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!