Cloquet teacher earns trip to explore Iceland

Kim Broman has dreamed of a National Geographic-type of adventure ever since becoming a second-grade teacher. This summer, she will fulfill that dream after being awarded a Grosvenor Teacher fellowship from the magazine and one of its travel partners. Soon, she will be sharing adventures from Iceland with her students at Washington Elementary in Cloquet.

Broman will go on a 10-day Iceland expedition in August, starting in the capital of Reykjavik. She will then board the ship Explorer to circumnavigate the country, with all its diverse natural beauty.

Such a trip "has been on my list for a very long time, something that I wanted to be able to try," she said.

Broman has been using the National Geographic website as a teaching tool her entire career. It's where she picked up lessons to share on social studies and science. She started taking some of the teacher development courses and eventually learned about the travel fellowships.

"I applied once when I first became a teacher," she said. "This was my second attempt, probably 11 or 12 years later."

Sven-Olaf Lindblad, founder of Lindblad Expeditions, conceived the fellowship in honor of Gilbert M. Grosvenor of the National Geographic Society, who was known for his work promoting geography education. What began as two seats aboard his ship for educators has changed the lives of more than 400 teachers since 2006.

Broman is among 35 teachers in the U.S. and Canada chosen this year for expeditions across the globe, free of charge. Other locations include Antarctica, the Galápagos, Patagonia, Alaska, and the Arctic.

Were one to simply join the Lindblad Iceland expedition, they would be charged more than $11,000, not including flights.

The Iceland trip certainly sounds inviting, as described by the program: "Experience the geological extremes on one of the world's youngest islands. Walk on lava fields and ice sheets. Feel the wondrous power of hot springs and waterfalls. Cruise into the Westfjords and spot nesting sea birds. Hike along magnificent stretches of coast. Icelandic experts and musicians add insight and energy to the expedition."

In return for the experience, educators are expected to go home and share what they saw and learned, in a "two-year ambassador commitment."

Broman said it will be par for the course in her teaching to bring her experiences home.

"I think our social studies standards have to do with people, cultures and other things to gain [understanding] about the people and the history," she said. "They have different foods that they eat, and a different history with the land. I want to learn the geography, the culture, the wildlife, and the things that make Iceland the unique place that it is."

She's already knowledgeable about what she will encounter in Iceland, socially and scientifically.

"Like the geothermal heat and how they use it," she said. "They use it for power and other things. They make rye bread from that geothermal heat, I can't wait to try it. They cook it in the ground using geothermal heat, a traditional method of cooking. I do want to know some of the social customs. They have a big herring industry, and that's one of the places we will get to go and learn."

On the ship will be naturalists, a historian, a professional photographer, and experts on Icelandic tradition and customs. There will be a diver and equipment to see what's happening under the water.

"Another thing I want to take back is a little piece of the Arctic, as tiny Grimsey Island is partially in the Arctic," Broman said.

With fewer than 100 inhabitants, Grimsey Island is home to more than a million seabirds, including the famous puffins and dive-bombing Arctic terns. Travel that far north on the Greenland Sea is no problem for the Lindblad Expedition fleet, which now has 17 ships capable of traveling on all the world's waters.

The Explorer can accommodate up to 150 guests, and is built for rough conditions, should any develop. The ship offers many comforts after each day of exploration and learning.

August is a relatively mild time of year for Iceland but, as anyone who's been around Lake Superior knows, conditions can certainly change quickly.

She has no doubt that her students will be interested in her adventure.

"I love learning, and I especially love the curiosity that second-graders bring to a classroom. They can make a difference in the world - it's why I teach."