Books/Literature
7 Tips for Flying Internationally
Most of my students who go on tour with me are first-time fliers and it’s my job as a group leader to introduce them to the joys of flying. Flying internationally is one of the most important topics I cover at my pre-departure meetings. At one of my pre-departure meetings in March, I arranged the Read more…
Downton Abbey Fans – You’ll love these books!
Many teachers suffer from the “Sunday night blues,” but not me. I look forward to this night of the week more than any other. That’s when Masterpiece Theatre (now called Masterpiece Classic and Masterpiece Mystery!) comes on and on Sunday evenings from 9:00 to 11:00 pm, I will not answer the telephone, not even for my Read more…
Hogmanay Festival in Edinburgh, Scotland
Tour director Paul Mattessini wrote a wonderful November 16, 2010, post called “The Best City In Britain.” His post, which featured a detailed city walking tour, highlighted The Guardian newspaper poll for the “Favorite UK City” award which went to Edinburgh. It was Edinburgh’s 11th year in a row to win the award and I’m Read more…
Favorite Piece Of Art: Raft Of The Medusa
I have given serious thought to getting people in my village to put together a plan to run our local pub as a community owned venture. I think it is an excellent idea and small English villages such as ours thrive on having a central place where people can meet, chat and generally socialize. So, Read more…
The Impact Of Traveling Abroad, Part 2
In case you missed Part 1, click here What do my students learn from traveling abroad? My students learn practical things such as how to pack for an extended trip, how to read a city map, and how to find their way through a public transport system like the London Tube or the Paris Metro. Read more…
Engaging Students Before a Tour
¡Hola! Me llamo Scott Hemker. I’ve been teaching Spanish at St. Louis High School, a small, rural district in the middle of Michigan, for 11 years. I teach nearly 150 students a day. Of these, I’m able to recruit roughly 20 to participate in an international tour every other year. I love teaching Spanish and Read more…
Planning Your EF Tour
Today is my 294th day prior to my departure for my 2012 spring break tour to England and Scotland. I started recruiting for this tour in August 2010. During the summer, I am going to start recruiting for my 2013 spring break tour to Japan and my June 2013 History: WWII and the Western Front Read more…
National History Day 2011
The 2011 school year is quickly coming to an end, but I do not have a student group tour on my summer schedule. The main reason why I travel with students during spring break is to leave my summers free for both personal and professional travel. Over the years, I have applied for and been Read more…
Favorite Tour Director: The Man From Manchester
I still exchange Christmas cards and notes with a former (and fabulous) EF tour director I met on a British Isles tour in 1998. Kirsten and her husband are now the proud parents of nearly 11-month-old twins. Her 2010 Christmas card features a photo of these adorable babies. I wanted to request Kirsten for my Read more…
Analyze a poem and win an iPad
April is National Poetry Month. Celebrate by entering Shmoop’s first essay contest. Just answer the question below and you could win an iPad. In Robert Frost’s “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening”….. Examine the relationship between the speaker in the poem and his environment, which includes not only the woods themselves but his horse, Read more…
