Field Trips: Events for Educators

Credit: Hugh D’Andrade

January

Lunch Box Memories

Colorado Springs, Colorado, through January 8;

Danville, Virginia, through March 31

Remember when a tin box sporting your favorite hero was a status symbol? Take a Smithsonian-sponsored trip beyond Memory Lane to this exhibit of more than one hundred years of lunch boxes and American childhood dreams.

February

The Role of the Teacher Leader

Irvine, California, February 2-4

New teachers, as well as experienced ones, can benefit from coaching -- and you don't need a whistle to be a coach. Keynotes include "Magic in Mentoring" and "My Immigrant Success Story."

381 Days: The Montgomery Bus Boycott Story

Montgomery, Alabama, through January 14;

Normal, Alabama, beginning February 4
One woman, one boycott, one step in the journey toward Brown v. Board of Education. Pay homage to a definitive moment in American education and civil rights. If you can't make it south, don't fret; the exhibit tours nationwide for the next few years.

Second Annual Forum on High School Reform

Palm Springs, California, February 9-11

Thankfully, the traditional model of high schools (big barns, many bodies) is on the way out. The focus here is on smaller learning communities and their role in fostering inclusive school culture and project-based learning.

American Association for the Advancement of Science Annual Meeting

St. Louis, Missouri, February 16-20

"Grand Challenges, Great Opportunities" is the theme for this year's gathering of the world's largest general science organization. Leave the Bunsen burners and safety goggles at home -- this group promises cuttingedge science and technology.