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Teachers learn best from one another because the most professionally influential person to any teacher is another teacher.
What to Bring to the Orientation Meeting (right after dinner on Thursday evening)
In order to maximize the benefit of this retreat for you and the other participants, please prepare and bring printed copies of your own Retreat Handout to share at the Orientation Meeting. Your entire handout could fit on one sheet of paper (possibly front and back if needed) depending on how much you choose to write.
About a week before the retreat, you will be informed how many copies to bring.
YOUR Retreat Handout (Items to Include)
At the top of the page: Your name, institution, your e-mail address, and any other contact information you wish to share with other retreat participants. If you want, you may also include a small photograph of your face to help other participants in getting to know you.
Teaching Success Story: A brief description (one paragraph may be sufficient) of a method, strategy, or technique, possibly an innovation of your own, that you have successfully used to enhance your teaching.
Unresolved Teaching Problem: A brief description (one paragraph may be sufficient) of a persistent problem or challenge in teaching you have not yet resolved that you would like to discuss with other teachers to explore possible solutions.
Quick Tip: A brief description of an object lesson, a device or app you use, a motivational activity, or some simple "trick of the trade" that works with your students (different from your success story). It doesn't need to be astounding, just effective for you and your students. You will have an opportunity to demonstrate or explain this idea to the entire group.
OPTIONAL: Information about an influential book, journal article, or even just a quotation from a great thinker that has helped you in your work as a teacher; however, the topic does NOT have to be specifically about education. If you want to share a quotation, simply include it on your handout. If you are sharing a book/article, please include the following on your handout: (1) author, title, publication date, etc., and (2) a brief description of why you would recommend that book or article to other teachers. You may also bring an actual copy of the book/article to the Orientation meeting to put on the sharing table of our Retreat Library for participants to browse.
Retreat Schedule
The basic Retreat Schedule indicates times for meetings and meals. Any event based on the tried-and-true, highly effective seminar model of the National Great Teachers Movement has no preset agenda of topics to discuss. The agenda emerges and evolves from conversations about topics initiated by you and the other participants in the handouts you bring to share (see "Retreat Handout" information above) as well as about other teaching/learning issues of greatest interest, relevance, and current concern to you during the retreat.
What to Wear, and the Need to Stay Well Hydrated
Feel free to dress in casual clothing, but come prepared for Utah's strange weather. According to National Park Service Weather Data, winter days in February at Bryce Canyon are often sunny but cold, with an average high temperature of 38 F (3 C) and up to a record high of 64 F (18 C). Nighttime temperatures are below freezing (17 F/-8 C on average). December through February are the coldest and snowiest months in Bryce, with 18 inches (46 cm) of average total snowfall during February, so it's a good idea to bring clothing for layers to deal with temperature differences. Bryce Canyon covered in snow is a magnificent sight, with dazzling color contrasts in the landscape!
Ruby's Inn is 7585 feet (2312 m) above sea level; and in some areas, Bryce Canyon National Park is over 9000 feet (2743 m). In such a dry climate and at high elevation, dehydration can occur quickly, even in winter, so it's important to drink plenty of water before and after you arrive to stay well hydrated.
Bryce Canyon's spectacular amphitheater of multicolored hoodoos.
What to Do During Friday Afternoon Free Time
On Friday afternoon, we have scheduled several hours of free time. Following are places and activities you may enjoy in the Bryce Canyon area. Website links have been included to provide details to help you decide what you might like to do. If you want to go hiking, be sure to wear appropriate footgear and clothing; take at least 1 quart (1 liter) of water per person; and don't forget your camera!
One of many open winter trails around and into the Bryce Amphitheater.
1. Bryce Canyon National Park is open every day of the year, 24 hours a day. If you do not have a National Parks Annual Pass, the entrance fee is $35 per private vehicle (up to 15 people); valid for 7 days. The park shuttle doesn't operate in February, so you'll need to drive into Bryce. The Visitor Center is only about 7 minutes (2.7 miles/4.3 km) one-way from Ruby's Inn. The park road is 18 miles long (29 km) from the entrance to the end and has numerous vehicle pullouts with easy/moderate walking paths to viewing areas. Despite its name, Bryce Canyon is not a canyon, rather it's a geologic amphitheater. In the first 3 miles of the main road (4.8 km), you will find scenic overlooks with trails leading down into the Bryce Amphitheater. The last 15 miles (24 km) of the main road is known as the Southern Scenic Drive. It has 9 pullouts with overlooks where you can experience the less often viewed geology and wildlife of Bryce. Although some trails are closed in winter, many are available but may require additional equipment, such as snowshoes or cross-country skis, which you can rent at Ruby's Inn.
2. On your drive to Ruby's Inn, you will likely pass through Red Canyon, which is part of the Dixie National Forest. It has some fantastic hiking trails that you can visit for FREE! The US Forest Service operates the Red Canyon Visitor Center, but it's usually closed from mid-October through the end of April; nevertheless, the trails are still open in February for hiking, snowshoeing, and cross-country skiing. The preceding link to their website provides useful information. Also, the Best Trails in Red Canyon webpage is an excellent resource for details about the area. You can park at the Visitor Center, which is approximately 14 minutes (11.7 miles/19 km) one-way from Ruby's Inn, taking Highway 12 west toward the Highway 89 junction, in the direction of Panguitch, Utah.
Red Canyon along Highway 12 on the way to Bryce.
Rock spires and chimneys tower above the Kodachrome Basin.
3. Kodachrome Basin State Park. Day use is $10 per private vehicle (up to 8 people); and if you are a Utah Resident Senior (age 62+), the cost is $5 per vehicle (up to 8 people). The Visitor Center is open every day of the year. It's about 31 minutes (21.7 miles/35 km) one-way from Ruby's Inn. To get there, take Highway 12 east toward Tropic; then at Cannonville, turn south on Kodachrome Road (the physical address of the Visitor Center is 2905 S. Kodachrome State Park Rd). You can also find useful information and details on the Best Trails in Kodachrome Basin State Park webpage. At an elevation of 5800 feet (1768 m), Kodachrome Basin doesn't get as much snow as Bryce, and when it does snow, it quickly melts away.
4. Grosvenor Arch (pronounced GROH-vən-ər) is an extremely rare double arch of natural sandstone, located in the northwest corner of the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. It was named to honor Gilbert Hovey Grosvenor (1875–1966), a president of the National Geographic Society, and the first full-time editor of the National Geographic Magazine. The arches are a short walk from the parking lot, and a pit-toilet restroom is available on site. Other than the cost of fuel and time to get there and back, it's FREE to visit. The site is well maintained. The one-way drive from Ruby's Inn is 31.4 miles/50.5 km (about 57 minutes total). The road is paved up to Kodachrome Basin, but from that point on, it's an "unimproved" dirt road for 10.7 miles/17.2 km (about another 26 minutes further down from Kodachrome Basin). It is not recommended if the road is muddy.
Rare pair of natural sandstone arches known as Grosvenor Arch.
5. Ruby's Inn Fitness Room
6. Indoor Pool at Ruby's Inn
7. Of course, you might simply want some quiet time in your hotel room to reflect on your teaching... and to take a well deserved nap!
Additional Room Charges
If you want any "extras" that Ruby's Inn may offer (e.g., pay-per-view movies, more than one personal guest, extended stay at hotel, etc.), you must provide a personal credit card number when you check in. Retreat participants will be responsible for additional charges they may incur. If you plan to have family or friends stay with you in your hotel room at Ruby's Inn, please review and honor the Condition for Bringing Personal Guests (on the Lodging, Meals, Travel page) and pay for any additional costs required to accommodate your guests.
Electronic and Emergency Communications During the Retreat
Although free Wi-Fi is readily accessible throughout the facilities at Ruby's Inn, mobile phone service may be spotty in Bryce Canyon, so if you need a phone number for emergency contact during the retreat, please use their main line at 435-834-5341. They cannot transfer a call from their toll-free line.
Other Questions?
If you need travel information, such as a map of the Bryce Canyon area, please go to the Lodging, Meals, Travel page. If you have any other questions or concerns about the retreat, please feel free to contact the Retreat Coordinator, by e-mail at HighroadPD@gmail.com or by phone at 435-590-6066 (if no answer, please leave a message).
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