Dakota Teacher Puts Travel Twist on Summer Reading

When teacher Tracy Krzezewski returns to the classroom next year, she will have photos, curriculum ideas and one more “dorky T-shirt” to show from her summer vacation.

One day into summer break and Krzezewski, 29, is preparing to embark on her second National Endowment for the Humanities seminar. This time, she will travel to the birthplace of Emily Dickinson during the week of July 17 for the seminar, “Emily Dickinson: Person, Poetry, and Place.”

“(The seminar) is one week in Amherst, MA, to basically learn all about Emily Dickinson and embrace my inner English teacher geek,” Krzezewski said.

She previously traveled to South Africa with NEH in the summer of 2009.

“I was looking for opportunities to travel–I really believe in trying to go out into the world to bring experiences to my students so that I have the personal experience to share with them and the pictures and whatnot–and I came upon a program that went to South Africa for six weeks,” Krzezewski said.

Krzezewski was one of 25 teachers selected for the program. While in South Africa, she spent three weeks in Cape Town learning culture, literature, language, societal issues and politics, and another three weeks traveling around the country.

“We went everywhere from Johannesburg to a big game park where we went on safari drives,” she said. “Basically, we got to see all of South Africa in six weeks and it was a life-changing experience that I was able to bring back to my students in my classroom.”

Krzezewski, who teaches American Literature and a course in the Medical Academy program, plans to use this summer’s trip to bring similar insight to her class next school year.

“Emily Dickinson is kind of the central female poet of the 19th century and she didn’t actually get published until after she passed away,” she said. “She wrote everything in secret and her sister published everything after her death, so we don’t know a lot about her. I was just so interested in learning more about her and getting inside of her head …  so that I can learn more about her and bring it back to my students.”

The seminar will include lectures on Dickinson’s person and poetry as well as tours of the Emily Dickinson Museum, house, Amherst College, the Jones Library, Mount Holyoke College and West Cemetery.

Krzezewski will work with fellow teachers on the program to develop a curriculum project that will be posted on the Emily Dickinson Museum site for other teachers to access and use in their classrooms.

“It’s great being able to talk and share ideas with teachers from all over the country, to bounce ideas off one another, create curriculum together,” Krzezewski  said. “That’s another great thing about these trips. I now have friends all over the country, share resources with. It’s been a really great experience that has enriched my teaching career and my life.”

In addition to the knowledge itself, Krzezewski will use her passion for photography and penchant for “dorky T-shirts” featuring literature greats to bring her class up close and personal with the subject.

“The great thing about these programs is that they change their offerings every single year, so I’ll constantly be on the lookout for new programs to apply to,” she said. “Anything that will enhance my teaching, I apply.”