Michael Eklund

Mr. Michael Eklund is a history teacher at Kenilworth Junior High School in Petaluma, California. He has been the coordinator/promoter/leader of a week long trip to Washington, DC and other areas of historic importance for about 20 years. He has taken over 100 seventh and eighth grade students on each of these trips. After the trip was cancelled due to the pandemic, the next trip included ninth and tenth grade students who missed the opportunity during their time at Kenilworth.

Why are you passionate about student travel?

Every great teacher will tell you it is those “light bulb” moments that really brings on the passion in learning… and teaching. A “light bulb” moment is when a student “gets it,” and it is so clear that it is almost like looking at a comic strip with a light bulb in a caption above the student’s head. A VERY satisfying feeling for both the student and the teacher. On my very first trip taking students to Washington DC, I was surrounded by those light bulb moments. Numerous times throughout each day, students would come up to me and comment that the items we were seeing were the real life version of what we had learned about in the classroom. That feeling has driven me ever since. I still am thrilled whenever a student gets excited about one of these light bulb moments.

What is a major highlight from any of your student travel experiences?

Oh, there are so many to choose from! In the Capitol, we were waiting for our Congressman to come meet with us and he was running late. I was trying to keep our large group quiet and out of the way and asked them to sit against the walls. I was going between our two groups but every time I looked back, they were getting up again. Turns out a Capitol police officer was making them get up because sitting on the floor in the Capitol was a form of protest and they would be subject to arrest if they continued to do what I had been asking them to do. The Capitol police officer had them all laughing at my error. 

At the Twilight Tattoo, a former student who was now in the Army came and met us on the bus to escort us into the show. Before we exited the bus, he described how going on the trip with me years earlier and seeing the Twilight Tattoo had inspired him to join the Army and his goal was to be a guard at the Tomb of the Unknowns at Arlington.

At the Lincoln Memorial, I gave our students copies of Dr. Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream’ speech. On their own, the students had divided it up into sections and had been practicing their sections so they could surprise me by presenting the speech on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. Not only did they impress me tremendously but by the time they finished, they received a huge ovation from the nearly 200 tourists who had gathered around while they presented.

I have written letters for numerous students who were inspired by the trip to apply to one of our nation’s military academies. I am very proud to say that two former students went to the Air Force Academy, one went to West Point and another is currently in law school because she wants to become a Supreme Court Justice. Others had gone into jobs working for our members of the House and Senators. More than once, our tours of the Capitol have been arranged by former students who went on the trip with me. It is quite inspiring when they take the time to share their story with another group following their footsteps.

These are just a few of the many, many stories that come to mind.

What is the greatest lesson you or your students have learned from your trips?

Every year I take my students across the street from the Changing of the Guard at Arlington to the Audie Murphy grave site. I teach them a lesson about this great man and why they should look up to and aspire to be like him. How he is the embodiment of what it means to be a true patriotic American.  I usually have most of my group in tears (and I have not made it through the lesson yet without tearing up myself) by the time I finish our little lesson. A couple years ago, as we were finishing up the lesson a bus load of World War II veterans pulled up (I believe they are called a Life Flight group?) . This lesson about honor, duty and an unselfish commitment to our country really resonated with my students. The students took it upon themselves to go over and personally shake the hands of each and every veteran and their spouses for their service and sacrifice for our country. They stayed to help them to their seats and even helped push wheelchairs. I could not have been more proud of my students. It still brings me to tears just writing about it

How do you try to tie your travel experiences back into the classroom?

I think I do my best teaching when I can relate personal experiences to what we are learning about. For example, when we learn about the relationship between George Washington and the Marquis de Lafayette not only can I show them a picture of the key to the Bastille that I took at Mount Vernon, I can also tell them where they can find it to see for themselves when they are touring Washington’s home. Not only does this give an excellent visual in class for all my students but now the students going on the trip have already been clued in on what to look for. I am amazed how well this works because I talk about this situation in September and they don’t go on the trip until June. Despite that length of time between lesson and visit, every year numerous students come to tell me that they saw the key and show me their photos. Retention is so much better when they see, and live it, for themselves. This is the biggest reason I keep coming back to lead a new group every year. 

From the Nominator:

What qualities make this nominee, both as an educator and travel leader, deserving of this award?

Mike dedicates tremendous time and energy to these yearly trips. The students are exposed to a huge variety of people, places, and experiences. This is true for the adults (of which I am one) as well. Mike speaks to all of us about the things we will see and his knowledge of the historical significance of each place, and the people involved, is simply amazing. Mike is a knowledgeable teacher who seamlessly teaches all participants in a fun and engaging manner. I have personally been on the trip 4 times, and I would go again with Mike at the drop of a hat.