Fund for Teachers | My Passport

Jaime Kerns

Lookout Valley Middle/High School, Chattanooga TN

Embark on a cultural and linguistic journey across Morocco and the Canary Islands, including experiences at historical sites, UNESCO biospheres, national parks, and an intensive language course/homestay, to deepen personal understanding of how these cultures and languages influence an Hispanic heritage shared by a growing percentage of students.

Where I've Been

  • Marrakech, Morocco
  • Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain
  • San Sebastián de La Gomera, Spain
  • Santa Cruz de La Palma, Spain
  • Visiting Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain

My Fellowship in Images

This image captures a traditional Canarian folk dance performed during the Fiesta de Nuestra Señora del Carmen, celebrated in Garachico, a town on the island of Tenerife in the Canary Islands. The dancers are dressed in traditional Canarian attire.
Inside the stunning Cueva de los Verdes, a natural lava tube in Lanzarote, where the play of light and shadow reveals the island's volcanic origins. César Manrique's influence on Lanzarote's conservation efforts is felt deeply here.
This photograph shows a vast, arid landscape typical of Fuerteventura, one of the Canary Islands. The barren, rolling hills and distant mountains are characteristic of Fuerteventura's desert-like terrain, especially in areas like Betancuria & Antigua
The mountainous region of La Gomera. The image shows a phenomenon known as the "sea of clouds" (mar de nubes) rolling over the peaks, which is a common sight in the Canary Islands due to the trade winds.
the "Monumento a las Madres", a sculpture dedicated to mothers. The docuoments I am holding are birth records of my great-great-grandmother, born in La Palma.
Looking down on Brena Baja and Brena Alta, the home of my ancestors, on La Palma. La Palma is known as "La Isla Bonita" (The Beautiful Island) due to its diverse landscapes, including volcanic areas, laurel forests, and rich agricultural zones.

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.

A happenstance conversation with the Guanches' history and culture museum guide in La Palma led to me discovering concrete evidence of my family's life there since the 1400s, its direct tie to the indigenous people, & how he & I were related through the same person! This challenged my understanding of cultural identity, my understanding of distant relatives & what it means to know your roots. This discovery allows me a more nuanced perspective of how immigration stories continue and evolve.

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

Professionally, I gained confidence in my Spanish fluency and a renewed passion for cultural immersion, both of which will enhance my teaching as I encourage & inspire my students to appreciate and engage with diverse cultures​​ through hands-on experiences. I personally realized how reconnecting with my cultural roots gave me a deeper sense of identity and pride. I learned the importance of embracing the unexpected & being vulnerable to the positive experiences that come from unplanned moments.

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?

An unexpected outcome of my fellowship was discovering my ancestral connection to the Guanche people, which made the experience deeply personal. Additionally, I didn’t anticipate how challenging it would be to navigate single-laned rural areas with business closed for the local saints but this led to unplanned adventures, like exploring remote Guanche cave dwellings. These unexpected experiences enriched my journey, offering more profound cultural insights than I had initially planned​​.

Impacting Your Classroom, School and Community

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

I plan to create an interdisciplinary unit exploring the Canary Islands' and Morocco's cultural and historical ties to Latin America. This will include lessons on Canarian Spanish, hands-on activities like preparing Canarian dishes, and student research on cultural heritage. I’ll also incorporate videos and materials from my trip into the curriculum, allowing students to connect more deeply with their own diverse backgrounds​​.

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)

One way I"ll leverage my fellowship is by having students design a FFT experience based on their interests & recreate traditional Canarian dishes as part of a cultural exploration project. Students will research the islands, how to travel there, what activities or experiences they must do, & what foods they must try. This hands-on activity will not only engage their culinary skills but also deepen their understanding of cultural heritage, tourism, and foster community engagement​​.

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

My fellowship will extend beyond the classroom by creating a community event where students, families, & local community members can explore Canarian and Moroccan cultures. I have scheduled to participate in 2 cultural events. I will showcase projects, including food tastings and cultural presentations. Additionally, I plan to lead professional development sessions for colleagues, sharing resources and interdisciplinary lessons to integrate cultural learning across subjects and grades​​.