WFS Teachers Share Sabbatical Experiences

Karen, a middle school science teacher who has been at WFS for 25 years, traveled to the Galapagos Islands, England, and Arkansas, studying biodiversity, Quakerism, and family history. In the Galapagos, she visited the Charles Darwin Research station and learned more about the iconic species of the area, including iguanas, sea lions, and more. In England, Karen was able to follow George Fox (the founder of Quakerism's) footprints and see where he had meetings with historical figures like William Penn. Finally, along with family members, Karen traveled to Jerome Concentration Camp where her family was held following World War II. She remarked on the gift of time given to her by the sabbatical and the opportunity to expand her knowledge on a number of personal and professional areas.

Katy, an upper school English teacher who has also been at WFS for 25 years, spent her sabbatical looking at generation (human-generated thinking and learning) and storytelling. She visited writing centers at several different schools and researched podcasting and digital storytelling, thinking of the lived experience in terms of sounds rather than seeing, reading, and talking. She visited many museums, looking at their curriculums for high school teachers. Lastly, Katy read 83 books (often with her dog, Mouse, keeping her company), and found several new books for our upper school students to explore.