Explore the Egyptian Wing at the Metropolitan Museum of Art

I could be making a very random reference here, but I'm hoping at least some readers will remember a fun children's film produced by the happy people at Sesame Street entitled "Please Don't Eat the Pictures". In this movie, the cast of Sesame Street, including the children, the adults, and all the puppets, spend a lovely day visiting New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art. At the end of the day, Big Bird cannot find his friend Snuffalupagus, and sneaks back into the museum to connect with him. Snaffus and shenanigans ensue, and the entire cast ends up being locked in the museum overnight.

Visit the Tower of London's Creepy London Dungeon Wax Museum

When I was sixteen, I went to England to visit a pen pal. I'd been writing to my friend Graeme from the age of 11 or 12, when I'd met him at a family friend's birthday party. I thought it was terribly exciting that I had a friend in England, and even more so when I found out I was able to visit him the summer before I began Grade 11!

Explore the Catacombs Beneath the City of Paris

In April of 2010, I took my school kids on a field trip that no sane teacher in her right mind would take kids on - but since I'm not exactly the most sane person, this was a field trip perfect for me!

For a year and a half, since early 2009, I had been planning an international field trip for my students with a company called Explorica, hoping to be one of the first junior high groups in our school district to be allowed to travel under school sanction to another country. Many high schools had done this before, but not a group with the age range of my students. I wrote an eleven-page proposal, sent many (annoying) emails, and finally got my way! Our school's first "Travel Club" was headed to London, Paris, Italy, and Rome on a 10-day whirlwind trip!

Voodoo Priests and Bourbon Street Adventures in New Orleans

Attending seminars and conferences is a large part of a teacher's professional development. A first-year teacher learns this quickly. But most first-year teachers don't get to attend conferences internationally, which is something I found myself doing during my first year at my little rural school. This conference, held in New Orleans of all places, was something my principal was keen to attend, but didn't want to attend alone.

Two other new teachers and myself joked about going with him to 'supervise' him, not realizing we'd actually be able to. But one week before March break, we found ourselves packing our bags to head to the 'Big Easy' for a week of sessions, sight-seeing, and even a few leprechaun sightings!

Go on a Zip Line in my Wedding Dress

Zip lining has always been something I wanted to try. I came close a few years ago when I helped to chaperone some students at their yearly Grade 5/6 Camp. Zip lining was listed as a team-building activity, and I was very excited to try... until I found out that I was required at the school that day and couldn't join the 5/6 students on the zip line. I'm still bitter about missing out on that opportunity. But I was able to make up for this disappointment... on my wedding day!

Get Married in Costa Rica on the Beach

I was never the type of child to dream about her wedding. I never dressed up as a bride, or cut out pictures of flowers and dresses. When I was 25, I worked at a museum that had a lovely viewing space, which was used for weddings.

Since the wedding planner at our building ironically didn't work weekends, I had the lovely job of using her notes to make sure the weddings were pulled off according to plan. After an entire summer of suffering through brides, the mothers of the bride, and drunken grooms and guests, I HATED weddings.

Live in Quebec for Three Months and Learn French

As I said in my introductory post, moving to Quebec when I was sixteen was one of the first major travel experiences I'd ever had. I'd taken French courses my whole life in school - that is simply part of the Canadian school experience - and had a desire to be able to say more than just the phrases taught in the workbooks.

Our school had been participating in the French Exchange program for years and years, and in the last few of those years, I'd become friends with some of the prior exchange students. I also wanted to be the one in our high school yearbook who had a whole page dedicated just to her and her life experiences (yes, at sixteen I'll admit I was on the vain side). Overall, I felt that the exchange program was a good fit for me.

Go White Water Rafting in Canada's Rocky Mountains

Man vs. Nature.

I teach this concept to my students all the time - it is a timeless conflict in literature, and in real life. Will man overcome, or will nature take its course?

I decided to test this in the summer of 2009, and was lucky enough to test it twice in one week. My husband's family has rented a cabin in Radium, British Columbia for the last two summers; a new 'tradition' that we're trying to establish. It is a small town set in the heart of the Rocky Mountains, full of beautiful hiking trails, gorgeous views, and of course, the famous Radium Hot Springs. But we were to discover there was more adventure to be had in Radium than jumping into the ice pool at the Hot Springs...

See the Whitehouse in Washington D.C.

In June of 2009, Washington D.C. was host to a major teaching technology conference organized by ISTE. My school is involved in something called the "1-to-1 Laptop Project" in which each of my Junior High students have access to a personal laptop to enhance their learning. In the hopes of picking new ideas, tips, and lesson ideas, the Junior High teaching crew headed to Washington to attend the conference, and of course, see some of the sights!