GT Humanities teacher Sarah Wiseman has decorated her classroom with 1,436 postcards from around the world, representing her lifelong collection and contributions from students and colleagues, to inspire cultural and academic exploration.
Walking into room C154 is like a trip around the world without leaving campus.
India.
Ireland.
Indonesia.
Great Britain.
Greece.
Ghana.
It doesn’t matter where you look, odds are, you’ll see a new place, a different postcard.
1,436 postcards to be exact
GT Humanities teacher Sarah Wiseman has covered the walls of her classroom with various postcards from unique destinations.
“In my second classroom, I had an ‘Oh the Places You’ll Go’ theme,” Wiseman said. “I really think of both social studies and English, which are the subjects I have taught over the years, as a way to go on an adventure in the classroom, to see the world in all these different ways, and so the postcards kind of represent that theme and feeling that I have.”
Many GT students, including freshman Dhitika Dubey, are fascinated by the postcards in the classroom.
However, the start of this collection wasn’t intentional.
“My postcard collection started when I was 5. My dad brought me back a book of postcards of Southern California, specifically Orange County, because we were moving there from Texas and he wanted me to get excited,” Wiseman said. “I didn’t realize that I was collecting postcards until I was 22 and I had gotten married and my mom gave me a box of stuff from her house, and I found all these postcards I had stored away from all these years and that’s when I, like, on purpose began to collect.”
The postcards align with the study of humanities for Wiseman’s co-teacher Beth Evans.
“You think of a postcard as being geographical, and that’s part of world history so there are all these different places. But with our postcards, a lot of them are from art museums, some deal with civil rights issues, and lots of marginalized groups that we can see posted up here.” Evans said. “When you really take a look, you can see that it kind of represents everything that we talk about in terms of the arts and literature even. I really think it kind of encompasses everything that we do in here.”
Wiseman’s collection continues to grow, even though she isn’t the only one contributing to it.
“These postcards are significant to me because they have a lot of memories.” Wiseman said. “I’ve also had students over the years bring me postcards, and I always have them write their name and the date on the back if they haven’t done so, and Mrs. Evans, when she was out for medical treatments, her long-term sub and I became friends and she moved to North Carolina, and now she’s like my postcard pen pal and we send each other postcards.”
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“These postcards are significant to me because they have a lot of memories,” Wiseman said.
“My postcard collection started when I was 5. My dad brought me back a book of postcards of Southern California, specifically Orange County, because we were moving there from Texas and he wanted me to get excited,” Wiseman said.
A striking contrast: the spirit of a vintage Yosemite skiing ad stands beside the dramatic intensity of Caravaggio’s Medusa, blending the thrill of outdoor exploration with the powerful emotion of classical art all on one wall.
Drawing inspiration from Wiseman’s postcard collection, students work together to connect global cultures and historical events to their humanities project.
“You think of a postcard as being geographical, and that’s part of world history so there are all these different places. But with our postcards, a lot of them are from art museums, some deal with civil rights issues, and lots of marginalized groups that we can see posted up here.” Evans said.
From the elegance of Manet’s 19th-century artistry (top left) to the historical significance of a marble memorial in Westminster Abbey (right) and the bold, modern style of Sheryl Swoopes on the court (bottom left), the collection captures stark contrasts in time periods and cultures, all on display in one classroom.
“In my second classroom, I had an ‘Oh the Places You’ll Go’ theme,” Wiseman said. “I really think of both social studies and English, which are the subjects I have taught over the years, as a way to go on an adventure in the classroom, to see the world in all these different ways, and so the postcards kind of represent that theme and feeling that I have.”
Wiseman’s collection brings together a rich mix of art forms, historical events, influential people, and diverse cultures, creating a visual that invites students to explore the world, all in one place.
“My postcard collection started when I was 5. My dad brought me back a book of postcards of Southern California, specifically Orange County, because we were moving there from Texas and he wanted me to get excited,” Wiseman said.
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