It's official! We are going to the rainforest's of Costa Rica thanks to Fund for Teachers and the Public Ed Foundation.
After a lot of preparation, we are ready to embark on our adventure. All of us are feeling a mixture of excitement and anxiousness. We just really do not know what to expect. We have taught first graders about the rainforest for many years, but have never thought about the simple things like what to wear (okay, we are all girls) or how to prevent bug bites. But even with all the unknowns we are about to face, the most prominent emotion we are all feeling is that of gratitude. The first line of our grant was a quote from Dr. Suess's story, The Lorax. It read "UNLESS someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better, it's not". Because Fund for Teachers and the Public Ed Foundation "care a whole awful lot", we were rewarded this grant not only to improve our lives (although, we are sure it will, ALOT) but to better the lives or all our students, their families, and their community.
As we trek through this adventure, we will ask ourselves:
We need our earth and our earth needs us!
Most people agree that we should save our environment. Conservation should be a crucial movement in the world today. It is our belief that this movement should start with our children. This field research is an extraordinary opportunity to deepen and enhance our teaching and our spirit of service. This experience will provide our students with a global and environmental awareness that fosters their passion to want to achieve greatness for our world. These children we are teaching are our future and they need to realize they can make a difference.
We will bring the uniqueness of the rainforest to the classroom through this experience. Our students will gain a new perspective. Our goal is for the students to not only understand the beauty the rainforest provides, but also to instill a love and a responsibility for their world. What affects the rainforest can and will affect us!
"UNLESS someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better, it's not" -Dr. Suess
After a lot of preparation, we are ready to embark on our adventure. All of us are feeling a mixture of excitement and anxiousness. We just really do not know what to expect. We have taught first graders about the rainforest for many years, but have never thought about the simple things like what to wear (okay, we are all girls) or how to prevent bug bites. But even with all the unknowns we are about to face, the most prominent emotion we are all feeling is that of gratitude. The first line of our grant was a quote from Dr. Suess's story, The Lorax. It read "UNLESS someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better, it's not". Because Fund for Teachers and the Public Ed Foundation "care a whole awful lot", we were rewarded this grant not only to improve our lives (although, we are sure it will, ALOT) but to better the lives or all our students, their families, and their community.
As we trek through this adventure, we will ask ourselves:
- How can we demonstrate the ways different habitats exist in one location?
- How can we emphasize that people are a threat and a solution?
- How can we explain that animals adapt to their environment?
- How can we prove that where you live affects how you live?
We need our earth and our earth needs us!
Most people agree that we should save our environment. Conservation should be a crucial movement in the world today. It is our belief that this movement should start with our children. This field research is an extraordinary opportunity to deepen and enhance our teaching and our spirit of service. This experience will provide our students with a global and environmental awareness that fosters their passion to want to achieve greatness for our world. These children we are teaching are our future and they need to realize they can make a difference.
We will bring the uniqueness of the rainforest to the classroom through this experience. Our students will gain a new perspective. Our goal is for the students to not only understand the beauty the rainforest provides, but also to instill a love and a responsibility for their world. What affects the rainforest can and will affect us!
"UNLESS someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better, it's not" -Dr. Suess