Huntington High School social studies teacher Camille Tedeschi put the district’s recent winter recess to good use, traveling to Guatemala for a convention of educators who lead trips for EF Tours.
Ms. Tedeschi took time to thoroughly explore the Central American country of Guatemala, which encompasses the territory that once comprised the heart of the Mayan civilization. “I worked with a group of teachers and spoke about how to align tour itineraries to specific courses of study and curriculum to make traveling more educational,” she said.
Camille Tedeschi (second from left) in historic Guatemala.
The veteran Huntington faculty member has traveled throughout the world. During her most recent trip, she made every day count. “I was able to visit Flores, Panajachel, San Juan la Laguna and Antigua,” Ms. Tedeschi said. “Tikal and Yaxha were the highlights of the trip for me. I was in the gateway to Guatemala’s Mayan ruins. I got to visit the Tikal ruins and explore the central acropolis in the major place. My favorite was the temple of the jaguar.”
A member of Huntington High School’s faculty since September 2002, Ms. Tedeschi obtained an undergraduate degree at Pace University and graduate degrees from SUNY Stony Brook and CUNY Queens College.
The enthusiastic teacher has been leading international trips for EF Tours for many years. Hundreds of Huntington High School students have participated in the privately funded treks. Ms. Tedeschi also likes to explore on her own outside of the group educational travel excursions.
In Guatemala, she encountered plenty of history. “Yaxha houses over 500 structures, but most of the pyramids are still hidden by the forest,” Ms. Tedeschi said. “This was pretty cool to see since it is still untouched and only means more is to be discovered and taught about the Mayas.”
Ms. Tedeschi traveled to Belize in 2013 and explored additional Mayan ruins there. “They are an impressive culture and civilization and it is enthralling to learn on-site and later be able to properly teach my students what is not covered in detail in our textbook and classroom resources.”
When it comes to traveling, Ms. Tedeschi clearly can never get enough of it. “In addition to the sightseeing, I love working with like-minded people and seeing how influential travel can be for our students with teachers all over the United States,” she said. “The professional development component on this convention was outstanding. I look forward to working with more educators in the future. My next convention will be this summer in Tanzania.”
But long before the summer comes, there are other trips on the horizon for the popular high school teacher. “During the February break I will be taking a small group of students to explore Panama,” Ms. Tedeschi said. “During the April break I will be taking a large group of students to explore Krakow, Budapest, Vienna and Prague.”
