Camille Tedeschi loves to travel around the world. The Huntington High School social studies teacher is especially happy when she is visiting faraway lands and exploring their culture, foods and people. She was on the road again this past summer and her trek made for some sensational memories.
Ms. Tedeschi visited Tanzania, Zanzibar, Uganda, Rwanda, Madagascar, Aruba and Spain. “I believe travel does the heart good and after a difficult end of the year, I also am a believer that travel is a healer,” she said. “I had wonderful experiences in all of the countries I visited, but my favorite country after numerous visits is still Tanzania. A piece of my heart remains in that country.”
The veteran Huntington faculty member is a seasoned world traveler, feeling completely at home in countries across the globe. She plans trips far in advance and is always looking forward to her next adventure.
“Some of the highlights of my adventures this past summer include visiting Stone Town in Zanzibar and gorilla trekking in Uganda in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest,” Ms. Tedeschi said.
Before leaving on a journey, Ms. Tedeschi studies up on the places she will be visiting and the peoples she will be encountering. Her knowledge of multiple lands can probably rival anyone who works at the United Nations.
“Prior to my trip this summer, I had been dreaming of gorilla trekking,” Ms. Tedeschi said. “I read the book ‘Gorillas in the Mist’ by Dian Fossey and immediately fell in love with her work and legacy. She is an inspirational woman and after visiting both Rwanda and Uganda I can clearly understand the reason she fell in love with the mountain girls. It was like nothing I have ever experienced and besides being a highlight of my summer travels it is hands down the coolest experience I have had in my life.”
Ms. Tedeschi has visited every continent except Antarctica. She has been a Huntington social studies teacher since September 2002. A graduate of Walt Whitman High School, she obtained an undergraduate degree at Pace University and graduate degrees from Stony Brook University and CUNY-Queens College. She is also certified as a school librarian.
Ms. Tedeschi has served as a student government class advisor and History Day club advisor and is currently the Interact Club’s faculty advisor. She has been recognized by EF Tours and Me to We for excellence in teaching and for showing her students the world. She was the honored educator at WE Day in Manhattan in April 2016 and holds the title of Global Education Ambassador for Long Island. She loves to travel and has been a guest speaker at several conventions and training tours abroad for teachers.
“I am grateful for my travels as I have said before because I learn so much and this is why I am so passionate about having my students see the world,” Ms. Tedeschi said. “It is the best education. While it was another highlight for me this summer, it was terribly sad to spend time at the Kigali Genocide Memorial and Museum in Rwanda,” she said. “I had an amazing guide who shared his personal experience with me and it is something that I will never forget. He educated me on the genocide in ways I would never be able to know if I did not meet him and his family.”
Ms. Tedeschi’s teaching and traveling are closely intertwined. “As a teacher I feel it is my job to best prepare my students and traveling allows me to grow as a person and an educator and be able to teach my students in a way that opens their minds to understand not only history, but people and places that are significant to the curriculum,” she said. “The more I travel the more I learn and it really solidifies how much history matters. I am honored I had the opportunity to meet my guide and see the genocide memorial in Rwanda for personal reasons, but also to learn more to inform my students who will help to change this world.”
