Group photo of the 2023 class of Grosvenor Teacher Fellows in Washington, D.C., courtesy of the National Geographic Society.
Antarctica Expedition is the Tip of the Iceberg for Third Grade Teacher
This time last year, Gilman third grade teacher Jen Reiter was making plans to travel more than 9,000 miles over 24 days in the fall of 2023 on a once-in-a-lifetime expedition to Antarctica and the Falkland and Georgia Islands. Now, in advance of the 2024-2025 school year, she's building off of ideas she began formulating in the spring on how to best share her experiences with students and colleagues at the School.
Reiter, who has taught at Gilman since 2000, was awarded the experience of this expedition after being one of 50 highly respected educators selected for the 15th cohort of Lindblad Expeditions and National Geographic Society Grosvenor Teacher Fellows. She was eligible for the fellowship after becoming a National Geographic Certified Educator in 2019.
"The Certified Educator program was put together by National Geographic to introduce teachers to the Explorer Mindset Learning Framework so that they can introduce that to their classrooms and students," explains Reiter. "Through the Explorer Mindset, we talk to the kids about how everybody is an explorer and how explorers are curious, responsible, and empowered to make a difference in the world."
During a weekend of training in D.C., Reiter did a deep dive into the Explorer Mindset herself. "We learned about photography, we learned about biomimicry, we learned about all of these things that might come into play on our expedition," she says. "The idea is that the first year when you go on your expedition, it's as a student and a learner. Then, in the second year, we figure out how we're going to bring that experience back to our students, community, and school and really have an impact on all aspects of your teaching with that experience in mind."
The idea is that the first year when you go on your expedition, it's as a student and a learner. Then, in the second year, we figure out how we're going to bring that experience back to our students, community, and school and really have an impact on all aspects of your teaching with that experience in mind.
In the spring of 2024, Reiter reflected on the three-and-a-half-week experience, including some of the amazing geological and oceanic formations the group came across and, of course, all manner of penguins, seabirds, and marine mammals like orca and humpback whales.
Now, with the second year of the fellowship ahead of her, Reiter is looking forward to integrating experiences and knowledge acquired from her time on the continent into her curriculum, as well as increasing opportunities for her students and others to engage in tangible ways with the Explorer Mindset.
"I'm working to find ways to weave the experience into the classroom without a full 'Antarctic Unit,'" says Reiter. "For example, learning about Ernest Shackleton during our biography unit, investigating the geographic features of the continent during our geography unit, and looking at animal adaptations of penguins to compare them to sled dog adaptations when we study that."
This past spring, Reiter tested the idea of a hiking trail around campus where her students chose 12 stops and wrote haikus about each. "Antarctica is an amazing place, but there are amazing places everywhere. How often do we overlook the amazing place that's right around us? Since returning, I've been thinking about how I can make third graders feel like explorers on Gilman's campus and have a magical experience here and do all the things [writing, sketching, photographing] that I did to document my experience," she explains.
This year, Reiter hopes to build off of that successful trial and, eventually, make it so that the entire community can experience campus through the eyes of its explorer students.
Ultimately, Reiter says that the Grosvenor Teacher Fellowship experience has been "rejuvenating" for her and shows just how impactful Gilman's strong and longtime commitment to professional development can be.
"Things people always ask me about Gilman are: What's your favorite thing about Gilman?, Why do you love to teach there?, Why have you been there so long? Part of my answer always is Gilman's dedication to professional development. There are opportunities for teachers to do anything that will have an impact in their classroom," says Reiter. "I'm very grateful to Gilman, especially Henry [Smyth, Head of School] and Linda [Fussell, Head of Lower School], for their support, for believing in me, and allowing me to have this kind of time off to have this expedition and this experience. Of course, I'm also grateful to National Geographic for the experience, resources, and education and to Lindblad Expeditions for all of their amazing ships, staff, and hospitality. This experience will live with me forever and, I hope, with my students as well."
Antarctica is an amazing place, but there are amazing places everywhere. How often do we overlook the amazing place that's right around us?
Photo Highlights from Reiter's 2023 Expedition
The below photos represent only a fraction of the thousands of photos Reiter captured during her 24-day experience.
Click on a photo to view in a larger window.
