This post was written by educator Caroline Little.
Dear Educators,
Every school year brings with it its own nervous energy of promise and possibilities, and this year is no exception. So whether your journey began weeks ago, or your departure date is on the horizon, I hope you will take a few minutes and dive into opportunities to harness the Explorer Mindset that is within all of us – educator and student alike. For me personally, an Explorer’s Mindset is central to my work as an educator. The future stewards of our planet are in our classrooms. We can inspire and empower them to solve the problems that matter to them.
National Geographic is devoting this fall to supporting the whole teacher. From equipping you with resources for in-person and virtual teaching to providing accessible forums to engage with other educators, the goal is to support the full you—both head and heart.
Over the next month, tune in to National Geographic Education’s Facebook and Twitter channels for more tips and conversations about how to introduce the Explorer Mindset and National Geographic Learning Framework into your classroom. They will also be sharing a curated selection of educator-created content, inspiring “nature breaks,” and a whole lot more.
Here’s a sneak preview of what else is on deck:
- Opportunities to earn swag by completing National Geographic online courses for educators
- Explanatory support for implementing the National Geographic Learning Framework
- Live events to support your professional journey
- Fun, relevant content from National Geographic Explorers
- Reminders of Both/And Stories shared from educators last spring to ground each other in the complexity of this moment
Additionally, in collaboration with the National Geographic Education team, I designed this one-of-a-kind Explorer’s Mindset Toolkit to facilitate rich learning opportunities within your classroom and support young people on their explorer journeys. I hope you enjoy this free resource!
And as always, you too can learn how to foster the mindset of a National Geographic Explorer in your students with the free, hour-long mini-course Developing a National Geographic Explorer Mindset With Your Learners, open now.
Remember, no one explores alone. We are all on this expedition together. Whenever you need to draw strength this school year, go outside and find the twinkling stars in the night sky. Our classrooms are the sparkling lights you see. An invisible line connects us all, together we can light up the darkness with our classroom constellations.
Keep exploring!
Caroline Little, Educator
2021 Grosvenor Teacher Fellow
Caroline Little is a talented educator and artist who also designed a sticker and Explorer Mindset Educator Toolkit in collaboration with National Geographic Society. As a token of our appreciation for cultivating an #ExplorerMindset in your learners and for completing the online course, National Geographic is offering the stickers to educators for free to keep the exploration going.