teacher looking for help with classroom project

[teacher]

I'm sorry to break in on your board here, but I couldn't find an appropriate heading!

I am an elementary school teacher in Baton Rouge, LA. I work in an inner-city district that is primarily composed of African-American students. I am looking for a pilot or crew member to assist me in a project for the 2002-03 school year. Our theme next year will be international travel, and I am planning my units based on the idea of a year-long trip around the world. My idea is to find someone in the aviation industry who travels broadly that could write emails/postcards and send photos to my class. Additionally, I would like to send our class mascot (stuffed animal) to that person to "travel" around the world with that person. The children I work with are not exposed to much global diversity and I am trying to broaden their horizons. I am also trying to find role models for them. (Anyone of color would be especially encouraged to contact me!) If you have an interest in education, and would like to help my class with our year-long project (beginning in August), please, please, please contact me at bmkaplan@hotmail.com
I will not be checking this board, so please email me directly if you can help out.
Thanks in advance.

Ms. B.K. Wolff

[Britannia_Boy]

Hi Teacher.
I work for Britannia Airways in the United Kingdom.
We fly to a wide variety of destinations across the world, including the United States, Caribbean, Mexico, South America, Africa, Asia and of course in Europe.
We occaissionally do things like this, and I reccommend you contact Britannia Airways at:

Telephone: 44 (0) 1582 424155
Write to:
Britannia Airways Ltd
Britannia House
London Luton International Airport
Luton
Bedfordshire
LU2 9ND
UK

Our people in Luton on the 'phone or whatever should be able to help you.

[bmibaby]

Teacher.
bmibaby only operates flights from East Midlands Airport to Europe.
bmi british midland, our parents operate from many UK airports to Europe and to Chicago and Washington.
I am sure we would be able to help you:
Contact:
bmi british midland on +44 1332 854854
bmibaby on +44 (0)1509 686631
I hope this is, and we are some help to you.
Thanx
bmibaby
http://www.bmibaby.com/bmibaby/images/home/hoim_tinySuitcaseAnim.gif

[GB737]

Hey Teacher!
Well, here at easyJet, we'll do anything for good publicity.
We fly to some of Europe's most exciting cities:
Aberdeen | Amsterdam | Athens | Barcelona | Belfast | Edinburgh | Geneva | Glasgow | Inverness | Liverpool | London Gatwick | London Luton | Madrid | Malaga | Nice | Palma | Paris Charles de Gaulle | Paris Orly | Zurich

And this winter we will be adding some more destinations, from when we merge with GO.

To contact us, click on this link:

http://www.easyjet.com/en/contact/contact.asp?form=GF
to share your ideas, alternatively we do have a call centre.
0044 870 6 000 000

Hope we make the trip a lot easy-er

easy737.

[buzz146]

Hello Teacher! images/icons/grin.gif
Like Britannia Airways, we are a charter airline, jmc Airlines, that flies all over the world.
Our people are usually very good with these things, and, we have done round-the-world tours with mascots for charities and schools many times before.
To contact our team, who will reply within a week, contact:
talktous@jmc.com images/icons/tongue.gif
Have fun with jmc and I wish you all the best with your project!
http://www.jmc.com/images/about_us_front_image_col2.gif

[Katharina]

Congratulations on that exciting idea! I'm sure it'll be a thrill for the kids. I'd love to operate as your class' international embassador, only I'll probably leave the aviation industry in autumn (to become a teacher myself!). But I am sure that there are many people at Lufthansa who'd be keen to help you.

Lufthansa is a national carrier that operates world-wide, short and long-haul. Perhaps a European airline would be an added advantage for you, what with the extra cultural novelty of ourselves. A minor problem for your plan is that not everyone goes everywhere; pilots fly either short- or long-haul, and the flight attendant routes are split into four 'areas'. So if you're looking at a true 'worldwide' picture, you might like to get not one partner but a little group of some 3 or 4 people, from different areas, who can cover the world as comprehensively as possible.

If you're interested, I could try and 'recruit' some people for you. I am sure many of us would very much enjoy corresponding with your students!

Katharina

[smarty]

hey there teacher
again like Brittania and JMC, My Travel are a similar airline (only better im kidding) but we also help out with charities
here are details to contact us

The MyTravel Charitable Trust is independently administered by Corporate Charity Administration Services who can be contacted at:

mytravel@ccas.globalnet.co.uk

Paul Patten
Administrator
MyTravel Charitable Trust
c/o CCAS
80 Croydon Road
Elmers End
Beckenham
Kent
BR3 4DF

Tel: 020 8658 2723
Fax: 020 8658 3292
http://www.airliners.net/open.file/229592/M

[ 06-02-2002, 06:53 PM: Message edited by: smarty ]

[Madsville]

Dont forget there is always FLAT STANLEY... and there is an international Flat Stanley project on going. When I lived in Okinawa and taught English...... I was part of this great project. YOu would be amazed at how fun it is to share cultures

graemlins/plane_smilie.gif http://flatstanley.enoreo.on.ca/

[wrengeaux]

Originally posted by teacher:
, please, please, please contact me at bmkaplan@hotmail.com
I will NOT be checking this board, so please email me directly if you can help out.
Thanks in advance.

Ms. B.K. Wolff[/QB]<font size="2" face="Arial, Verdana ">I am sure she would appreciate it even more if you follow the TEACHERS INSTRUCTIONS images/icons/grin.gif

[ 06-02-2002, 08:10 PM: Message edited by: wrengeaux ]

[ProPilot]

So don't leave the instructions here, but MAIL THEM !

[Boomer]

Great idea and Best of Luck!

Just a word regarding the "travel bear":

The FAA, post September 11th has issued a prohibition stating that US airline crews are no longer allowed to carry, or pass between one another, stuffed animals of any kind.

I guess the concern is what may be inside the bear or what the itinerary of the bear may communicate.

I was sorry to see the loss of the stuffed animals as I myself was handed one by a BA crewmember last year and took him to Munich and Amsterdam before passing him off to an Air France crew.

[Studley]

I E-Mailed teacher right after she sent the original post, since I was back in Louisiana, where I grew up. I happened to be on vacation and visiting the folks.

Last week, I received the following E-Mail from her.

"Dear Studley,

School starts next week! I have changed my idea about the traveling mascot a bit since we last chatted. My mascot was stolen out of my classroom! Anyway, you had at one time mentioned postcards and I have been thinking that that would be a better plan. If you and anyone else that would care to do so could be "class ambassadors" for my first grade students, you could help my children to better learn geography and current events. You can be the eyes and ears of our class. None of my students will have had travel experience outside of Louisiana.

If you would please send us postcards from your destinations. They can be domestic or international. The best postcards will have a clear picture of the locale. In the postcard, describe a bit about the history or something culturally relevant. This is on a first grade level, so please keep it short and simple. :)Also, please print all notes neatly, so the kids can read them!

The kids will really enjoy this and you will be helping them to explore the world. Thanks so much for your help and we look forward to hearing from you.

Please send all mail to:

Beth Kaplan Wolff

Banks Elementary School
2401 72nd Avenue
Baton Rouge, LA 70807

USA"

When she first posted here, I told her via E-Mail that I didn't agree with the mascot idea, because of the security issues. images/icons/rolleyes.gif That's when I proposed that we could send her postcards from wherever we were at the time.

I may even possibly be able to visit the class in Baton Rouge the next time I'm in Louisiana in October.

What you could also do is E-Mail me with your picture, where you're from, and what you do. You can PM me for my E-Mail address. I'll then forward the pictures and information to her. That way, when your postcard arrives at the school, she can post your picture on the map with the location the card is from.

This is much easier for everyone to do.

I also like Katharina's idea to recruit some of her co-workers to also do this. images/icons/smile.gif

I'm going to send her a postcard of Dallas to start. Then I'll get a card when I'm in SFO.

Anyone coming to the meeting in SFO, you can bring cards of your homebase areas with descriptions to the dinner, and I can forward them in one package to the school. If you're laying over anywhere enroute to SFO and can get any cards, that's great as well.

Let's do this! images/icons/smile.gif

[LUV-Southwest]

This is a great idea. I have my post cards ready, and they will be in the mail tomorrow.

Kev

[Studley]

Way to go, Kev! images/icons/smile.gif

[Nya_O.]

Hey guys,
As a pilot for a fortune 50 US Corp. I travel all over the world on a weekly base. I have already sent photo/postcards and gifts (-$20 US ) from Boston (home), Rome, Paris, Tokyo, Sydney and Hong Kong. I will be going to alot more places throughout her school year. So i just hope that I can do something to help. I just wanted to tell everyone it only takes a few min and only a buck or so (one less latte a day ) lol. So like Nike says " Just Do It "
Thanks, Nya

[Michael_Deebs]

At Southwest, we only fly domestically (within the U.S.) but we have an awesome program called "Adopt-a-Pilot."

It was developed primarily for students 10-12 years old, the program unites elementary school classes with Southwest pilots to explore math, science and more. For four weeks, students track their adopted pilot's journey and complete curriculum developed in cooperation with the Smithsonian Institute's National Air and Space Museum, the National Association of Teachers of Math, and other educational specialists. Students apply these subjects to aviation activities, made meaningful by their interaction with a real pilot.

You have to register in advance, however, the 2002 program is closed. You can find out more information by going here:

http://www.southwest.com/programs_services/adopt/adopt_home.html

Good luck images/icons/smile.gif

[Hawaiian862]

Great idea for a class project :-)

Am going to be in Ireland/England- outside of London- in October and then Australia in November. Will make it a point of taking Beth's school address with me on my trip, and to send a few along the way.

George

[Studley]

I received an E-Mail from Ms. Wolff today. Here it is.

"The kids are enjoying the project. I will try to photograph the wall soon so you can see what we are doing. We have postcards even on the ceiling."

Keep those cards coming in! images/icons/smile.gif

[yoshi]

Hey what about a key chain from each location?

[Studley]

That's a pretty cool idea. However, I believe that the postcards are still their best bet.

It's easy to pass the postcards around and the kids can see famous landmarks and landscapes as well. images/icons/smile.gif

[yoshi]

Oh shucks! Ok I confess, it was an excuse for me to get rid of all these damn keychains I r/c as souvenirs.