Evolution Bound? MN Teacher To Take Trip Of A Lifetime To ‘Darwin’ Island

TEACHER CHOSEN FOR NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC PROGRAM

A teacher from Prior Lake is getting the experience of a lifetime, and teaching her classroom students that' if at first you don't succeed, try and try again."

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MEET LAURA

Laura Hagemen is a 5th grade teacher at Jeffers Pond Elementary School, located in Prior Lake, Minnesota. Laura was chosen by National Geographic to travel to the Galapagos Islands for a hands-on educational trip to learn and explore the Galapagos Islands on a 10-day hands-on educational experience.

It sounds like a dream come true, but Laura admits that she has a great lesson to teach her students because of her trip.

LIFE LESSONS

Laura has wanted to be a part of the National Geographic program for quite some time. In fact, she applied for the program 4 times in the past, and each time she received a message that she had not been chosen for the trip.

If at first you don't succeed, try and try again seems to have worked in her favor. She is getting to live a dream that she's had and it's all because of her persistance.
In a recent interview, Laura said, "My plan is to get the kids to kind of have some research and understanding about the Galapagos before I leave, so they can ask questions and I can see if I can find those answers while I'm there."

Hagemen will be leaving on her journey the day after Thanksgiving and she will be going for a 10-day hands-on experience of a lifetime. She says, "I'd like them to see that even a teacher can fail at something." Some of the students who were interviewed seemed to understand that sometimes giving it your extra effort may pay off if you do something long enough.