MS English Teacher Susi Durand Gets Certified

4/23/2019

MJ (lk)

Mrs. Durand shared this week that she is officially a National Geographic certified teacher. She remarked, "Earning a National Geographic teacher certification was a journey which reignited mine and my students' adventurous spirit as we took our thinking off the beaten track." To achieve this recognition, the candidate must create a capstone video highlighting a specific teaching style. Mrs. Durand's video features the story of swashbuckling sixth-grade English students as they realize two projects based on their reading of The Red Kayak by Priscilla Cummings.

Their first project was called YODEL: Youth-On-Demand E-Locution, and students produced a community-based podcast which they entered into the first-ever NPR student podcast challenge.

The second project was called Fish are Friends and FOOD, and students created a sustainable seafood menu for a local restaurant of their choice using an online app. She concludes, "What I am most grateful for is the opportunity this course provided to renew my approach to teaching and learning and the sense of empowerment that students gained from the action-oriented activities."

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