Essex County Educator Resource Network

Thank you for visiting this blog! I am writing an entry to introduce the Essex County Educator Resource Network, a Facebook group that is designed to help educators share lessons and activities the focus on Place Based Education in Essex County, Massachusetts.

The Saugus Iron Works, Saugus, MA

If you've found this blog, then you are most likely already part of our educator network, but you might not understand the idea behind creating it. This blog entry will explain that idea and will also provide a little background as to why I've created the group, what I hope the group will accomplish, and what role you can play in making the Essex County Educator Resource Network a vibrant place for folks to share their success stories in placed based education.

This blog began in 2013 as I took 40 students of mine on an educational trip to England, Ireland, and Wales.  The blog was designed to keep parents informed of what we were seeing and how our trip was going. It's been a decade since my first post, and I still write an entry every night when taking students overseas. 

Mark Twain once said that "One Must Travel to Learn." While he was well traveled, he was also an incredible wordsmith. I believe that Twain did not literally mean that folks had to travel to learn, but instead, that one could read about a faraway place and travel there, in their mind, to learn about a people, or their culture, or their cuisine.  I've used his quote as a slogan for my student travel, but I also think it was this quote that has inspired me to change the way I look at the past and to try and help my students learn by traveling through time to experience history's impact on a particular place and the people who lived there.

Place Based Education is a recent buzzword in EdSpeak and as I've learned more about it, I've realized that the definition is a little in flux. For me, it is focusing my lessons on history, whenver applicable, to the story of a place. I teach in Saugus, a community founded nearly 400 years ago, and it has an incredibly rich history. In my instruction, I incorporate that history into as many lessons as possible. Students in my class room see how Saugus fits into the bigger picture of American history. I ask them to think about how Saugus has changed over time and how the town looked, sounded, and smelled like in different eras of our history. 

Placed Based Education doesn't just fit into the mold of an American history class, however. Every discipline and evey grade level can use Placed Based Education to make their instruction more engaging. It does not matter if you teach art, or science, or 3rd grade math, you can find ways to incorporate place into your lessons and activities. If you are thinking, "how?" then the Essex County Educator Resource Network is definitely something you should participate in because I think you will find ideas and see suggestions of how to make it work for you...and once it is working, you can share your story with other teachers too.

For some background on why I've created this Facebook group, you can listen to an interview I gave on the podcast,  "Bob's Just Asking."  Bob is Bob Fenster, a highly esteemed educator from Hillsborough High School in Hillsborough, New Jersey. In the podcast, Bob just asks me questions about my participation in the National Park's Service Teacher Ranger Teacher program. It is roughly 45 minutes long and provides some additional details. It is shared on the Facebook group page as well. 

Bob's Just Asking: Season 4: Episode: 2

https://open.spotify.com/episode/6eY6eTYMrbX0JyFnUJJ0Iy?si=5a1b0faedab445e9

I hope that this entry has provide a little background on why I've created the Essex County Educator Resource Network and how I think Place Based Education might make your class room more engaging to students, but I also wanted to explain what your role might look like moving forward.

First, I am hoping that everyone who joins this group will find that it is helpful. I want everyone to be able to log into the group and find support for their ideas from other teachers. I hope that the group truly transforms into a network where educators from Essex County, and beyond, can come to find place based lessons for their students. The lessons and activities might center on field trips (in person or virtual) but they might also be class room centered and focused on one place. Either way, I hope everyone learns from their participation.

Second, I am hoping that most of our members contribute to this network. I am a high school history teacher and I will be posting about lessons and activities that I've created that have a PBE focus, but I do not teach math or art. I will not have the expertise to discuss a field lesson on water quality or properly demonstrating a horizon line on a canvas. I will not be the best person to explain to a kindergartner how a poem or song about some magical place is actually a place that is nearby. It will be our active membership that makes this network successful over time.

Thirdly, because I am not an expert in all things, I am going to be looking for moderators to help make this page more successful. I will need folks from different communities, grade levels, and disciplines to help organize our page and make it grow. I will also look to you for advice and support in making the actual Facebook page more user friendly. I am hopeful that we will form a team to make the Essex County Educator Resource Network something even better than I can envision. If you've made it this far and any of this seems interesting to you, please reach out. My school email is rlavoie@saugus.k12.ma.us, please use subject line "Essex County Educator Resource Network."  

Eurotrip24 Preview

Just about a week ago, nearly 30 students and staff of Saugus Middle High School returned from Eurotrip23.  It was an amazing experience. If you want to relive the excitement and check out the trip follow this link to read the trip's blog, “Where in the World is Mr. Lavoie?”  Now that we are back, I wanted to provide you with some additional information regarding our next European adventure scheduled for April break of 2024.

Next year, we are planning to visit some of my favorite places and we already have over a dozen students enrolled.  The trip will begin in the Netherlands. Here, we will visit the canals of this beautiful city. We will also explore the home of Anne Frank.  Amsterdam is such an interesting place to see especially in April when the tulips have started to bloom.

Following Amsterdam, we will travel to Belgium. Our tour in Brussels will include visiting the sites of the European Union, the Grand-Place, and a chocolate factory…where the kids will make some of their own sweets.  Home to the waffle, Belgium is an incredibly friendly place that will be an instant highlight for the kids.

After leaving the low country, we will make our way into France to explore the City of lights, Paris. In Paris, we will see all of the major sites including a visit into the Louvre.  While our visit in this magical city is brief, we will have time, as a group, to explore some of the interesting neighborhoods and foods that Paris has to offer.  

Departing Paris, we will take the Eurostar underneath the English Channel for our final destination in London. We will see the city from the heights of the London Eye and the depths of the Tube. London, as a capstone of our trip, will also include an excursion to the mystical rock formation at Stonehenge.

This 11 day trip is sure to be an exciting and safe way to begin your child’s journey into seeing the world.  If you think this trip is for your child, then please explore the trip website at: www.eftours.com/2576808ff. You are able to enroll from that website if you’d like.

If you would like to hear more about this trip, then I welcome you to attend an online, virtual, information session on Thursday, May 11th. I will begin our meeting at 6pm and it should not last more than an hour. I also wanted to note that I am not currently planning on running a trip in 2025. I hope to resume Eurotrips beginning in 2026, but cannot commit to a tour at this time.

Please reserve your spot for the meeting by clicking the reservation link. I will email the Zoom link as we approach the 11th.

Day Ten: This City Has Captured My Heart

 

Sometimes known as the City of 100 Spires, Prague is also considered the heart of Europe and it has to be because it captures so many hearts.  I absolutely love Prague and hope to live here for an extended period of time when I retire.  There is something otherworldly about this place. It looks medieval, but survived World War II and Communism. It blends language and culture from all over into something special and unique.  The people are a little reserved, but warm up to you quickly.  It has a certain charm about it that is hard to describe, but easy to notice.  I hope tonight's blog and some of our pictures capture this essence.

We are back to our hotel and it is about 10pm.  The kids are all supposed to be in their rooms packing up and getting ready for our departure. We are planning on leaving the hotel at 7:30am for the airport. It is just a stone's throw away from us.  By this time tomorrow, I am assuming we will have passed through customs and will be with our families again.  Another adventure over, but hopefully a lifetime of travel ahead of us.  

Let's not get to far ahead of ourselves through, we had a really busy day today! I clocked in 37K+ steps today. Not the record that we set in Rome, but good enough for second on my all-time list, I think, and roughly 17 miles of walking.  The kids, today, probably have the same as me or more!

WE began the day early with a bit of breakfast from the Hotel Krystal.  It was surreal...not because it was high quality or plentiful, like some of our other stops, but because of the options.

My first course was hot dog sausage thingys, cold egg and cheese, and beef noodle soup. lol.

For my second course, I prepared a lovely sandwich. I added cucumbers and tomatoes as well.

A few of the kids raved about the pasta salad available at breakfast. I didn't try any.

Less kids raved about the Spaghetti with meat sauce available at breakfast although a few did try it.

Our breakfast complete, we all gathered onto the bus for Joseph to take us up to the Prague Castle.  There we met Eva. Our guide was a wonderfully nice woman. She recognized really early that our kids were tired and she was relieved when I told her it was because we had been going non-stop for 10 days. At the mid-point of the tour, she brought us to a café and allowed the kids to snack and rest. It was much appreciated.  She was also very knowledgeable.  The first part of our tour was at the Government building that is Prague Castle.

Eva leading our discussion.

Walking into the Castle with the Cathedral as a backdrop

If the Presidential flag is flying it means that the President is in the country.

Czech the Facebook page for a video of their changing of the guard. It was cool!

Eva explained a lot of the functions of Prague castle as a government building.  She didn't drag on with things that we wouldn't know and instead tried to get the kids to respond to questions about the things she had said...she was also very good at throwing bits of humor into the talks, but I think most of those comments went over many of our heads.  One funny thing is that the newly elected President is Peter Paul.  On the grounds, there is a chapel with the statues of Sts. Peter and Paul in each corner. Prague people think this is a good omen, lol.

We walked through the stone gate pictured above towards the Cathedral for the next portion of the tour. There we learned about Charles IV and St. Wenceslas.  These are two very important leaders of Prague throughout the history and both had made a tremendous impact on the people today.  The lessons we learned helped us later in the evening when our ghost guide quizzed us on the history of Praha.

This was the original entrance to St. Vitus Cathedral

This chapel has elements of Romanesque, Gothic, and Renaissance architecture in it.

Our group entering the garden and catching the views

While some had coffee and crepes, others walked into the lower garden. It was beautiful

We found out Kent was on an episode of Ghost Hunters International (Season 3) which is available for streaming on Peacock...this is my reminder to watch when I get home.

Forgive my language and photography skills, these two men represent the two biggest cities in the Czech Republic and they are having a pissing contest to see who is more important.

Eva took us from the Gardens to the entrance of the Charles Bridge. She explained the terrible flooding that the city experienced and showed us some of the markers that demonstrate the water's height. She also explained that there are thirty statues on the bridge, 28 of which were made from sandstone.

A marker showing the flood water's height

The two towers of Charles Bridge on the Lesser Town side.

It looks busy here, but if you've been to Prague, you know it is actually very empty.

Mrs. Agola with the photobomb of the trip!!!

While chilly today, it is Spring in Prague

The Astronomical Clock in Old Town Square

Eva brought us to Old Town Square and explained the ins and outs of the Astronomical clock which is nearly 600 years old. It takes a lickin' and keeps on tickin' Every hour, on the hour, the bells ring and the clock comes to life. Again, Czech out the pictures I posted on Facebook for a video of the clock...and remember, it is 600 years old. I think some folks walk away a little disappointed, but if we put it into perspective, it should amaze us. It doesn't just play music and move a little, the clock itself tells the time, the season, the stages of the moon, etc. 

Eva said goodbye to us and we had ourselves a little free time. Old Town Prague is filled with winding roads and cobblestone paths, but it is relatively small and easier to navigate these days with Google Maps.  Some of the kids headed off to do some last minute shopping and others sat for a wonderful lunch or trdnelik.  Our chaperons really found the key to relaxing while on tour.

Mr. S, Mrs. Comproni, and Mrs. Agola got the royal treatment!

I have a philosophy of travel which is to leave something, at every place I really enjoy, for my next visit. I've never been to the Catacombs in Paris, as an example, but on this trip, I visited a place I always wanted to see, but was too scared to do...I went to the top of the Clock Tower.

I don't like heights. They make me anxious.  It is one of the things about me that surprises some of the kids and usually makes them laugh at me a bit, lol.  The ride through the Alps was rough, but today, I conquered a fear of mine that I've held on to for nearly two decades.

While running back to ground level, I had an idea. I posted on the Facebook that we'd be in Old Town Square at 5:30 meeting for dinner and that if anyone was available, they would be able to see us on a webcam that overlooks the plaza. As the kids met back up after free time, I organized them and had them do a traditional Fenway Park wave...after which I explained why...people at home were watching.  It was fun seeing the comments from home on my feed. I wish more people saw us and that someone had taken a screenshot of us for the blog, lol.  

Thinking about dinner

I think their favorite TV show is Cheers!

A very nice dinner. Roasted Chicken, New Potatoes, and mixed veggies.

Apple Strudel for dessert, It was tart.

When we finished dinner, we prepared for our final group activity. We arranged for an evening Ghost and Legends tour. Susanna arrived to our group and led us around town to places we've seen and some we had no idea ever existed. She told us tales of murder and intrigue and then showed us the instruments of those dark ways. She also wove some humor into the mix and kept our kids' attention even though many of us were very very tired.

Our tour finished and we headed for the Metro station to return to our hotel. The transition went as smoothly as possible and we made it back fairly quickly.

Kent explained proper Metro ticket scanning.

While are back at the hotel and preparing to depart, I doubt many of the kids will forget this evening. It was chilly, but fun. I think the picture below sums up the overall Prague experience. A city that mixes generations and tells amazing tales.  It is illuminated by its past and invites folks from all over the fall in love with its streets, its towers, and chimney cakes, and its people. I know I will be back...I hope every single one of the kids comes back as well.

Mr. Lavoie, currently shifting from blog writing to bag packing for tomorrow's return to the real world.