Teachers travel the world with the Meador Grant
The Helen Meador Summer International Travel Fellowship funded summer professional development for Second Grade Teacher Caleb Franklin and First Grade Teacher Latasha Smith.
By Ian Dinkins, Assistant Director of Marketing and Communications
Thanks to the generous support of the Meador Travel Grant, Second Grade Teacher Caleb Franklin and First Grade Teacher Latasha Smith spent their summers immersing themselves in new cultures, exploring complex histories, and deepening their understanding of identity. Each teacher brought back insights and experiences that will enrich the entire USN community.
For Franklin, his journey was both professional and deeply personal. Before this summer, Franklin had never traveled outside the United States. With the support of the Meador Fellowship, he spent 21 days across four cities in Germany and one in Poland, tracing the devastating history of the Holocaust while studying how identity is affirmed or denied in different spaces.
“The identity curriculum in Lower School is one of the most incredible things about USN,” Franklin said. “Here at USN, we talk about things like identity, and that takes away some of the fear around those topics.”
His travels took him to Munich, where he visited a concentration camp, memorials, and learned the concept of “reversing the gaze,” which is viewing history through the eyes of victims rather than oppressors. Franklin also visited Nuremberg, where he stood in the courtroom that hosted the famous Nuremberg Trials. In Weimar, he saw a concentration camp where the clock is still frozen at 3:15, the time prisoners were liberated. The town now displays portraits of survivors as part of a city-wide act of remembrance.
His travels in Germany ended in Berlin, where Franklin saw multiple memorials and historical sites, including the site of the Munich Book Burnings. Finally, in Krakow, Poland, he visited Auschwitz — an experience he described as one of the most powerful of the trip.
Throughout his journey, Franklin explored stories of individuals who were persecuted for their identities and came away with a renewed understanding of identity as something multifaceted.
“It’s an ugly history, but it’s important to know,” Franklin said. “Even ordinary people can be complicit. As educators, we hold a unique responsibility to see, affirm, and help support each child’s full humanity and identity.”
A special part of his journey, Franklin brought his mother along on the trip. It was a shared experience that deepened his reflections and connected the historical to the personal.
For first grade teacher Latasha Smith, the summer brought a different kind of homecoming. With Thai and Chinese heritage on her mother’s side, Smith traveled with her family to Phuket, Thailand, to connect with her roots and explore identity through a cultural and familial lens.
Similarly to Franklin, Smith knew that exploring identity was something that was critical to life at USN.
“I wanted to work at USN because of the identity curriculum offered at the school,” said Smith. “This trip gave me the chance to learn more about my own background and share that journey with my students.”
Traveling with her mother, who hadn’t returned to Thailand in 50 years, Smith described the experience as not just a professional development trip, but a meaningful family reunion.
While in Thailand, they visited Oak Meadow International School, where Smith was able to observe a thriving kindergarten program in a self-contained space. She also studied how the school weaves identity education into both classroom activities and cafeteria meals, giving her inspiration for new ways to approach identity back at USN.
Smith also visited a Buddhist temple, watched traditional Thai dancing, and enjoyed the many cultural landmarks Thailand has to offer. However, there was one experience that stood out.
“My favorite part of the trip was visiting the elephant sanctuary,” she said. “My daughter loves them, and we were able to learn so much about these wonderful animals. Elephants are going to play a role in some of our first grade reading this year, so it worked out perfectly.”
For both Franklin and Smith, the Meador Fellowship was a transformative experience that will ripple through the USN community in meaningful ways.
“I am grateful to work at a place where identity is a part of the curriculum and we take the time to teach students about themselves and others,” said Smith. “I realized it is never too late to learn about your identity, and I am extremely proud of that identity.”
Whether it was the Holocaust memorials of Eastern Europe or the elephant sanctuaries of Thailand, their journeys equipped them with powerful stories, deeper empathy, and a stronger connection to the global threads of identity.
As Smith and Franklin return to their classrooms this fall, they are bringing a renewed commitment to USN’s identity curriculum with them and a vivid reminder that learning can take us far, but always brings us home.
Established in honor of longtime USN educator Helen Meador, the Meador Summer International Travel Fellowship funds international summer professional development for USN faculty. With the goal of enriching teaching and fostering global perspectives, the grant supports travel beyond North America and projects that benefit the full school community. What began as a single travel award has now grown to support two faculty members each year, drawing applications from across all divisions of the school.
Back
Thanks to the generous support of the Meador Travel Grant, Second Grade Teacher Caleb Franklin and First Grade Teacher Latasha Smith spent their summers immersing themselves in new cultures, exploring complex histories, and deepening their understanding of identity. Each teacher brought back insights and experiences that will enrich the entire USN community.
For Franklin, his journey was both professional and deeply personal. Before this summer, Franklin had never traveled outside the United States. With the support of the Meador Fellowship, he spent 21 days across four cities in Germany and one in Poland, tracing the devastating history of the Holocaust while studying how identity is affirmed or denied in different spaces.
“The identity curriculum in Lower School is one of the most incredible things about USN,” Franklin said. “Here at USN, we talk about things like identity, and that takes away some of the fear around those topics.”
His travels took him to Munich, where he visited a concentration camp, memorials, and learned the concept of “reversing the gaze,” which is viewing history through the eyes of victims rather than oppressors. Franklin also visited Nuremberg, where he stood in the courtroom that hosted the famous Nuremberg Trials. In Weimar, he saw a concentration camp where the clock is still frozen at 3:15, the time prisoners were liberated. The town now displays portraits of survivors as part of a city-wide act of remembrance.
His travels in Germany ended in Berlin, where Franklin saw multiple memorials and historical sites, including the site of the Munich Book Burnings. Finally, in Krakow, Poland, he visited Auschwitz — an experience he described as one of the most powerful of the trip.
Throughout his journey, Franklin explored stories of individuals who were persecuted for their identities and came away with a renewed understanding of identity as something multifaceted.
“It’s an ugly history, but it’s important to know,” Franklin said. “Even ordinary people can be complicit. As educators, we hold a unique responsibility to see, affirm, and help support each child’s full humanity and identity.”
A special part of his journey, Franklin brought his mother along on the trip. It was a shared experience that deepened his reflections and connected the historical to the personal.
For first grade teacher Latasha Smith, the summer brought a different kind of homecoming. With Thai and Chinese heritage on her mother’s side, Smith traveled with her family to Phuket, Thailand, to connect with her roots and explore identity through a cultural and familial lens.
Similarly to Franklin, Smith knew that exploring identity was something that was critical to life at USN.
“I wanted to work at USN because of the identity curriculum offered at the school,” said Smith. “This trip gave me the chance to learn more about my own background and share that journey with my students.”
Traveling with her mother, who hadn’t returned to Thailand in 50 years, Smith described the experience as not just a professional development trip, but a meaningful family reunion.
While in Thailand, they visited Oak Meadow International School, where Smith was able to observe a thriving kindergarten program in a self-contained space. She also studied how the school weaves identity education into both classroom activities and cafeteria meals, giving her inspiration for new ways to approach identity back at USN.
Smith also visited a Buddhist temple, watched traditional Thai dancing, and enjoyed the many cultural landmarks Thailand has to offer. However, there was one experience that stood out.
“My favorite part of the trip was visiting the elephant sanctuary,” she said. “My daughter loves them, and we were able to learn so much about these wonderful animals. Elephants are going to play a role in some of our first grade reading this year, so it worked out perfectly.”
For both Franklin and Smith, the Meador Fellowship was a transformative experience that will ripple through the USN community in meaningful ways.
“I am grateful to work at a place where identity is a part of the curriculum and we take the time to teach students about themselves and others,” said Smith. “I realized it is never too late to learn about your identity, and I am extremely proud of that identity.”
Whether it was the Holocaust memorials of Eastern Europe or the elephant sanctuaries of Thailand, their journeys equipped them with powerful stories, deeper empathy, and a stronger connection to the global threads of identity.
As Smith and Franklin return to their classrooms this fall, they are bringing a renewed commitment to USN’s identity curriculum with them and a vivid reminder that learning can take us far, but always brings us home.
Established in honor of longtime USN educator Helen Meador, the Meador Summer International Travel Fellowship funds international summer professional development for USN faculty. With the goal of enriching teaching and fostering global perspectives, the grant supports travel beyond North America and projects that benefit the full school community. What began as a single travel award has now grown to support two faculty members each year, drawing applications from across all divisions of the school.
Previous Helen Meador Summer International Travel Fellowship recipients include:
- 2011: High School Science Teacher George Flatau traveled to Italy, France, and England to study the history of science.
- 2012: Fifth Grade English Teacher Susan Godwin traveled to England.
- 2013: Lower School Teacher Melissa Sherman traveled to France, and Lower School Teacher Victoria Roca traveled to Scotland and Sweden to study forest schools.
- 2014: High School English Teacher Freya Sachs traveled to Dublin, Paris, and London.
- 2015: Middle and High School Art Teacher Emily Holt traveled to northern and central Italy to study puppetmaking.
- 2016: Lower School Teacher Betsy Hoffman traveled to Italy to attend the Creativity Workshop and to visit Reggio Emilia.
- 2017: High School Art Teacher Delia Seigenthaler traveled to Ghana.
- 2018: Eighth Grade Teacher Pamela Malinowski traveled to Italy and Switzerland.
- 2019: Third Grade Teacher Sarah Wiley traveled to Spain.
- 2020: No grant due to COVID-19 pandemic travel restrictions.
- 2021: No grant due to COVID-19 pandemic travel restrictions.
- 2022: Fifth Grade Science Teacher Tobey Balzer traveled to Iceland.
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Phone: 615-321-8000
Fax: 615-321-0889
Email: info@usn.org
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2000 Edgehill Ave.
Nashville, TN 37212
Phone: 615-321-8000
Fax: 615-321-0889
Email: info@usn.org
River Campus
1200 County Hospital Road
Nashville, TN 37218
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University School of Nashville models the best educational practices. In an environment that represents the cultural and ethnic composition of Metropolitan Nashville, USN fosters each student’s intellectual, artistic, and athletic potential, valuing and inspiring integrity, creative expression, a love of learning, and the pursuit of excellence.
University School of Nashville models the best educational practices. In an environment that represents the cultural and ethnic composition of Metropolitan Nashville, USN fosters each student’s intellectual, artistic, and athletic potential, valuing and inspiring integrity, creative expression, a love of learning, and the pursuit of excellence.