For many, travelling the globe is a dream.
For Joanna Thompson-Anselm, a dedicated geography teacher at the York Region District School Board's Milliken Mills High School in Markham and longtime Ajax resident, it’s becoming a reality — at least in part.
Joanna’s passion for geography recently earned her two prestigious accolades: The National Geographic Grosvenor Teacher Fellowship for 2024 and the Gilles Gagnier Medal. Both honours recognize her innovative teaching methods and commitment to fostering global citizenship among her students.
As a Grosvenor Fellow, Joanna joined an elite cohort of educators from across Canada and the U.S., selected for their dedication to bringing geography to life.
In June, she embarked on an eight-day expedition to Alaska, a journey that combined breathtaking landscapes with hands-on learning aboard a Lindblad Expeditions-National Geographic vessel.
Her adventure began in Sitka and concluded in Juneau, with stops at Glacier Bay, Tracy Arm and Alaska’s vibrant coastal ecosystems.
“I chose Alaska because it’s a place I might never reach on my own,” Joanna explains. “This was truly a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to taste, touch, see, hear and smell the glacial landscape.”
Standing before towering glaciers, Joanna gained a deeper appreciation for the tangible effects of climate change.
“Seeing the glaciers up close brought the concept of global warming to life in ways I could never imagine,” she says.
Exploring kelp forests and Alaska’s rugged coastlines, she reflected on humanity’s role in environmental change — and how often its consequences fall on the most vulnerable species.
“Sometimes, you have to look really hard to see big things,” Joanna says. “And sometimes, the smallest details pop out when you’re close to them.”
Her time in Alaska reinforced the interconnectedness of ecosystems, where every organism, from barnacles to bears, contributes to the delicate balance of life — until disrupted by human activity.
Her exploration extended to Alaska’s lush green forests, where she marvelled at the intricate web of life within just a single square metre.
“You see evidence of things alive now, recently alive, and even long gone,” she notes.
The journey also inspired her to reflect on her identity as a geographer.
“This experience reminded me to embrace my perspective while remaining open to other ways of engaging with the world,” she shares.
Back in the classroom, Joanna channels these insights into her teaching, striving to spark curiosity in her students. She believes that exploration doesn’t require travelling far — local outdoor spaces, even schoolyards, can become dynamic labs for geographic discovery.
“Let students explore their interests through problem-based and ‘choose-your-own-adventure’ learning,” Joanna says, advocating for teaching methods that encourage independent thinking and a sense of wonder.
Her recognition with the Gilles Gagnier Medal also celebrates her innovative and engaging approach to geography.
With more than two decades of teaching experience, Joanna has been championing geography’s importance as the foundation for understanding our interconnected world. Even within the constraints of the Ontario curriculum, she finds creative ways to make geography resonate with her students.
For Joanna, the Alaska expedition wasn’t just about personal growth, it was an opportunity to enrich her students’ understanding of the world and empower them to see it through a geographer’s lens.
Scarlett Liu is a federally funded Local Journalism Initiative reporter at Markham Economist & Sun
