The Tadler Grant provides extraordinary professional development opportunities to exemplary GUS teachers - who then bring those first-hand experiences and knowledge back to the classroom. Established by former Trustee Richard Tadler and his wife Donna P ’05 ’09, the grant has provided GUS faculty members a wide range of amazing experiences from attending educational conferences to travel to foreign countries.

This year, we are pleased to announce that the 2021 Tadler Grant has been awarded to 5th Grade Math and Social Studies Teacher, Katie Blynn. The grant will allow Ms. Blynn to travel across the United States this summer to explore and experience the landscape that much of the 5th grade social studies curriculum centers on. Ms. Blynn will be traveling across the country in her pickup truck, with her camper (and her dog Luna!) in tow, to explore the land. Hear more about her plans below, and be sure to follow along with her adventures at @where_has_katie_blynn.

Ms. Blynn joined GUS in 2015 and taught 5th and 6th grade language arts before transitioning to 5th grade social studies and math last year. Before coming to GUS, she spent four years teaching 5th and 6th language arts and social studies in New Hampshire. Prior to that she taught 6th grade math in Maine. Despite the great years she spent teaching language arts in the upper school, she’s been very glad to return to the other subjects she loves and is enthusiastic about the math and social studies she gets to share with her students in 5th grade.

Q+A With Katie Blynn

Tell us about your trip! Where will it take you?

Given that the theme of 5th grade is the land, I plan to see more of the landscape across the United States. It is my hope to cross up to twelve different states, nine of which I’ve never been to before. The first stop will be Niagara Falls, and then I’ll head across the top of the country, past the Great Lakes. As I head toward Colorado and Utah, I hope to see Arches National Park and Zion National Park. Then I’ll round out the middle of the trip with the Grand Canyon and Great Sand Dunes National Park and head back home! Across the country, many national parks and campsites are seeing record use, so, just like the explorers we study, my trip may not go exactly as planned, which makes the adventure that much more exciting. I’m ready to go off the beaten path when necessary!

What do you hope to learn?

Most of my Social Studies lessons revolve around how early settlers encountered lands they had never seen before. I think that if I could experience a similar (albeit much more comfortable) exploration of the US landscape, that would give me a great perspective to share with my students. Despite what might seem obvious, I do not intend to stop at museums or monuments along the way. Rather, I want to actually focus on THE LAND around me. I dream of being outside, experiencing the climate, the landscape, and the feeling of being in the nature of America, from sea to shining sea (sort of). 

In my curriculum, the students and I talk about how many people were already native to our land when it was “discovered” and claimed. Indigenous peoples had an unparalleled respect for the earth and all it offered. We also talk about the explorers, settlers, and pioneers that came from England and other parts of Europe only to discover a vastly different landscape here. I plan to spend time hiking and walking through the landscape, taking photos and videos of the places I see. I hope my past and future students will be inspired to get outside and do the same!

What are you most excited about?

I can’t wait to be in the wide-open beauty of the land. Being outside and acknowledging the natural wonders will be a powerful and invigorating experience. I’m looking forward to being able to use these experiences to answer more of the questions my students pose as they wonder and speculate about the different regions of the United States. Speaking from experience and from the heart is truly the best way to share knowledge and I believe this opportunity will allow me to shed light on different areas of our land in a way that is meaningful and informative to my kids. It will be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.