Welcome


Welcome to our sabbatical plans! This site will consist of several blog entries that describe the plans & needs, preparations, family news, supporters, and updates from each place we visit and do fieldwork. I relish your input and support along the way.


Who are we? Marty and Megan Robertson along with Sam (9), Sarah Jane (6), and Emma (3). I am Marty, a sixth grade teacher at Peabody Charter School in Santa Barbara, California. This Ancient Civilizations & Geology sabbatical is my project and travel will begin with the whole family in January 2007. If all goes as planned we will be gone for seven months. Megan is a homeschooling mom and the support crew. She keeps me hopeful through all those moments of doubt. The actual idea of creating this sabbatical was hers. Sam, Sarah Jane, and Emma are the cheerleaders. They are studying up on their Egyptology, Greek mythology and Italian. They are also selling eggs from our chickens for their “Egypt fund!” Needless to say, or write for that matter, we are excited about this trip. See our “Project Description” section for more information about where we are going.

What are we doing? We will be traveling to Egypt, Greece, Italy, France and England collecting video, photos and sounds relevant to the sixth grade studies of geology and ancient civilizations. I will be organizing a curriculum where students will take these clips and retell the histories of Egypt, Greece and Rome utilizing the technologies of PowerPoint and iMovie. I have previously done this by having students retell the geology of our Santa Barbara backcountry by creating a PowerPoint virtual hike up Hot Springs Trail. I am confident that I will return with another great learning experience for Santa Barbara students. See our section titled Project Description for a more detailed account of the project and rationale.

Don't worry too much about the dates on these posts. I use the dates to arrange posts in an order that I think is important, not always in chronological order. Sorry for any confusion!

Thank you!

Without the support of the following people this project would not be taking place.

The NEA Foundation (National Education Association)
The Wharton Foundation, Jeanne Pettitt
Joyce Jacobs
Mary Ausman & Gloria Dunworth
Colleen Russell
Christy Earls
Grace Chisholm
Vijay and Jaylene Jayaraman
Gene and Susie Robertson
Don and Jane Fuller
Rich and Jill Dixon
Steve and Stephanie Hanson
My students and their families for donating Final Cut Express
Mountain Air Sports - Donated my cool backpack!
Mighty Bright reading lights for my kids

Thank you for the gifts and support.

Learning & Leadership NEA Foundation Grant

Great news today (October 18)! I just recieved word from the NEA Foundation (National Education Association) that I am a recipient of a Learning & Leadership Grant. This award is intended to support teachers in their professional development as they improve classroom learning and collaboration with their co-workers. This is a big boost in both finances and morale. Click on this Learning and Leadership link to learn more.

Tickets Purchased

It is Monday, October 16. We just purchased our tickets through STA Travel on Saturday. It was a little nerve racking trying to line up dates with our renters, a friend who will be meeting us in Cairo, and getting the best deal, but I think we did it. Not only were we able tro match up dates, but we were able to get tickets that have a bit more freedom in changing dates should the need arise. We are set to leave on January 8th and will arrive in Cairo on the 9th. We will return on July 13th. Somehow charging a large sum of money to one's Visa card has a way of making the whole thing seem that much more real.

Itinerary


January 8-9
Santa Barbara to Frankfurt, Germany to Cairo, Egypt

January 9-25
Cairo, Egypt
Giza pyramids, Sphinx, Saqarra pyramids, museums, antiquities, bazaars, Grace

January 26-February 11
Luxor, Egypt (Flats in Luxor)
Luxor and Karnak temples, Thebes, Valley of the Kings, Tomb of Tut, Hatshepsut's Temple,...

February 12-20
Crete and Santorini

February 21-March 13
Athens and surroundings

March 14-22
Thesaloniki, northern Greece,...

March 23-30
Greece with the Greigs





March 31-April 6
Rome with the Griegs

April 7-May 31
Italy, Naples, Rome, Florence, Milan,...
















June 1-21
France, Lascaux and A Rocha field study center near Arles















June 22-July 13
London, A Rocha field study centre and surroundings