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Have you ever sat in your classroom in mid-April and thought, "I wish I could be far, far away from here?" Now, don't get me wrong. I love teaching! However, there are days when facing those beautiful brains feels overwhelmingly hard. By the time I had made it through my third year of teaching I decided it was time I found a way to channel that negative energy into something that helped me be excited to come back to the classroom. Enter my Science Teacher Adventurer plan! I wanted to travel somewhere, learn something, do something different and extraordinary, but let's face it- a beginning teacher's salary doesn't exactly afford the luxuries of world travel- so I did what scientists do best-- I researched!
It all began with the NOAA Teacher-At-Sea (TAS) program. I had attended the Utah Science Teachers Association conference and heard about all these neat opportunities other teachers had been a part of. They were so excited and enthusiastic about heading back to the classroom to share their experiences and I thought, "I'll have what they're ordering!"
The TAS application process was a little terrifying, but I navigated my way through and... success...I was accepted. That summer I traveled to Ketchikan, Alaska in a six seater plane and spent a whirlwind ten days aboard the NOAA ship Fairweather collecting hydrographic survey data in places most people had only dreamed of. It was AWESOME and just what I needed to fuel my passion for science and teaching again. I went back to the classroom with new lesson plans and new enthusiasm.
After that, I was hooked. Every year or so I'd look for opportunities that provided me learning and growth in the sciences, but more importantly a fresh outlook that I could take back to the classroom. I've worked as a national park ranger, a geoscience information coordinator for the US Forest Service, flown to D.C. as a NASA MAVEN educator ambassador, traveled to Houston with one of my favorite partners in crime (a colleague I taught next door to) to participate in an earth science leadership academy. (Caution: Taking a teaching buddy makes things extra exciting and fun! We were so into what we had been learning that we stood on an elevator talking for ten minutes before we realized it wasn't even moving!) My point is there are hundreds of opportunities out there for you to find your adventure and rejuvenate your passion for teaching. What are you waiting for?!
To help you get started, I've compiled some great opportunities you might be interested in. Check em' out! http://bit.do/scienceteacheradventure