top of page

Teacheron2wheels

In today’s world of advanced technology, classrooms come in all different shapes, sizes, and formats.  For the 2013-14 school year, my classroom will be the world, spanning approximately the 24,000 kilometers I plan to cycle during the next 14 months.  I plan to visit schools along my route, working and talking with students around the world.  I will be a teacher on 2 wheels.  If I'm cycling through your area and you'd like me to visit your school please contact me.

  

 

My Project

This will be the first year that I don’t have my own classroom since I started teaching and the thought is daunting.  As much as I want to carry out my adventure, teaching fulfills me and it’s part of my identity.  Therefore, my adventure wouldn’t be complete if it didn’t include some element of teaching.  Granted my bike trip is a life experience that will most definitely impact the way I interact with my students in the future, I also plan to visit schools along my route, sharing and working with students around the world.

 

I will be posting my biking statistics, sharing data from my trip, and travel experiences along the way.  My hope is that this section of my website can be used by teachers in their classroom in different subject areas to make more meaningful connections with learning in our everyday life.  Cycling in itself is a topic that naturally lends to a lot of great inquiry, classroom discussions, and activities.  Please share with me any activities you might be doing with my website, I'd love to see them.

​

Please spread the word about me, "The Teacher on 2 Wheels" to any teachers you may know!  Thank you!

Recent Classroom Visits

The Perkins School

Seattle, Washington, USA. September 2014

 

This was the most unique school I’ve visited on my trip so far.  Death Valley Elementary School has a total of 4 students ranging in age from 5 to 8 years old.  The entire Death Valley Unified School District has 17 students.  The head teacher, Susuan Wilson, who gratiously welcomed me was also the principal, food handler, and bus driver. I enjoyed working with a small number of students and getting a feel for their unique setting in this unusual climate.  They took really good care of me to make sure I survived my desert experience.  

The Oak Hill School

Eugene, Oregon, USA. October 2014

 

The day after my arrival, Tyler Hartanov, a sixth grade teacher at The Oak Hill School contacted me after seeing my article in the Register Guard. His students were studying food from around the world and invited me to talk with his students about my travels. I prepared a short video highlighting some of the different markets and food varieties in SE Asia. They had a lot of questions for me regarding the different animals they eat, shocked to see pictures of meat such as bats and squirrels. Thanks Tyler for the invitation to The Oak Hill School.

Buena Vista Elementary School

 

Eugene, Oregon, USA. October 2014

 

 

After my Eugene arrival, I visited my old elementary school in Eugene, talking with both the fifth and second graders in both Spanish and English. We combined fifth grade classes and therefore I talked to them in English. They were incredibly engaged and asked a ton of questions and I probably could have stayed for another hour. The second graders were also a good audience, listening to the entire presentation in Spanish. It brought back a lot of memories talking at my old elementary school. Thanks Gretchen Ruddick for organizing my visit.

Harborview Elementary School

Juneau, Alaska, USA. September 2014

 

 

This was my first school visit in the United States after the summer vacation and I welcomed the opportunity after being on a ferry for 3 days heading south from Whittier, Alaska. I visited a first grade classroom as well as the fifth grade student body during their PE hour. The first grade students drew pictures of my bike while the middle school students were interested in what it was like to cycle their challenging terrain. Thanks to my Wamshower host and former teacher Stephanie Hoag for arranging this visit. 

Ferndale High School

Ferndale, Washington, USA. September 2014

 

I normally don't talk with high school students but it worked out really well to speak with the Spanish 4 students at Ferndale High who were just finishing up a unit on travel. I did my presentation in Spanish and we watched a few videos together as well before doing a question and answer session. Although I shy away from opportunities to speak to older students, I enjoyed my visit because our conversation and discussion was much more in depth than with the younger students. Thanks Mary Seilo for organizing this visit.

Barnes Elementary School

Beaverton, Oregon, USA. September 2014

 

I was able to visit the classroom of a fellow classmate from my Master's program at OSU who works at a dual immersion program in Beaverton. My bike actually stayed the night in the school. The students had prepared a series of questions for me after watching several videos with their teacher in the days leading up to my visit. Thanks Brianne for letting me visit your classroom!

Harvey Scott Elementary School

 

Portland, Oregon, USA. October 2014

 

I visited a second grade dual immersion classroom at Harvey Scott giving my talk entirely in Spanish. The bicycle had been a topic of conversation recently on a variety of occasions as students have designated “Ride Your Bike to School” days. We looked at my website together and investigated some of my statistics while also sharing some stories of where they like to ride their bike around Portland. Thanks Robin Harris for organizing my visit.

Franklin Elementary School

Corvallis, Oregon, USA. October 2014

 

My hosts in Corvallis were both teachers and before I headed out for my last day on the road, I visited Melinda Winograd's kindergarten classroom. The students listened to my presentation and also sang Happy Birthday to me and I got to wear a special hat and blow out my only birthday candle of the day. Thanks Melinda for making a last minute school visit work.

Linus Paulina Middle School

Corvallis, Oregon, USA. October 2014

 

 I enjoy being able to tailor a presentation for students and tie it in to a unit of study. The sixth graders at Linus Paulina were talking about different continents in the world and geographical features. We were able to watch a few videos highlighting these including the Southwest, Alaska, and Northern Vietnam.Thanks Alyssa Maciel for organizing this visit.  

International High School, Sheldon Campus

Eugene, Oregon, USA. October 2014

 

I revisited my old stomping grounds talking with several ninth grade geography classes in the International High School at Sheldon. They were currently studying Oceania, but I gave them a more general overview of some of the different terrains I cycled. They enjoyed a few of my videos and had a lot of questions for me. Two of the four presentations were in Spanish. Thanks Joh Hamill for organizing my visit.

Marshall Magnet Elementary School

Flagstaff, Arizona, United States. May 2014

 

The school year in the Southwest is just about over and my visit to Marshall Elementary will be my last school visit until September.  Surprisingly I was still able to hold the kid’s interest despite their excitement for summer vacation.  I tied my talk into using their summer holiday to pursue their interests and set some goals.  I also collected a lot of drawings of bicycles.  Flagstaff is a very outdoorsy community and there were cyclists everywhere.  In fact, the kids had just celebrated “Ride Your Bike to School” Week, so cycling was fresh in their minds.  Thank you Sasha Storz and Karl Jarvis for organizing my visit.

Saint Mark’s School

 

San Rafael, California, United States. April 2014

 

 

I dedicated the majority of my time in San Fransisco to visiting my family, and therefore only did one school visit to my nephew’s elementary school.  Owen, my nephew, introduced his special visitor to his first grade classmates and stayed by my side during my entire talk.  They were an exceptional audience.  The first graders had just been studying farms and had a lot of questions regarding the different farms I saw after we looked at some of my pictures together. 

Santa Lucia Elementary School 

King City, California, United States, May 2014

 

A high school friend of mine, Michelle Schierer, teachers Kindergarten at this public school in King City.  Although the majority of the school population is Latino, I did my talk in English, the spoken language of instruction.  King City was having a heat wave when I arrived and it was nice to take a break from that and visit with students.  I visited several lower elementary classes in the morning.  A few classes even did a little summary report afterwards about my trip, which I took with me.  Thank you Michelle for organizing my visit.

Death Valley Elementary

Cow Creek, California, United States, May 2014

 

This was the most unique school I’ve visited on my trip so far.  Death Valley Elementary School has a total of 4 students ranging in age from 5 to 8 years old.  The entire Death Valley Unified School District has 17 students.  The head teacher, Susuan Wilson, who gratiously welcomed me was also the principal, food handler, and bus driver. I enjoyed working with a small number of students and getting a feel for their unique setting in this unusual climate.  They took really good care of me to make sure I survived my desert experience.  

bottom of page