Support Shannon's Global Education Journey

Hi! My name is Shannon Thomson Shanks and I am a K/1 teacher at Cape Fear Center for Inquiry. In an effort to become a better teacher and to continue growing as a lifelong learner, I applied and was accepted to the Global Education Allies Nordic program. Unfortunately, by the time that I became aware of the program, most of the grants for public educators had expired. I HATE asking for help, but as an educator, my bank account wasn't prepared for this amazing opportunity! Even if you are inclined to spare $1 to help with my expenses, I will be eternally grateful.

I will be spending two weeks in Finland, Sweden, Estonia, and Lapland in June learning about how the Scandinavian countries have figured out how to best educate children and to maintain a healthy work-life balance in their culture. In the US, we have become so test-driven that we have forgotten the whole child approach of play-based learning and developmentally appropriate practices. My goal is to bring back some amazing teaching strategies to implement in my own school and to be able to share out with the community.

I am beyond excited about this opportunity! Thank you for your support.