Pay attention. Be astonished. Tell about it.{New Orleans edition}

As I have written many times before, traveling is undefeated. Removing ourselves from our comfortable surroundings, and familiar haunts can immediately open our eyes to new perspectives in a wider world.

Over the past several decades, our society has become increasingly more polarized - and high schools most often reflect the communities that we serve.  So, the need for us (teachers) to take our students beyond the school walls, and into the wider world is more pressing than ever.

St Louis Cathedral, Jackson Square New Orleans

Last week's trip to New Orleans, Montgomery, and Atlanta illuminated a different world for many of us.  It is hard to find authentic culture in this globalized world where we can get anything we want (with two day shipping) from Amazon Prime.

So, sometimes you just have to get on the bus and walk the streets of a far away town...and experience it through the smells, tastes, and sounds - which (as of yet) Amazon can not provide.  So, eating beignets and drinking cafe au lait along the mighty Mississippi, smelling the gumbo and horses in the French Quarter, or hearing the brass band of a second line parade tearing down Toulouse Street brought it home.

Georgia Aquarium

We learned local history along our tours, and even paddled down the river on the Steamboat Natchez - but standing in Martin Luther King's home in Montgomery, where the floor of the front porch still has a hole in it from a bomb, is simply something that you can not get from a book or movie.  From walking down the same street, in the same Alabama heat, as all of the marchers did from Selma to Montgomery in 1965 - to tasting a greasy cheeseburger at Atlanta's Varsity, we were no longer bystanders to the forces of history and culture that have come to shape our world.

Selma to Montgomery March, Alabama State House

And, as always, traveling with these teenagers is undefeated.  They roll with the punches, make the best out of most things, and are full of spirit and energy.  I'm so incredibly grateful for this work, and for these kids, that it overwhelms me sometimes.  I return home with a full heart, and ready to plan a trip for next year.

This trip continually reminded me of the great Mary Oliver quote:
"Instructions for a life: Pay attention.  Be astonished.  Tell about it."

What new, incredible things will we experience?

Second Line Parade, New Orleans