Issue link: http://educator.cta.org/i/569858
FOR EDUCATION Spreading INCAN CIVILIZATION PEACE ALICE NISHIMOTO, Rice Elementary School in Rosemead, Garvey Education Association Here I am at Machu Picchu, Peru, one of the Seven Wonders of the World. I was a fifth-grade teacher for 17 years, but enrollment numbers changed, so now I have been assigned sixth grade and will need to teach about ancient civilizations. Machu Picchu was built in 1450. I will show students my pictures and ask them to imagine what kind of tools the workers could have used to move the rocks. It's a way to LISA LISS, Woodlake Elementary School fifth-grade teacher, Twin Rivers United Educators MICHELLE CARROLL, Health Professions High School medical science teacher, Sacramento City Teachers Association Michelle (left) and I are in the airport lobby after "Storming the Capitol" on National Teacher Day in Washington, D.C., with Erin Gruwell of the Freedom Writers. There were Freedom Writer teachers from all 50 states and some foreign countries who went to the Capitol to meet with President Obama. The president said he would CONNIE JONES, Cesar Chavez Middle School, San Bernardino Teachers Association I traveled with 44 high school student ambassadors with People to People, a student travel program where students are not just tourists, but ambassadors representing their communities and their countries. Our mission is to spread peace, one person at a time, and foster personal connections with people around the world for true global understanding. We started in Rome, and went on to Paris and London. This photo of Michelangelo's statue David was taken in Florence. There was one chaperone for 10 students. The extended time together provided opportunities for students and teachers to talk about topics that school time doesn't allow. Students could share how certain experiences changed them and what the future might be as a result. Seeing students mature and develop more global perspectives changed me as well. These trips give me hope for our students and the future. introduce the fulcrum and pulley system. I will ask my students to analyze and discuss the thought processes of the Inca. It took a long time to get to Machu Picchu. From LAX I flew to El Salvador, then Lima, then Cuzco. We acclimated ourselves to the elevation and took a bus to Urubamba. From there we took the train. Then we took a shuttle and hiked in. There were so many granite rock pieces lying side by side with no gaps in between, just perfectly aligned. I kept wondering, "How did they do it?" meet with five of us. Erin told him we were a family and would come together or none at all — so none of us saw him. But we met with former Congressman Patrick Kennedy, original Freedom Rider John Lewis, former presidential candidate Dick Gephardt and others, who assured us they were on the side of teachers. Our trip was amazing. We left behind a book describing projects we did with our students at the Congressional Library in D.C. We recommend more teachers go to D.C. and show people how hard we work, because if legislators don't hear from us, how do they know what we're doing? It was an honor to be among the teachers there. Lobbying 49 V O LU M E 2 0 I S S U E 2 Learning Exploring