The Public Education Foundation and Fund For Teachers provides grants for public school teachers to travel during the summer and bring their learning back to the classroom. I applied last year and did not receive the grant. This year I started writing my proposal in September. I spent countless hours planning, researching, and writing. I went to informational sessions with FFT to learn how to write a better proposal and I watched webinars. My lawyer sister reviewed my proposal to make sure it sounded professional. My professor at University of Alabama sister revised it with her education viewpoint, she helped a LOT. There are a lot of details and goals in my proposal of what I plan to learn and accomplish, but I'll spare you from that here.
I bought one way tickets and submitted my proposal the same week, I was going either way. I anxiously waited over 2 months and on April 5 I found out I was chosen! My trip to Guatemala is funded! I had the incredible honor to go to the Public Education Foundation and Fund For Teachers reception 2 days ago and receiving my grant for this trips as well as going over all the details and hearing from some speakers.
The grant covers my plane ticket, my food, my lodging, and my transportation. It does not cover any of that for the kids or Jack (except lodging that they will obviously share with me). The low cost of food and transportation in Guatemala means I will actually spend less feeding the kids there than I would in the United States so that cost is not a concern. Transportation is also very affordable, I also plan on spending less to travel there than I would just taking the kids to the movies and pool here.
The grant covers my plane ticket, my food, my lodging, and my transportation. It does not cover any of that for the kids or Jack (except lodging that they will obviously share with me). The low cost of food and transportation in Guatemala means I will actually spend less feeding the kids there than I would in the United States so that cost is not a concern. Transportation is also very affordable, I also plan on spending less to travel there than I would just taking the kids to the movies and pool here.
The 3 little kids will be with me for the first 3.5 weeks, just us 4. Yes, it is crazy for me to take 3 kids ages 6, 8, & 10 to a foreign country by myself but the experience is one I would give anything for my kids to have! They are going to attend school at the same school that I am going to teach and translate. We will hang out in town, at the park, with other kids, etc in the afternoons, and travel a little bit on the weekends. They will not have tv or electronics and we have to be inside by dark so we are really going to be getting ahead on some reading and summer schoolwork those weeks. I can't wait to see them in the school, to experience a completely different way of life, to see how Guatemalans live, to learn some more Spanish, and to have some adventures. I think we will all learn a lot. My sister is also going to visit while we are out of school for a few days and we'll be taking her around to a few fun places.
Jack is coming to pick up the kids after those initial 3.5 weeks. Jack will stay a few days with us, we'll go on an adventure while he is there then he and the kids will come back to Chattanooga. I do not envy Jack going though customs with the 3 but he is more capable than anyone I know.
The day Jack and the kids leave is the day my friend/teaching partner will come and we will be able to do some traveling. We'll visit some more Mayan towns and students' houses and schools and families.
I am looking forward to all the different legs of this trip! I am so grateful to receive the grant to cover my trip! I am also grateful to a group of ladies at my church who made it possible for Jack to go. I am grateful to my big girls who are being very gracious about being left when I know they want nothing else than to be able to go and visit themselves and I hope so much they will be able to soon. I am grateful for my teaching/traveling partner, we travel great together and she puts up with me well. I am grateful to my husband for letting me take his 3 babies out of the country and who is picking up the kids and doing solo dad-duty so that I can travel.
I'll do my best to keep you all updated on the trip. Most of the places I will be in the 1st 4 weeks will have WiFi.
