As a Poly GIP Trip leader, you have to be ready to wear many hats. You go from being a travel agent to an activity guide, a photographer to a money dealer, or even from an emergency medic to a lively jokester at a table of hungry adolescents. The role is dynamic and rich. Having had the opportunity to work cross-divisionally in the World Language Department this past year at Poly– shuffling from the Middle School to the Upper School between periods– I have gotten used to shifting from one context to another. Also, working in boarding schools– my past teaching experience, as well as my upcoming teaching experience– where one often serves as a teacher, coach, and dorm advisor (the famous, ‘Triple Threat’ approach to education), I am well acquainted with shifting between roles. However, one thing that struck me during our time in Córdoba was the number of hats a typical Argentinian teacher wears– not just in their respective schools, or even across the divisions in their schools, but rath
Our "Atlas," holding up the sky for everyone! You know the exhaustion that can be accompanied by a sense of joy, well-being, and gratitude? That's how I felt every day of the Argentina trip. From the moment we arrived at LAX on June 9th after graduation to the moment we hugged and shared goodbye smiles this past Wednesday afternoon, I felt part of a very special experience. Were there challenging moments along the way? Absolutely! I am grateful for the physical and emotional experiences we navigated, absorbed, and let flow through us. We grew as individuals and as a group, bouncing along and back from moments that demanded our intense presence and best selves to emerge. I write this post with profound appreciation and respect for Patricia Levin, our brilliant leader, and want to dedicate my words to her. Her elegant, humorous, decisive, and competent leadership made every student and chaperon feel safe, cared for, seen and heard, and aware that we were on a well-planned,