What happens in the Amazon should never stay in the Amazon...and if the educators who are enrolling in our 2013 Educator Academy (July 2-11, 2013) in the Amazon are any indication, the Amazon will spill over its banks and into their classrooms, communities, and personal lives.

This year we are gearing up for another professional development immersion into tropical ecology, culture, and science ed. best practices giving all of us the chance to challenge ourselves, our assumptions, and our responsibilities. (Join us!) As educators we are seeking knowledge and insights to inspire our teaching and motivate our students.  As individuals, many of us want adventure in a remote and wild part of the planet.  For some it is an opportunity to rekindle a long lost passion.  For others it is an opportunity to push past established comfort zones.  Many find it a means to look at the world with a new set of eyes!

As educators, most of us have "taught" the rainforest at various points in our careers.  Almost everyone acknowledges that it has become more and more difficult to include this engaging content in our instruction.  As part of the priveleged few who actually get to experience the Amazon first hand, we are grappling with our personal and professional responsibilty to this fragile ecosystem and the people who live there.

In this age of high stakes testing, Next Generation Science Standards, and the Common Core, we ponder how to take what we experience and make it relevant to our curricula, our classrooms, and our students.  What binds us together is the idea that rainforests are magical, wonderful and inspiring places and they deserve a place in our classrooms.  Not because monkeys are fun and frogs are fabulous (they are!) but rather because the rainforest holds the key to many of our most pressing environmental issues - including global climate change.  Our students will be the ones that will tackle these issues and we need to prepare them. 

During our time in the Amazon we will certainly enjoy the wildlife, but more importantly we will learn how to apply what we are experiencing to our classrooms through workshops and field sessions that focus on inquiry, 5E lesson design, STEM, citizen science, and more!  Our goal is to return home inspired to "teach" the rainforest in a whole new way. Although our individual strategies will be different, we will be committed to supporting one another in our efforts!

We'd love to have you join us!  Scholarships are available!

Deadline for submission is March 8, 2013.

Please see http://www.amazonworkshops.com/educators--naturalists.html for more information and to download the
application!