In an English teacher's calendar, January equates to senior prelim exams, folio redrafting and, for those of us with absolutely no foresight, the removal of myriads of tinsel sellotaped to every square inch of classroom surfaces. However, this January holds something slightly different for me: in just over one week, I will be boarding a flight to Boston, Massachusetts for what may just be the most exciting fortnight in my career to date. In April 2019 I was awarded a Walter Hines Page scholarship by the English Speaking Union and my teaching union, the NASUWT.
The Page scholarship allows a UK teacher to travel to the USA to research an area of interest. You can read more about it here:
My research is focused on the impact of creative writing workshops on a young person's literacy skills, oracy skills and emotional wellbeing. The application process involved writing a 1500-word research proposal as well as submitting a suggested itinerary. To get to that point, I spent many hours Googling, emailing, note-taking and calculating routes. I was shortlisted and interviewed at the ESU's headquarters in London in April 2019, before finding out I had been successful.
Since then, I have emailed and Skyped with my American contacts, finalised my itinerary, booked flights, a rental car (a very understated pick-up truck...) and accommodation. In recent weeks I have been sorting out the little things like ensuring my ESTA is up to date, purchasing travel insurance and exchanging currency. Since my trip will take me across Massachusetts, New York, Vermont, Maine and New Hampshire in sub-zero January, I have also been busy sourcing thermals and snow boots!
This will be my first time travelling abroad on my own and I'm incredibly excited. I will be blogging throughout my trip. See you Stateside!