Help Alexa Bring England's Magic to the Classroom

Hi there! My name is Alexa, and I have been teaching 5th grade at a Title I school in SC for the past eight years.

From the time I was a little girl, I knew that I was born to be a teacher. I spent my early childhood playing “pretend school” with my cousins and begging my school teachers for their old worksheets and overhead project pages, just so I could use them when it was my turn. Of course, now those things are obsolete in the ever changing world that is education, but I found passion and purpose in the creative aspect of teaching when I finally became one.

I am inspired greatly by the things around me, and I am constantly trying to bring relevant and impactful topics into my classroom. I enjoy dressing up to teach history, carefully selecting books I know will engage my students and get them thinking on a deeper level, and creating lessons geared towards the real world and their interests. Of course, I always sprinkle in interests of my own because when a teacher is passionate about something, great things come from it.

Over the course of the last eight years, I have been fortunate enough to grow immensely as an educator. I have gone to a variety of professional developments, traveled for a few thanks to Title I funds, and recently received my Masters Degree from The Citadel in Educational Leadership and Administration.

This summer, I am hoping to travel to England and Scotland with a teacher tour group, Bookbag Tours, to learn more about the rich history of these two countries, and experience some of the places I have longed to explore since reading about them as a young student myself.

This tour would allow me the chance to see important historical sites, explore a multitude of museums that relate to the historical topics I cover in my curriculum, and the culture of England and Scotland. There will also be trips to Oxford University and Bath, where I will get to experience the world of Jane Austen. We will dive deep into folklore and the impact of literature on history, which is something I am deeply interested in bringing back to my classroom. Not only will this trip be an amazing learning opportunity about the countries themselves, but it will be a great opportunity to travel with other educators from around the world and learn from them. I am always gaining new information and inspiration from other educators, and being able to collaborate with educators on a global scale will be an incredibly enriching opportunity. At the end of this tour, I will also receive 20 recertification credit hours towards my teaching certificate, as it is considered a certified professional development course.

This trip is a dream come true for me, and one I am desperate to go on. This would also be an amazing opportunity for me to explore the countries where my grandmother's and great grandfather's family came from. I am asking my community to help me in raising funds for my trip. The cost will go towards the expense of the professional development tour itself and airfare. The cost of the tour will include some meals, lodgings and transportation throughout the two countries, museum tickets, and the professional educators leading the different learning experiences.

I am hoping that I can raise these funds by April 1st to fund the entirety of the trip. Thank you for taking the time to read over my story, and for helping to make this dream a reality.