Hello, everyone! Thank you for following my adventures at sea. If you are interested in learning more about the goals of the Teacher At Sea program, please visit http://www.teacheratsea.noaa.gov/
I will be posting more information about the specifics of my program as my departure date approaches. In the meantime, I'm completing training, working on my paperwork, and preparing for my students to have an excellent academic experience during my absence. Students will be able to post to this blog with questions about life onboard for NOAA scientists, and I will be able to update them with all of the hard work and learning that I am doing.
NOAA's Teacher At Sea program is a highly competitive professional development program designed to raise awareness for ocean life, ocean currents, and careers as Oceanographers. In a recent study published by the Journal Science, studies show that students of teachers who have these experiences, over time, will score 10% higher on State Assessments. Each year, NOAA will take 30 teachers from all 50 states to participate in the program. My participation includes: traveling to the site, working on board the ship as a member of the scientific team, writing lesson plans and travel logs, participating in a speaking engagement or submitting an article for publication, and raising awareness of the opportunities available for students for careers as future scientists. These goals align closely with what I do every day as a teacher, so it is quite easy for me to support the work that NOAA does.
I will be one of possibly two teachers (it may be just me, I don't know for sure) who are onboard this full-fledged, scientific research ship. I do have some details regarding the nature of the trip and what we will study specifically, but I don't want to make any assumptions about exactly what I'm doing just yet. I will say this: I will be in the Pacific Northwest, traveling between the lower 48 states northward into Alaska. And it will be COLD.
So, I'm packing my wool hat and socks and hoping for the best weather possible!
That's all the information I have for now, but keep visiting back, and I will have more to share, for sure!
