As long as you've been accepted to attend a place-based teacher institute, remember to look for things that are not necessarily "in the brochure". After attending three such institutes, I like to advise people to be alert and make your own path. Yes, you do have obligations - you are required to participate in all the planned activities, lectures, etc. - but at the same time, you can discover the following when you least expect it:
- Adventure: While I was at Fort Ticonderoga, participants were given the opportunity to board a bateaux and row in Lake Champlain and into the La Chute River. While some of the group rowed using the long, wooden sweeps, we soon discovered we were floating into a thunderstorm. It was probably the most memorable part of the entire week. It was already an adventure, but this event made it special for all of us. When at Mount Vernon a year earlier, one of the leaders gave us some rich advice: he told us we could sleep when we got home, but while on the property, he advised us to experience as much as we could (outside of the lectures and planned activities).
- Connection: I am not savvy with people. My introvert ways are really challenged when I meet new people, and that's when my attendance at a teacher institute is really treading outside of my comfort zone. After all, you'll even have to room with a stranger (unless you want to pay for a single room). I have come to welcome the challenge of being outside of my comfort zone. It does keep me on my toes, and it adds adventure to the week. Traveling across the country alone is not something I've done in the past, and it is certainly different not having my wife and kids along for the trip, so making connections with people who think differently and live in different regions of the country can really be an eye-opener.
- Stories: As a result of all the above, you'll return with all kinds of excitement. You'll want to tell everyone about your experience. But it's more than showing people your vacation slide show: you'll want to tell them what you learned and what the scholars taught you. You'll want to tell people about the people you met. They're your stories now! And if your family won't listen, remember you have a captive audience in your classroom. Your students will get just as excited as you are.
- Nooks and Crannies: You may not have ever been here before. Look around corners. Look through windows. Find unlocked doors. Venture off the tourist trail! See things no one else gets to see. While at Mount Vernon, we got to be on the property after hours and even overnight (as long as we alerted security). Some of my most robust memories occurred when I was alone, away from the group.
- A Personal Experience: It is possible to make your teacher institute unique by finding your own path, but it is something you have to engineer yourself. Take charge and make it yours. Ask questions when you need to know something. And don't be timid: raise your hand first when someone asks for a volunteer! It may be your only chance to do something very, very special and exclusive!
Take a look at my teacher institute pages: Crystal Bridges, George Washington and Mount Vernon, America's Fort: Fort Ticonderoga, and Colonial Williamsburg.
