A teenager's guide to Italy and Greece

It is so wonderful to travel with teenagers and see them begin to look beyond the walls of their own experiences as Americans. To really see the world without the lens of ipods, cell phones and my space! It was an honor as a teacher to be with them as they touched history in the great cities of Rome, Florence and Athens. The little things that they took for granted at home were all of a sudden a new experience when they struggled to figure out to order gelatto and find their way through narrow cobblestone streets. My art and art history students were always the first in line to wonder at the amazing art and ask the guides detailed questions. The trip was as much of a challenge as it was a life changing experience for all of us because sometimes it is the challenges that allow for the most personal growth. In the fall I plan to enlist my students to put together their own digital story on their experiences to share as a "Teenager's guide to Europe". Who knows maybe it will be our next reality show! I also wanted to share two great art resources. The first is a book, The Quotable Artist by Peggy Hadden. This book is filled with quotes from famous people on topics such as: creativity, art and nature, genius, architecture, painting, etc. I put up a different quote each week on my whiteboard and use them for discussion and writing responses. I also use the web resource www.artchive.com/ for images and art history information.

Ciao and enjoy!