Live An Adventure Podcast

Life lessons from the tenth president: what the first vice president to take the office in full can teach us about stepping into a role we did not plan, and about telling the whole story of a decision. John Tyler did not expect to become president in April 1841. The way he met that moment, and the choices that followed, still offer three useful lessons for everyday life. Lesson 1: When a responsibility finds you, take it in full Tyler was born in 1790 at Greenway plantation in Charles City County, Virginia. He graduated from the College of William and Mary, served in a militia company in the War of 1812, and rose as a Virginia legislator, congressman, governor, and senator. In 1840 the Whigs placed him on the ticket with William Henry Harrison. Harrison died in April 1841, about a month after the inauguration. Some wanted Tyler to act only as a caretaker. He took the presidential oath and the office in full, and he did not call himself acting president. That choice became the Tyl...

Life lessons from the ninth president: what the shortest presidency in U.S. history can teach us about images, honesty, and the work that continues after us. William Henry Harrison served only 31 days as president. Yet his story still offers three useful lessons for everyday life. Lesson 1: Look past the image Harrison was born in 1773 at Berkeley plantation in Charles City County, Virginia, the son of a Virginia planter. Enslaved people lived at Berkeley. In 1840, his campaign called him a log-cabin man, and the slogan worked. But the cabin was a campaign image, not his life story. The lesson for us: a good slogan can be memorable without being true, so it is worth asking what lies behind the picture we are shown, and the one we show others. Lesson 2: Tell the whole story Harrison served as an army officer on the Northwest frontier and as governor of the Indiana Territory. In 1811 he was the victor at the Battle of Tippecanoe, against Native fighters tied to Tecumseh's conf...

Life lessons from the eighth president: what a tavern keeper's son from Kinderhook can teach us about building something that lasts, and about deciding what it is for. Martin Van Buren was never the most famous man in the room. Friends called him the Little Magician, a nickname that praised his skill rather than his fame. His story offers three simple lessons for everyday life. Lesson 1: Listen where people gather Van Buren was born in 1782 in Kinderhook, New York, the son of a tavern keeper. A tavern was a place where neighbors met, argued and shared news. He later trained as a lawyer in New York. Long before he held office, he was learning how ordinary people talked about the issues that mattered to them. The lesson for us: some of our best education happens in the everyday places where we simply stop and listen. Lesson 2: Build the team, not just the name Andrew Jackson supplied the fame; Van Buren supplied the organization. He helped turn Jackson's personal follow...

From the Carolina frontier to the White House, Andrew Jackson treated the presidency as an office of the people. This profile follows his contributions, the harm in his record, and the legacy they left: a stronger presidency and a wider political voice, though not for all. Andrew Jackson won the election of 1828 and treated the presidency as a popular office, not a club for the well born. He built the Democratic Party, vetoed the national bank, and faced down South Carolina when it tried to cancel a federal tariff. His supporters called him a champion of the common man. His record is also one of the hardest in the presidency: in 1830 he signed the Indian Removal Act. A fair profile has to hold both parts of that record. Early life Jackson was born in 1767 in the Waxhaws, on the Carolina frontier. As a boy he was captured in the Revolutionary War. He later became a self-taught lawyer in Tennessee. The early story is a rise from the edge of the country to public office, but it was...

As a boy he watched the smoke of Bunker Hill beside his mother. Decades later, long after the presidency, he stood in the House and defended the right of ordinary people to be heard. This profile follows John Quincy Adams's contributions and the legacy they left: a voice for the unheard. John Quincy Adams built a career on diplomacy and then kept serving long after he left the presidency. He helped write the Treaty of Ghent, shaped the Monroe Doctrine, and became president when the House decided the election of 1824. In office he proposed roads, canals, and a national university. After he lost in 1828, he returned to the House of Representatives and fought the gag rule, which had tabled antislavery petitions. In 1841 he argued the Amistad case. Those facts show a leader who kept using his voice for causes bigger than his own office. Early life Adams was born in 1767 in Braintree, Massachusetts. As a teenager he served as a secretary to American envoys in Europe, so his earl...

As a young lieutenant he was wounded at Trenton. Decades later, as president, he drew a clear line for the whole hemisphere. This profile follows James Monroe's contributions and the legacy they left: problems solved at the table instead of on a battlefield. James Monroe built his career on diplomacy. He fought as a young soldier, served as a diplomat abroad, and then led the country as president. In 1823 he announced the Monroe Doctrine: Europe should not plant new colonies in the Americas, and the United States would stay out of Europe's wars. He also acquired Florida from Spain and presided over the Era of Good Feelings. Those facts show a leader who tried to make the young nation secure by working with other nations. Early life Monroe was born in 1758 in Westmoreland County, Virginia. He fought in the Revolutionary War and was wounded at Trenton in 1776. He later studied law under Thomas Jefferson. Highland, his later home, was a plantation. Enslaved people lived and worke...

At 36, James Madison came to Philadelphia with a plan for a new national government. Two years later he stood up in the first Congress and introduced the amendments that became the Bill of Rights. This profile follows his contributions and the legacy they left: a Constitution that was built, limited and kept standing. James Madison wrote the plan that shaped the Constitution. He then introduced the Bill of Rights, the list that tells the government what it may not do. As president he led the country through the War of 1812. British troops burned the Capitol. The government did not fall. Those three facts are the profile: he helped build the state, he helped limit it, and he kept it standing in a war. Early life Madison was born in 1751 in Port Conway, Virginia. He grew up at Montpelier. He studied at the College of New Jersey, the school now called Princeton, and entered Virginia politics during the Revolution. Montpelier was also a plantation. Enslaved people lived and worked ...

At 33, Thomas Jefferson drafted the Declaration of Independence. In the fifty years that followed, he sent explorers west, doubled the nation, sold Congress the books that restocked its library, and founded a university. This profile follows his contributions and the legacy they left: ideas that helped build a nation. Thomas Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence in 1776 and bought Louisiana from France in 1803. The purchase doubled the nation’s land. He sent Lewis and Clark west, cut the debt and the army, and later founded the University of Virginia. Monticello was also a plantation. The man who wrote that all men are created equal held people in slavery. Early life Jefferson was born in 1743 at Shadwell, Virginia. He studied law and entered the House of Burgesses. In 1776 he drafted the Declaration of Independence, which Congress then edited. The words attacked a king and named rights. They did not free the people he enslaved. Monticello is the house tied to his name...

John Adams lost the election of 1800 and left office. The next president was Thomas Jefferson, a man from the other party. That exit is the civic fact. Adams had already helped win the war, write the peace, and build a navy. He then proved that power in the United States could pass from one party to another without a fight in the streets. Early life Adams was born in 1735 in Braintree, Massachusetts, the town later called Quincy. He graduated from Harvard and became a Boston lawyer. After the Boston Massacre in 1770, he defended the British soldiers in court. The choice was unpopular. He treated a fair trial as a duty, even for men the town blamed. Peacefield, the house tied to his later years, still stands in Quincy. The trial showed his belief that the law must protect even unpopular defendants. Career He served as a delegate to the Continental Congress. He helped negotiate the Treaty of Paris in 1783, the agreement that ended the Revolutionary War and recognized American ind...

George Washington was the first president, and he left after two terms. Before that he commanded the Continental Army and presided over the Constitutional Convention. In office he appointed the first Cabinet and federal judges, proclaimed neutrality in 1793, and suppressed the Whiskey Rebellion in 1794. He then proved a republic could hand power on in peace. Mount Vernon, his home, was also a plantation worked by enslaved people. Early life Washington was born in 1732 in Westmoreland County, Virginia. He worked as a surveyor, then became a planter at Mount Vernon. He served as a colonial officer in the French and Indian War. The early path is land, surveying, and a British colonial war. Enslaved people lived and worked at Mount Vernon. Surveying gave him first-hand knowledge of western land. Career He commanded the Continental Army from 1775 to 1783 and led the victory at Yorktown in 1781. In 1787 he presided over the Constitutional Convention. The key to his career was trust. War fame...

  What if the most important life lessons were found on a dusty road, in a conversation with a stranger, or in the moment you got lost? That’s the heart of “Live An Adventure,” a new podcast from Teachers Travelers. Drawing on thirty years of teaching and traveling in 60+ countries, missed buses, border crossings and unexpected friendships across five continents, the show explores how everyday choices, imagination, relationships, curiosity, faith, purpose, and even challenges, quietly shape a more fulfilling life. In the first three episodes you’ll hear: - The conversation that turned an idea into a lifelong commitment to teach on every continent. - A backpacking trip through Central America that still teaches the quiet power of trusting strangers and embracing uncertainty. - The unexpected words of a Swiss student in rural Guatemala that redefined what “home” really means, and the surprising joy of simplicity. This isn’t a show about destinations. It’s a show about becoming. Each ...

Happy 250th Birthday America!!! Download this f r e e high definition infographic here  This infographic marks America's 250th anniversary with a hero image of the Statue of Liberty surrounded by figures spanning the full arc of American history, and six impact panels covering democracy and freedom, ending World War II, innovation and technology, humanitarian aid, civil rights, and scientific achievements, anchored by a timeline of eight milestones from 1776 to 2026.  Teachers will find it ideal for sparking discussion about America's role in world history. Perfect for visual learners, ELL/EAL students, and anyone who wants history to feel like an epic adventure! Visit our Teachers Travelers store for more resources like this! https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/store/teacherstravelers #America250   #TeachersTravelers   #FouthOfJuly #250th   #liveanadveturepod

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ROOTS by Genise Ford No one ever tells you one of the biggest challenges of being an expat is managing the expectations of friends and family back home. Returning to visit means navigating stressful demands on your time that only those who live abroad can truly understand. You find yourself counting days and weighing your time trying to ensure you’re being “fair,” all while managing the costs of travel, being away from your daily routines, and packing for a family trip lasting over a month. Phrases like “we have a life too” come from friends and family not willing to travel miles to your thousands, they can’t see the irony in the statement. The guilt trips can be relentless, with comments like, “Being my maid of honor didn’t mean anything to you,” or “We see where we are on your priority list” failing to acknowledge that the effort and expense of traveling are mutual. Yet, how many times have they come to see you across the pond? Friends argue about why you haven’t visited them when yo...

Riding the famous Guatemalan Chicken Buses I could have taken the tourist shuttle direct from my hostel door in Antigua to the hostel in San Pedro. It would have cost me $6.25. Instead, I went for the Chicken Bus. There's something magical about those blinged-out old school buses...the flashy painting, the names (Esmeralda, Esperanza, Carmelita), the stickers of naked women surrounding the crucifix/rosary shrine... There's just nothing like being the only white person on the bus, sitting 5 to a seat squished between a Guatemalan guy, a Maya woman, and her 2 kids, and squishing even more when someone tries to pass in the aisle. One eye on your backpack, ready to take down whoever stands in your way if someone even thinks about taking it, white-knuckling the seatback in front of you as the bus careens around mountainous turns at somewhere between 2x and 3x what most would consider a "safe speed". The exhilaration of flying past a cop in a no-passing zone around a blind ...

A Curious Mind How educators and parents can encourage and guide children's natural curiosity — in the classroom and at home POSTED   November 24, 2020   BY   Emily Boudreau Educators have long posited that inquiry-based learning — posing a particular problem or setting up an experiment — gets kids engaged and asking questions about the world. But are those expressed behaviors really signs that kids are curious, and can that curiosity be fostered in the classroom? According to cognitive scientist and researcher  Elizabeth Bonawitz , curiosity is innate in all humans — a sensation much like hunger or thirst. “Curiosity acts as a kind of filter you put over the world to help the mind decide what information to attend to,” she says. “It’s a physiological response that helps drive action and decision-making to support learning.” To help educators and parents better understand how to motivate that innate curiosity in children, Bonawitz offers three insights from emerging ...