The Capital Tour, #BKinDC

With such a busy semester, it has been quite some time since my last blog post.  However, an hour and a half flight from Washington to Jacksonville gives me an opportunity to share with you the most memorable teaching experience I have had in my career.  This week, I had the privilege to take six students from our school to Washington, DC for a four-day tour of the capital and surrounding areas.

As a teacher, my ultimate goal is to inspire a passion for learning in all of my students and as a history teacher especially, to give my students an understanding and appreciation of the past and help form them into responsible citizens.  While I strive to do this everyday in the classroom, this trip to Washington really gave me the chance to see that passion for learning come to life.  Throughout a very packed four day tour, I had the opportunity to witness these six students be genuinely engaged in learning and take an interest in all the sites and exhibits we visited.  They listened intently to all of the lessons given by our outstanding tour director, Monica Martucci.  They stopped to read exhibits, to take a closer look at historical artifacts, to ask questions and really take in the sites.  Of course, they also stopped to take multiple photos and selfies!  Who can resist a selfie with George Washington or a perfectly posed shot holding up the White House?  Nothing can be more exciting as a teacher than to see your students huddled around a historic document, carefully examining the text and reading all of the surrounding information.

This is what learning is all about - not memorization, not random facts, but real experiences that expand horizons and create lasting memories.  I am thankful that these students had such a great trip and I am grateful for the opportunity to experience Washington with them.

I am thankful for EF Explore America and our consultant, Christine Moore, for expertly planning all of the logistics for this tour.  I am also appreciative of the Bishop Kenny administration for allowing this venture and especially my wonderful wife for being so supportive of me and allowing me to be away from home for four days of Spring break.

Parents, thank you for making this opportunity possible for your children and most importantly, thank you Anna, Kelvy, Sarah, Emily, Caitlyn and Maribeth for an amazing adventure!

If interested, check out our pictures on Twitter or Instagram: @michaelbroach or #BKinDC