It's a Wanderful Life
I am a self proclaimed avid indoorsman, I am very much a control freak and love plans and order. So when I heard that I would be spending 9 days in rural Mexico for my master's program I about had a heart attack. What I didn't know, however, is how much I would grow from this experience and all the amazing things I would come away with. I promised myself I would keep an open mind and I am so incredibly glad that I did! I came away from Baja with a new passion for Biology that I hadn't felt in a while. I was excited about all the things that I overcame including a stingray sting and all the things I learned; learning to snorkel, discovering the desert and ocean environments, and experiencing new places with new people.
The Baja trip also inspired me as an educator, I wanted to share the excitement I felt participating in these inquiry activities with my students as soon as school began. I decided that I would try to work my master plan around instilling this excitement and passion for science in my students and other students in my school district. One of the first things to work on when arriving home and starting the fall semester was the IAP. The thought of doing research was so daunting! I swore up and down I would not be doing any field method sort of research, rather I would stick to the much more controllable indoor studies and surveys. So I found myself on a beautiful fall day, in muck boots, in the middle of a creek at Bear Paw Battlefield, helping my students do some kick sampling in order to stir up macro invertebrates. Before Baja, I would never have imagined myself in this spot and while it was insanely stressful to get started, it has been worth every second of it. I am also so grateful for the people who, only six months ago, were strangers and became friends through this shared experience. They have been so supportive and are constantly present for advice and to bounce ideas off of. I am excited to continue on with this project and to continue on with other inquiry based projects in my classroom. I look forward to this adventure that Project Dragonfly has set me on and I leave you with a quote from Madeleine Albright which I believe sums up my experience perfectly, "Explore the world with an open mind, a sturdy carry-on, and clothes that don't wrinkle."
The Baja trip also inspired me as an educator, I wanted to share the excitement I felt participating in these inquiry activities with my students as soon as school began. I decided that I would try to work my master plan around instilling this excitement and passion for science in my students and other students in my school district. One of the first things to work on when arriving home and starting the fall semester was the IAP. The thought of doing research was so daunting! I swore up and down I would not be doing any field method sort of research, rather I would stick to the much more controllable indoor studies and surveys. So I found myself on a beautiful fall day, in muck boots, in the middle of a creek at Bear Paw Battlefield, helping my students do some kick sampling in order to stir up macro invertebrates. Before Baja, I would never have imagined myself in this spot and while it was insanely stressful to get started, it has been worth every second of it. I am also so grateful for the people who, only six months ago, were strangers and became friends through this shared experience. They have been so supportive and are constantly present for advice and to bounce ideas off of. I am excited to continue on with this project and to continue on with other inquiry based projects in my classroom. I look forward to this adventure that Project Dragonfly has set me on and I leave you with a quote from Madeleine Albright which I believe sums up my experience perfectly, "Explore the world with an open mind, a sturdy carry-on, and clothes that don't wrinkle."
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