My name is Bridget Shee Anderson and I’ve been an educator in Washington for the past seventeen years. Presently, I’m teaching at H.M. Jackson High School in Mill Creek as an AP World History teacher and Psychology. I’m a mother to two great kids; Liam (14) and Eryn (10) and live in Snohomish where I will be watching my own child start high school this year. I have recently developed a passion for tennis and love reading, hanging out with family and friends and travelling whenever possible. I’m tremendously excited about the opportunity to visit China and thank the Cultural Exploration of Greater China Board for choosing me to represent the organization this year.

I grew up in Montreal and Vancouver, Canada and developed a taste for travelling as a 16-year old exchange student in Bombay, India where I lived for a year and a half. I met my husband when we were both teaching English in a tiny town in Japan and moved to Seattle after we got married. Since then, we have tried to travel as much as we could – Europe, SE Asia and North America. Despite all of this travelling, I’ve never been to China! I didn’t know much about China and, in all honesty, never wanted to visit until I started teaching AP World History. This class is all about China and I have found the subject fascinating. I’ve enjoyed learning and teaching the classical and post-classical dynastic history and seeing the cyclical nature of China’s economic power come forth once again. One of my goals is to develop some AP curriculum in primary source analysis and interview people about Confucian philosophy, Buddhism and where these values and beliefs fit into their lives today. However, I’m just as curious about the environmental issues and the capitalist vs. communist ideologies and outcomes for average citizens. I am looking at this trip as an incredible opportunity to learn and then share my observations, interviews and sources with future students. I think it will make the history of the region that much more exciting as they discover continuities and changes over time within China as well as comparisons with their own country. ...Read full journey

My name is Dana Radcliffe and I teach 6th-grade Language Arts and Social Studies at Hamilton International Middle School in Seattle. I am extremely excited and honored to participate in the 2014 CE tour of China. As an international school, Hamilton‘s mission is to provide rigorous academics in an atmosphere that promotes world language and global perspectives. I teach Chinese history at Hamilton, but have never been to China or Taiwan. I applied to this program because I would like to incorporate firsthand knowledge of China to better inspire and educate my students on Chinese culture, history, and language, and its relationship to international and domestic topics. I also hope to foster collaborations among educators in my school and in surrounding schools concerning Chinese culture and history. Lastly, I hope this opportunity provides an avenue to build relationships with Chinese schools and schools in Seattle.

I was born in Tampa, Florida into a military family. Because of this, most my childhood was spent moving around. Through these experiences, I was able to travel and see other parts of the world at a young age. One of the most memorable events from this time period was that I was fortunate to live in Berlin during the fall of the Berlin Wall. This event and others as a child opened up a lot of doors for me. I think many of these early experiences account for my interest in learning about other cultures, traveling, and teaching humanities.

Most of my teenage years and adult life was spent in Virginia until a few years ago when I moved to Seattle. I graduated in 2002 with a Bachelor’s of Science in Geography from James Madison University. After graduation, I moved to Charlottesville, Virginia where I worked as an environmental consultant. Coincidently, this job allowed me to return to Germany and other parts of Europe often and reconnect with old friends and acquaintances, and keep my knowledge of the language and customs fresh.

After three years as a consultant I decided to pursue other interests in music and building. I spent the remaining four and a half years learning carpentry and stone masonry while I tried my hand as a keyboardist and guitarist. During this time, I was able to travel and perform as a musician throughout the United States. However, throughout all of these experiences, I had always thought about teaching. A number of experiences, including time working with a sister school program in El Salvador showed me how powerful education can be from a local and international perspective. I enrolled in a master’s program and graduated with a Master’s of Science in Education in 2012 from Old Dominion University. The program provided me with the option to complete my studies and student teaching here in Seattle and I jumped at the opportunity. It was a great choice; I have fallen in love with the PNW and the city of Seattle.

When I am not teaching I love to be outdoors or playing music. Camping, hiking, and backpacking are some of my favorite activities. I also enjoy biking and running. I currently coach track at Hamilton and teach music one night a week at Meter Music School in Seattle. I continue to write and perform when time allows. The majority of my family lives in Virginia. We are relatively small, but close knit. I have a brother who lives in Fredericksburg, Virginia and one nephew. He is eight years old, and a bundle of energy. I love traveling and have been fortunate to travel throughout the United States, Europe, and Latin America. However, I have never been to Asia. I am looking forward to a fun and thoughtful introduction with my other CE participants this summer! ...Read full journey

I’m Jeromie Heath and I am extremely elated to participate in the CE tour of Greater China. I am a National Board Certified Teacher currently teaching 5th grade in Kent, WA. I have taught grades 1-5 and am in my 10th year teaching. I have a passion for making learning exciting and engage students with songs (music videos), costumes, unique décor, leveled games, and stimulating innovative strategies like blacklights and 3d. I continuously collect ideas from colleagues, trainings, book studies, online sources, and more that unleash engagement, imagination, enthusiasm, motivation, and overall fun in the classroom. I believe that a happy student is a student that learns more. I also believe that engaging a student by customizing the learning experience to meet their needs leads to a better education. I am always on the search to engage my students, and I know that this travel experience will help me even further with tapping into my students’ academic, social, behavioral, and cultural needs.
br/> Ultimately, I am participating in this travel opportunity for my students. Our school is rich with diversity. Our school’s students speak over 19 different languages and we have many bilingual (and some trilingual) students who come from a plethora of different backgrounds and countries. Some are newly emigrated from their homeland countries and are learning about American culture and how to be successful learners. The more I can learn about the world, the better equipped I am as an educator to help them for their student and adult lives. I’m looking forward to learning new ways to reach my ELL students and enhance their learning experiences. I will have experiences similar to my newly immigrated students in that I will know what it feels like to be emerged in a culture and learn about the food, religion, art, language, customs, and more. I plan to use these experiences to gain new insights, ideas, and lessons that will enrich all of my students’ knowledge of Chinese culture- and ultimately study our own cultures in the process. ...Read full journey

I’m Monica DeWald, and I teach High School Language Arts and Literacy 1 at Seattle World School in the Seattle Public School District. I am so happy to be selected for this year’s CE China trip!

The school where I teach is aimed at helping new immigrants and students who want to increase their English proficiency in a multicultural setting. Our school is home to students from many backgrounds, countries and language groups. Because there are a number of Chinese students at our school, I have been working hard to get more acquainted with their language and culture. This past year, I have taken Mandarin Chinese lessons and have participated in a number of meetups and community events to try and better understand my students and their transition to American culture and schooling.

I believe that this trip to China and Taiwan will help me get a better picture of my students’ lives before SWS and will help me to better serve the multicultural population at my school and in Seattle. Additionally, during this trip, I hope to practice my Chinese, try new foods, meet new people and learn new things about China’s great history and culture.

In my life outside school, I like to do yoga, dance, go for walks, and discover new places with my friends and family ...Read full journey