Fund for Teachers | My Passport

Jessica Johnson

University Charter School, Livingston AL

Enroll in the Teton Science Schools in Jackson Hole, WY, the model and hub for place-based education, to assist in the implementation of a improved educational model that includes a clearer context for learning within a rural community and "real life."

Where I've Been

  • Jackson Hole, Wyoming

My Fellowship in Images

discussing look-fors and how we could tie our curriculum to the place where we stood.
Learning how to use nature walks as discussions
Collaborating with HS team for our upcoming D.I.V.E.S.
Walking thru and learning how their everyday routines are part of their PBE model.
Visiting their school and learning about the culture their students created
Celebrating goal setting

Igniting Your Personal and Professional Growth

Describe one or two, specific learning experiences from your fellowship. In words, show us this experience and explain why it was powerful.

Being able to listen to their "capstone" presentations where eye-opening. Seeing the students passionate about their community, identifying areas of concern, talking with community members to gain insight, and creating plan for a solution was empowering.

What did you learn about yourself? What did you learn professionally?

I learned that it was okay to loosen the grip of "structure" in the classroom to allow more room for freedom in explorations and creative thought and expression.

What were some unplanned or unexpected experiences or outcomes of your fellowship? Or, how did the fellowship you crafted differ from the actual learning experience?

I wasn't expecting an authentic learning experience. I pictured us being talked to and "taught" (old school), rather than being immersed in the classes (which is what their teaching style).

Impacting Your Classroom, School and Community

Outline specific plans you have to implement your fellowship and reach your student goals.

Our DIVES at school are directly aligned to the learning experiences we saw and felt at Teton. Being able to their those frameworks and models back to our students have greatly improved our DIVES and exporations.

What is one way you can leverage your fellowship to create one authentic learning experience for students? (e.g. hands-on learning, projects, community engagement)

Our DIVES are cross-curricular, hands-on, project based experienced for our students to learn more about their Place-based focus and then strengthened and elaborated on in other subject areas.

How, specifically, will your fellowship extend beyond your classroom? (e.g. families, school-at-large, afterschool groups, surrounding community, colleagues, etc.)

Our DIVES are place-based an directly tied to the community. We are exploring the health of our county and how we can better educate out families and community member to make healthier life-style choices (all student driven).