About the Grosvenor Teacher Fellowship

Since 2006 National Geographic and Lindblad Expeditions have been partnering to offer a select few educators the professional development opportunity of a lifetime. In 2016, 35 U.S. and Canadian fellows were chosen from 720 applicants to be part of the Grosvenor Teacher Fellowship. Class of 2016 Grosvenor Teacher Fellows. I am blessed enough to be one of them! For more information about the fellowship follow this link to the National Geographic Website: Grosvenor Teacher Fellowship. Applications for each new year of fellows generally open in December of each year. I highly recommend looking at the sample questions as soon as possible to have time to prepare. Also, look at the blog posts to get an idea of what to expect.

About a 2016 Grosvenor Teacher Fellow

Michelle Bretherton grew up in mainly in the Pacific Northwest. She is a wife and mother, as well as a faithful member of the Olympia church of Christ. Michelle completed her undergraduate degree at Western Washington University and her masters in Educational Technology at City University. During her career as an educator she has taught in several small rural schools in many different capacities including music, art, gifted, kindergarten-third grade classrooms and now S.T.E.M. She teaches students to use empathy and to look beyond self to see a broader view of the world. In this way she hopes her students will see how they connect with the world and become caring global citizens.
When the weather is nice Michelle enjoys hiking in the lush forests and beaches of the Puget Sound. Photography is a passion and there is so much to capture in the Pacific Northwest. When the weather is not so nice she loves to quilt, read and play games.

About the Expedition

On June 11, 2016 I embarked on an educational expedition to the Arctic Svalbard. For ten glorious days I learned from Lindblad naturalists and National Geographic photographers. The experience of a lifetime!  Our ship was the National Geographic Explorer with roughly 150 guests. There were opportunities to kayak, hike, and take a polar plunge. Most importantly, there were opportunities to learn about wildlife. I hoped to learn first hand about animal and plant adaptations that allow survival in an arctic environment, and that is EXACTLY what happened! Sign up for Daily Expedition Reports if you would like to follow expeditions.