I left very early this morning to catch the flight home. It was so early, in fact, that no one was driving on the roads, and the city of Paris was completely still. Although I was glad to be headed back to my 6 year old daughter who I thought about and missed immensely, I was also filled with a grateful heart and a thankful tummy as I downed the last few bites of pain au chocolate (a delicious chocolate croissant).
I speak the last bit of my broken French to the attendants in the airport. Once on the plane, I recline (ever so slightly), and do my best to relax for a long flight home as I ponder the possibilities ahead for my students.
I will forever be grateful for the opportunity from Fund for Teachers to
experience the art, architecture and antiquities of Paris and the Loire
Valley firsthand. This experience was much more beneficial than any
professional development that I could have imagined. There was so much
to glean from the trip itself and the museums in Paris. The possibility
of how I can adapt this information and experience to my classroom
practice are endless! My students can learn about French architecture,
create impressionist paintings like Monet, make a still life like
Cézanne and Renoir, make Picasso-inspired pieces, create castles like
those of the Loire Valley and Guédleon, and so much more. The most
exciting part is that during our studies of French architecture and art,
I can show my students my 360º panoramas, allow them to interact with
the 3D captures on the ipad, and show videos and photographs that
capture the essence of the locations and close-up details of paintings
and brushstrokes by the masters. This can be done via the ipad and
Smartboard.
