HERStory: Giving Tuesday x The EcoLogik Institute

Before Traveling Miss T. existed, I was a 5th grade teacher obsessed with making learning feel magical. My classroom wasn’t just a classroom... It was CHAgwarts. (The initials of the school I worked in were CHA, so the classroom was meant to be pronounced like a Hebrew Hogwarts 🤪).

House banners, potions lessons in science, a sorting hat to decide selective seating… I taught the 50 states and their capitals the same way I taught everything else: through play, imagination, and adventure. My students didn’t just memorize, they explored.

Then the pandemic hit. And suddenly I was trying to recreate all that Hogwarts magic… in a Zoom window. I’ll be honest, there were days when it felt impossible. How do you spark imagination and inspire learning through a screen? But those challenges pushed me to think differently.

I kept asking myself: “What if learning felt like Disneyland? What if school felt like Universal Studios?” School should be a place where every corner is immersive. Where curiosity leads the way. Where kids feel transported. Where every classroom is themed and decorated.

So I set out to build that experience, digitally. Of course, there were obvious issues with copyright laws. I couldn't just open an online school where the full curriculum was Hogwarts themed. (But it's still a great idea if anyone wants to introduce me to J.K. Rowling or has a contact at Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.)

By the end of the 2020 school year, I was out. But I was only just beginning. And by 2022, my first ideas evolved into something bigger: Traveling Miss T.'s Math Maps. My way of blending storytelling, geography, and problem-solving into an adventure by Coordinate Plane. 

The initial seeds of Traveling Miss T. was born out of crisis, but also out of creativity, resilience, and my belief that learning should always be an experience. And that’s exactly why I’m so inspired by the work of the EcoLogik Institute.

EcoLogik gives girls that same sense of adventure and possibility. They show young women that they belong in STEM by immersing them in real research, mentorship, exploration, and leadership. They create worlds where girls see themselves as scientists, innovators, conservationists, and changemakers.

Just like my students needed magic to spark their confidence and curiosity, EcoLogik is creating that spark for girls every single day. And I am so proud to support their work as a mentor and advisor. 

So on this Giving Tuesday, I invite you to support them too.

Follow @theecologikinstitute to see the powerful work they’re doing to uplift young women in STEM, and if you’re able, donate. Your support helps ensure that girls, especially those from underserved communities, experience the kind of transformative learning every child deserves.

You can help create HERStory. 

Donate: https://www.ecologikinstitute.org/change
IG: @theecologikinstitute
FB: @ecologikinstitute
LinkedIn: The EcoLogik Institute