, and identity; that the powerful play goes on and you may contribute a verse. That the powerful play *goes on* and you may contribute a verse. What will your verse be?"

I might be a little biased since I love poetry and English in general but that scene is inspiring to me. We are all here for a reason and I think our Teachers are one of the most important parts of our life. 

I don't think the Great American Teacher is dead, I just think they are going extinct. The world isn't helping Teachers to help the future generations. Besides the students parents we are the people who are teaching them and molding their minds to go out into the world and be our politicians, doctors, lawers, mothers, fathers, ect.. but what impression are we leaving them with? Will they thirst for knowledge and come to an understanding on why it is important?

Yes, this is a lot of pressure as a Teacher to think about. We are partially responsible for the students we have and send on in life. But it is rewarding as well! This is the reason I want to become a Teacher. I want to help those around me gain knowledge and open my students to a different way of thinking and understanding. 

We all have the opportunity to become the Great Teacher not just the Great American Teacher. We just have to have the passion to change the world through our teaching to our students.