OCEANSIDE, Calif. (KGTV) — An Oceanside High School teacher is back from an exclusive trip to Antarctica and sharing his experience with his students.
Justin Moodie is a photography teacher at Oceanside High School and made sure to snap tons of photos during his journey to the far reaches of the globe, capturing penguins, whales, and massive icebergs.
"I feel like I've been waiting my whole life — it's been a life dream to go to Antarctic," said Moodie.
That dream came true earlier this year when Justin Moodie was selected to take part in a teacher fellowship program through National Geographic.
He says his trip has allowed him to connect with his students on a different level.
"One of the biggest ideas and concepts that I'm trying to convey to my students is just the core concept of exploration," explained Moodie.
He's also weaving in bigger concepts and sparking interest in areas beyond taking photos.
"I've started to incorporate polar science into my photography curriculum more and more," Moodie said.
He says going to Antarctica and the people he traveled with gave him the best professional learning opportunity of his career so far.
He adds that he's excited to continue sharing — and hopefully inspiring — his students to push past the familiar and learn as much as they can about their community, their country, and the world beyond.
"This has absolutely made me a better teacher," Moodie said.
