In Search of Frogs

I hate that I lost the majority of my lost post. It gave a lot of info about my daily life. I don't have time to attempt to redo it at this time so, oh well!

In a few hours I will be heading off to one of the satellite (sat) camps for the night. I've got most of my stuff packed and ready to go. It's about a two hour hike to the remote location where we will set up camp. This allows us to do some research and surveys at more remote locations that are harder to get to. Tonight we will be looking for different frogs that aren't found in the areas closer to camp. We will also set up some mist nets and tomorrow we will work on birds. I think that pretty much we see what birds we can get in the nets, measure and photograph them, then band them and release. That's what we did with the bats, except for the banding part. The bats were sent on their way sans bands.

I'm excited about the trip! I've really enjoyed the frog things. We actually had a grad student here from UT researching a specific frog and its call. I actually got to go out with her one night and "help" I pretty much just helped video tape them and carry some stuff. However, while she and her friend were doing the audio taping, Germania (staff member) and I did our own little frog survey. It was really neat to walk down a stream at night and see the life of the rainforest. I saw a huge butterfly sleeping under a leaf, a little bird tucked in for the night, huge spiders looking for a meal, the beady eyes of the little shrimp, and so much more! It's truely amazing what I'm seeing. Just the other night the whole group of 15 was out for an intro night stream walk. On the way back I was just shining my light all around, looking for whatever when I spotted a snake just inches from my face. I was at the end of the line and the whole group had walked past without even knowing what was there!

I hate to always cut things so short but we keep busy and there is so much to do. I hope to have a chance to elaborate and add pictures during a trip to Coca Aug. 1-4.

Just a small disclaimer: please excuse any typos or errors in my posts. I am rushing through this and whereas I totally appreciate my iPhone, it's not the easiest to type on. I know how to spell monkeys and when to use commas, etc. So please don't think less of me if something slips by. I'm not proof-reading!

Thank you for you comments, it's good to hear from home. I'm having a rough time being away from my family so a friendly word goes a long way!

Finally Some Time to Share

I'm sorry I haven't been updating this as muchas I'd hoped. We keep pretty busy and it can be hard to find time to come up here and type. I should have enough time now if the weather holds out. It poured most of the night and day but just a few drops are falling now. We actually took about a two hour hike to the little town of Agua Santa today to buy a few veggies. It was a neat experience. There were roughly 20 shops selling variuos items. Please don't envision shops like we have at home. They were very open with palm leaves for the roofs. We were the only gringos in the town.

I guess I should tell you guys a little about my everyday life here. I am staying at the field station on the Yachana Reserve along the Napo River. It's actually really nice here despite the lack of electricity. We have cold running water pumped directly from the stream and power for equipment comes from the solar panels when possible but there is a gas powered generator for backup. We have a propane stove in the kitchen. Breakfast is at 6:30, lunch at 12:00, and dinner at 6:00 with a few exceptions to accomodate night/early morning studies and Sundays. We have a snack at 10:00ish. Breakfast is porridge (it's actually oatmeal but since Americans are the minority here I am learning to use words like "porridge" and "wellies"). Lunch is typically some type of veggie soup and dinner typically has some beans or rice. Meat really doesn't exist here. We have tuna and a bit of soy meat but they are used sparingly. Essentially we eat lots of carbs and starches.

There are 12 Expedition Members (EMs), 1 intern, 3 staff members, and 1 student from the Yachana Technical School. The breakdown of nationalities is 4 Americans, 3 Canadians, 2 Australians, 1 Irish, 2 Ecuadorians, and the rest are British.

***note: originally this post contained a considerable amount more but due to irratic communication signals, I lost it all***

Sweat, Bugs, & Mud

Life here is amazing! It's rough at times but absolutely magical! My closest friends are Sweat, Bugs, and Mud. Please note I said closest, not best! There are times I am literally soaked from head to toe in sweat. Bugs are everywhere and I think I've come to terms with it for the most part. I still can't bring myself to use the shower with the scorpion spider lurking about (I'll tell you about those more later). It rains almost everyday, hence the abundance of mud. Thank goodness for our wellies (rubber boots). They are an essential part of our attire. At home, all of these things really get to me but here, it's just a way of life.

It is almost time for dinner but I just want to share a few quick highlights. Today while we were out doing a bird walk we came across a group of about tamarin monkies! Typically they scurry away but today they just stared at us and seemed to be yelling at us. We watched them for about 15 minutes before we had to move on. This week is mostly training so we sit in classes much of the time. Today as we were learning about reptiles (I think) a huge, beautiful blue morpho butterfly fluttered by! It was one of the most gorgeous things I've seen! We also set up some bat nets today so after dinner we're going out to open them up and try to net some bats! Two nights ago we went for a three hour long night walk in the primary rainforest. We saw lots of reptiles and amphibians.

Dinner gong! Got to run. I'll post more tonight!

Finally Here w/ an Ode to iPhone

Well, I survived my first night in the Amazon! It wasn't that bad really. The worst of it was sleeping without Russ by my side. I am really missing my boys right now. But I won't dwell on that as it isn't very productive. Anyway, yesterday we took a bus ride through the rainforest that lasted about three hours. It was amazing to see so much of it ( considering I only saw things from the window of the bus) but it also made me a bit sad that in order for this experience to happen, the roads had to be built and sections of the forest destroyed. We passed by the homes of many that have lived here for generations, their homes not much more than some bamboo ( or something close to it) poles and roofs made of leaves. It was funny to see plants growing out of the rooftops! The main traffic (meaning things using the roads; not "traffic" as in lots of cars) was the busses. People just stand anywhere along the roadsides waiting for a bus to come along to get them from one place to another. Some parts of the road were bumpy and rocky and one- lanes. Most of the bridges were very narrow. There were a few places we had to stop for fallen trees. All-in-all it was an interesting ride. I know this is not a very formed document of the ride but it's not easy typing on this. I am quickly running out of time before I have to return to camp so I have to be quick. I have so much to say and share.

I would like to quickly state my appreciation for this little contraption I am holding, known as an iPhone! Never before have I appreciated it so much. I never appreciated the versatility of it until now. I can text, call, blog, take pictures, listen to tunes, plus more! I am so fortunate to have it - Thanks, Whitefence! (my husband won this at his co. Christmas party)

Well, I have to return to camp now. I am at one of the few places we are allowed to go to alone but we have to sign out and say when we will be back and if we fail to return on time, a search party is sent out and if you are found alive, you can lose that priviledge.

I will try to get back to tonight, if not definitely tomorrow.

Head in the Clouds

I am currently sitting on a bus in Tena (a small jungle town). In about two hours we will be loading into a canoe for the final leg of our journey. After about an hour canoe ride we'll be at camp. Well, at the river part of the camp. It is then a "short" hike uphill to camp. It doesn't sound too bad except that I have about 1000 pounds of baggage to lug up there. Fortunately I can
Make a couple of trips if necessary.

Yesterday was a beautiful five hour bus ride from Quito to Tena through the cloud forests. I've often been told to get my head out of the clouds... Never before has that meaning been more literal. Of course, I had no desire to do so as it was absolutely stunning. I took a few photos through spotted windows as we were driving through the clouds but my total battery power is mostly depleated.

Apparently this (my iphone) will work there so I will have Internet access via it. It is super expensive to use but I will update as much as possible. I'll check in again once I reach camp.

Too Tired to Type Much

I spent the duration of the day walking around Quito. I didn´t have a ton of money so there wasn´t much else to do. I did do a little of shopping for the boys at the market though. Then I had to mail it home so I had my first Ecuadorian post office experience. I took a few pictures of the city but as I am running low on battery power and don´t know when I will get my package from Russ, I decided that I could take pictures when I return in August. I did learn a few more things.

• The post office in Quito does not provide boxes like they do at home, no priority boxes, international boxes, nada! They did provide me with a plastic envelope after I decided to take out a few of the items. Oh, and he didn´t speak English! Once again, I got to practice my Spanish skills. I think if I were to stay here much longer I might really learn the language!
• People in Quito want to charge you to take their picture! I can understand the street vendor expecting a purchase but just to snap a picture of a random person??? There was a really neat looking lady wearing a baby and pushing a cart around. It would have made an amazing photograph but she wanted two dollars and I offered one (I only had a one, two fives, and a ten). She said no! So, I saved my battery.
• When crossing the street, the best thing to do is to make a run for it and pray!!! I learned this as I patiently waited for what seemed like forever and after watching several of the ¨locals¨ do it, I took my chances and survived!
• Lots of planning and thinking don´t make a trip unless you follow through on the plans. I am learning this the hard way. I had everything planned quite carefully. Somehow, everything fell apart moments before I was to leave. Hence, the lack of supplies and money. I must get my head on straight and not forget things and manage my time better!

So, there you have it. I will likely remember/learn many more things as time goes on but I am calling it quits for tonight. I will begin my journey into the Amazon tomorrow as we head to Tena for a night!

I´ll do my best to keep you posted!

The Things I Have Learned in Quito (in one day)

I am finally here! Well, I´m not in the rainforest yet but I am in Ecuador. The flight went well but pre-flight planning went a little haywire. Most everyone who knows me knows that I have the greatest ideas and the best intentions but I often fall short on time and my management thereof. This was no different.

Only three hours before my flight I was finishing up last minute shopping (with my two-year-old). I rushed home and fortunately most of my things were together, as I was literally throwing my things at my best friend in the whole wide world, Erin Disney. I never would have made it here if she wouldn´t have trekked from San Antonio (where she, too, is a teacher) to help me. Unfortunately, some things were not where they ¨should¨ have been and when I arrived in Quito, I realized that. I will list the known items (so far) that I left:

• My huge box of yummy looking Snickers brand energy bars - not a huge problem; I can live without them
• My phone charger - okay, I would really love to be able to call home throughout the duration of my trip but obviously that is not meant to be; I´ll survive
• My camera charger and USB cord - Okay, this is a doosey! The only ¨souvenirs¨and keepsakes of this trip are my photos. Not to mention I can´t upload photos from my camera to post on here without my USB cord!!!

So, I spent the whole day roaming the streets of Quito looking for a camera charger. I never found one but learned a lot of things. I will share those with you:

• Not very many people in Quito speak English. Please know I am not meaning to offend anyone by my comments here, in fact I am about to share with you how ¨dumb¨I was. I prefer the word ¨naive¨ which Webster defines as: ¨deficient in worldly wisdom or informed judgment¨ I thought that there would be many English speakers here, especially the merchants. At first I was a little frustrated but then I put things in perspective. Do most of OUR merchants speak Spanish??? Nope! So, what was I thinking?
• I know more Spanish than I realized. I took Spanish in High school. It was my first experience with a failing grade - EVER. I was typically an all ¨A¨ student with an occasional ¨B¨. I didn´t even fail with an ¨almost¨ passing grade. If I remember correctly, it was about a 55. Yikes! I quickly switched to French and had slightly better, passing grades. I was once again faced with the scary Spanish monster in college. It was required for graduation. I could take French, Spanish, or Japanese. The logical choice would have been French since I already took it with a bit of success but I´ve never been one to take the logical route. I have my own form of logic which actually most of you will agree also is logical - I wanted to take Spanish because I felt it could benefit me more in Texas. I knew I had a hard time acquiring languages but I wanted to succeed at it this time. I pepped myself up and tackled it. I received my first ¨F¨ on my college transcript (if you don´t count the ones I received when I ¨quit¨ UofH and ¨forgot¨to drop classes). I made up a million and one excuses as to why I didn´t ¨get it¨ and hit it head-on a second time (third if you count High School). Everyone knows that if you take it again and pass, the ¨F¨ gets replaced with the passing grade. No biggie, I´ll just make an ¨A¨ this time. Wrong, failed again. Disappointed but not swayed, I took it a third time - third time´s a charm? I wish! I was ready to give up but decided, instead, to put it on the back burner for a while. I was almost ready to graduate - I had all my courses almost complete and I filled for my degree plan or whatever it´s called when you are about to graduate. Well, come to find out, three attempts at Spanish does not count as three semesters of Spanish (I had to have four to graduate). So I was still looking at maybe two more years of college. My goodness, I was already 25. All of my friends were graduated and gone. So, I did the best thing I could do - I quit college and made myself a diploma. Just kidding. I took Spanish at the community college, closer to home, where I heard it was a bit easier. Somehow, I managed to pull of an ¨A¨ in both Spanish 1 and 2 without cheating! Then I was faced with Spanish 3 and 4 and with the help of some friends, I pulled off an ¨A¨ in both of those as well. I didn´t think I had retained much but I guess I did. I can now inform someone that I need a camera charger in Spanish (Necessito un caradore para mi batteria de camera - or something like that)! I know I didn´t type it perfectly but you get the point.
• Some people are helpful, some people just laugh at your ignorance. I guess this is true all over but today I felt it hard. I walked into the first shop and no one spoke any English. So, I pulled out my hand dandy pocket translator and said, ¨I need a battery¨ in Spanish. I can´t remember exactly what I said, if I had my translator here I could type it but it´s up in my room. The four women in the room looked at me with a horrified look on their faces. I panicked, knowing I said something wrong. I looked back at the translator and realized there were multiple meanings. Apparently the first one meant to totally knock the heck out of someone, as in assault and battery. I quickly recovered and said the right one but it was too late. I was the annoying American tourist. I was laughed out of the store, feeling completely mortified and lost in a foreign world. I was about to go back to my room and call it quits but I wanted to do it right. So, I figured out the correct way to ask and went to several more shops that were helpful. One even experimented with several chargers before we realized they didn´t have a match.
• Coke is cheap! Coke as in Coca-Cola, of course! Exhausted from a day of walking around at a tremendous altitude, I needed a coke. I 1.3 liter bottle costs only $.70. Of course I didn´t need that much but it was the only one they had cold so I took it. At home we pay what, $1.29 for a 20 oz.? Crazy!
• Taxi drivers and drivers in general drive crazy. I was warned ahead of time so I tried not to scream as my driver spun around corners, disregarded red lights, and nearly ran over several other cars as one of them ventured into the others lane, all the while belting out the lyrics to the music he was listening to.
• Drivers honk A LOT!!! No explanation needed! If you´re confused see bullet above.
• US TV shows are readily available. However, some are dubbed in Spanish so you get a funny mouth effect while others simply have subtitles. I actually watched an entire episode of ¨Everybody Loves Raymond¨ in Spanish. I had seen it countless times before so I knew what it was about. I labeled it a learning experience.
• There is no air conditioning other than Mother Nature. I´m sure some places have it but I have yet to find one. I guess there´s not really a need for it. It is cool here, even in July. I am wearing a sweater right now. In fact, it gets quite chilly at night. The only heat source I could find was the fireplace in the lobby. I´m sure if I asked, they have heaters available but I´m not that cold. My window isn´t sealed very well so all sounds and drafts come in.
• Farm animals reside in the city. I actually awoke to the sound (at 6 AM) of a rooster cock-a-doodle-dooing! I haven´t experienced that since sleeping over at my friend´s house when I was 15. It was actually rather pleasant. Note: I enjoyed the nostalgia then went back to sleep.
• The keyboard here is different. I think I´ve got it figured out now but when I first sat down, I was a bit confused. It is basically the same with a few symbols in different places and some of the numbers have two symbols on them instead of one so you can´t just hit the ¨shift¨ button. There are other differences but I won´t list them all!
• The view is unbeatable! As I look out my window (and turn my head to the right), I can see the Andes mountains! They are breath-taking beautiful. I have never seen such a view from a city!

I could ramble on about the things I learned and discovered today but I need to get back to my room and study the different bird calls of the Amazon. I hope to get some camera stuff tomorrow so I can share photos.

Lengthy Blog

I just wanted to add this little note: I know I need to do some work on this blog which will enable the posts to be hidden. I am trying to figure things out still. I am not very good with these kinds of things! Hopefully I will get some time tonight to play around with it!

The Proposal

At the request of many, I am posting a copy of my proposal. When I submitted it on the FFT website, I made several changes that I didn't save on my computer so this sopy is not exactly as the one I submitted but I did correct a few gramatical errors, reword some akward sound sentences/phrases, and chop some things completely since I was well over the length limit. I didn't change anything (even the errors) on this so you could see it as close to the real things as possible. I really have no idea exactly what I chopped or changed so I just thought I'd share the raw version with you. Just keep in mind as you come across a few weird sounding things os minor gramatical errors, they were most likely corrected. I also did not included the itemized budget since I feel it is not really relevant to this blog and I looked and most bloggers did not share that portion. If you are really curious about the amount, you can research the Houston Chronicle archives - they published it in the article they did about me.

So, without any further ado, I present to you my proposal!

Proposal

Fellowship Rationale and Purpose:

Raised at the knees of an educator, I have always had a passion for teaching. My earliest classrooms were very diverse. The majority of my students were bunnies, puppies, and bears, but thanks to a local student exchange program (my best friend), I was fortunate enough to welcome a koala into my classroom a time or two. Although my “students” were different on the outside - different colors, different sizes, different shapes - if you looked beyond the fur and beaded eyes, you would see that they were all filled with the same stuffing.

Since that time, my love of teaching has intensified and although my classroom make-up has changed, the concept is still the same. I still have many sizes, shapes, and colors – or as I now call it, “cultures.” However, instead of bunnies, puppies, and bears, each morning I welcome Caucasians, Hispanics, African-Americans, Asians, and any others that might walk through my door. And just as before, they may look different on the outside, but they, too, are all filled with the same “stuffing.”

Whereas teaching has always ranked first on my list, I have always loved the outdoors and have been especially fascinated by the splendor of the rainforest. It has always been a dream of mine to one day have the opportunity to see this magical place first hand, to revel in its beauty, to feel the sheer vastness of it all.

As a child I never really thought much about the harm humans were doing to the rainforest or how fragile of an ecosystem it was. I just knew some of the most beautiful creatures lived there and I would quite often fantasize about the amazing tree house you could build in one of “those tall, tall trees.” As I grew older and became aware of the devastation that was taking place in rainforests around the world, I was appalled by the lack of conscience the developers and industrialists demonstrated. Of course, being a child, I didn’t know what I could do to help the situation. I couldn’t see how one person thousands of miles away could make a difference. Now, I do.

As a teacher, I have many opportunities to enrich the lives of my students. From time-to-time, I have been faced with many challenges. One of the most frustrating issues I have had to tackle is getting the reluctant learner interested in learning and keeping the exuberant learner excited about learning. As I reflect on my teaching experience, I would like to learn some new, refreshing approaches to teaching and learning, ones that would capture the interest of all learners.

In an effort to better communicate with and relate to my Spanish-speaking students and their parents, it would be extremely beneficial for me to learn more about the Hispanic culture and language. 63% of our student population is Hispanic with a large majority of those students being bilingual. Quite often the children are able to speak English but the parents cannot. This can be extremely frustrating to both the parent and teacher. I would like to learn some better ways to communicate with the Spanish-speaking parents. With such a large percentage of the student population having a Hispanic background, I would like to become more culturally knowledgeable, thus increasing my sensitivity towards their customs and traditions.

Finally, I would also like to learn more about scientific research. I have done science fair projects and smaller, more localized projects but I would love to be involved in a project that takes place in the field requiring data collection on a larger scale with a greater purpose, such as conserving the remaining rainforest. I would like to capture that knowledge and bring it home to share with my students and colleagues.

Key Questions to explore:
What creative approaches can be taken when a student is struggling to learn the basics of the English language? How can these approaches be adapted to fit any teaching/learning situation?
What are some ways that I can keep the exuberant learner interested?
How can I bridge the communication gap between the Spanish-speaking parents and myself?
What can I do to become more culturally sensitive to the Hispanic culture?
How can I increase the excitement and love of Science in the classroom?
What can we do here at home to help preserve the rainforest?

Project Description

This summer my dream is to pursue an adventure which will take me deep into the heart of the Ecuadorian rainforest to teach the native children English and to conduct conservation research on the various aspects of the rainforest. During this time, I will be immersed in the Hispanic culture and their language.

In my quest for the perfect experience, I found Global Vision International (GVI). They offer a five-week research expedition that will take me deep into the rainforest, house me in a small, Spanish-speaking village, and give me the opportunity to share my knowledge and culture with the native people. In return, they will share theirs with me. Both sides benefit immensely. While engaging in the cultural exchange, I will be working on some on-going research projects that help to understand and protect the rainforest. With this experience, I could return to school in August, refreshed, with a new perspective on life and teaching, equipped with more enthusiasm and knowledge than ever before!

My journey will begin on July 9, 2008 as I board a plane and head to Quito, Ecuador. My flight will arrive late at night so I will head straight to the Hostel La Cosona de Mario where I will stay for two nights. On the 10th, I will wake up and spend the day getting to know some of the other expedition members and making last minute purchases.

The following morning all of the expedition members will be picked up at 10:00 A.M. at the aforementioned hostel. Before departure, we will be given a general orientation and then it is off to Tena. I will take a local bus to the small town of Tena where I will stay a night. The following day, I will head to the base camp where I will spend the first week going through an intensive training program on practical and theoretical science, forest navigation, and expedition living including health and safety and First Aid, all the while brushing up on the Spanish language.

Once I have demonstrated an understanding of research techniques and of forest life, including sound recognition and flora and fauna identification, I will begin doing research. The research will include identifying and cataloging various species of mammals, birds, insects, reptiles, and amphibians. Some of the research will be conducted at night, as is necessary to identify the nocturnal species. Since many of the species are small and hard to spot, much of the identification will be made through sounds. Additionally, we will be netting and tagging some of the animals, including birds and bats. There will also be overnight trips to remote satellite campsites deeper within the rainforest where further research will take place.

Throughout all of this time, we will be collating the data we have collected, including photos and various notes we have taken. We will have a daily debriefing session to review the day’s events.

When I am not engaged in research, I will be involved with the Yachana community. We will be involved in several community projects. The most involved task will be working with the native students and teaching them English. Throughout the duration of the program, I will take part in other projects based on the community’s needs. Past projects have included digging ditches, clearing small fields, and building houses or schools. In addition to the knowledge I will be sharing with them, I will be learning about their culture first hand and will be immersed in the Spanish language.

Sundays will be my day off in which we will spend time in the tiny community of Agua Santa. This is also the location of a market where the locals come for weekly provisions. Internet access is very limited in this area so this will likely be the only time to update my blog and catch up on any email and other correspondence.

Midway through my expedition, we will take a trip to Hector’s Island. This will allow time to relax and refresh before heading back into the remote rainforest. While there, Hector will teach us basic jungle survival skills and we will construct a shelter by weaving palm leaves. Upon departure, there will be a brief stopover in Coca to replenish provisions for the remainder of the expedition.

The expedition ends on August 15, 2008. At that time we will head back to Quito to await our departure. Due to the unpredictability of the rainforest, we have been instructed to book our flight about 48 hours after the end of the expedition to allow time for any unforeseen situations. If all goes as planned with none of the possible determents, we will arrive in Quito later that evening. I will once again stay at the Hostel La Casona de Mario. August 16th will be spent organizing my thoughts and updating my blog, shopping for small souvenirs, and preparing to go home! My flight will leave early on the 17th and I will arrive home by noon.

Throughout the entire five-week period, I will continually be working towards achieving my goals. I will persistently review them to ensure that I am working towards fulfilling each of them. It will be an ongoing process. As ideas strike me, I will record them in a small pocket journal I plan to keep with me at all times. Every evening, I will allot time for reviewing my notes from the day and organizing them in a more formal manner.

Teacher Growth and Learning

Through this experience, I will have learned new strategies in teaching my students. In teaching the native children that have minimal English skills, I will have to come up with new, creative ways to approach the task. This will be very useful when I return to the classroom and am confronted with a struggling learner. I can take those skills and tactics that I have learned and apply them to my daily teaching, modifying them as necessary to accommodate all types of students.

Although my students are predominately English speaking, many of their parents are not. This experience will expand my knowledge of the Spanish language and culture, which will help me connect with the parents. Then, when I am confronted with a parent who has minimal English skills, I can reflect on the ways I communicated the Yachana people and apply those tactics to the current situation. Although I will not be fluent, I will have picked up more of the Spanish language and learned key terms to help better my communication with a Spanish-speaking individual. In bridging this communication gap, I will gain the confidence of that parent who had once felt insecure in the parent/teacher relationship. They may then be more apt to come to me with issues and concerns. Additionally, I will have a better understanding of their culture. This will help me become more sensitive to the traditions, family units, and habits the students have.

During the expedition, I will be engaged in extensive scientific research. Through this, I will have a new understanding and love of science and the research method. I will bring that enthusiasm back to the classroom with me. Science will have an even more profound role in my classroom.

Student Growth and Learning

The students will benefit immensely from my experience. When they enter the classroom, they will have a teacher that has just had a life-long dream come true. The students will be confronted with new, creative approaches to learning. I will have new skills and a greater understanding of other cultures, which the students will see and experience. I will pour out my positive energy, offer it to them, and let us fuel each other as we approach a new task and learning.

The students will thrive in a science-rich classroom where they will have more opportunities to experiment and explore, which will help them as they progress through school and on to college. Through experimentation, they will be trained not be afraid to question the unknown and confident enough to investigate new concepts. They will be inspired to continuously seek answers to the things that confound them.

The students with Spanish-speaking parents will benefit from the improved communication skills I have obtained. By improving the relationship I have with their parents, I will be more informed and better able to meet their needs. As their parents model a positive outlook on things, the children’s attitudes will improve. Through this improved communication and cultural understanding, their learning experience will be more positive. The non-Hispanic students will also benefit as different cultural aspects are integrated into daily activities.

On a more personal level, the students will been given hope. The majority of our students come from economically disadvantaged households and many have challenging home lives. Unfortunately, many of them feel trapped in the small world they know, confined by lack of resources to get out and experience the world. I will present the students with optimism by giving a part of the world to them. They will have the opportunity to see pictures taken, not by a remote, unknown, professional National Geographic photographer, but by their very own teacher. They will see how close the world actually is to them and that if you persevere, you just might have a dream come true. In knowing that there is an attainable world out there, not hidden behind locked doors, they will know that their future can be limitless.

Benefits to the School Community

The benefits to the school community are numerous. It will impact not only the students, but the staff as well. Through sharing my experiences, my colleagues will be able to take my experiences and build on them, giving them a fresh perspective on teaching. In an effort to reach out to all of my colleagues, I would like to share the things I discovered about the culture, teaching, science, and about myself. Through this, I hope that other teachers take my experiences and knowledge, mesh it with their own, and develop it into a phenomenal, new approach to teaching.

To accomplish these goals, I will share the experience with my colleagues. Using PowerPoint, I plan to give a pictorial journey through my time spent in the rainforest, beginning with my landing in Quito and ending with my feet touching back on U.S. ground. I will share some of the approaches I took to teaching the students and the different strategies I used as I bridged the communication gap. I will include an activity in which we all break into smaller groups to brainstorm how to build on the successes and failures and turn them into better approaches to teaching. Then, everyone would share their ideas.

In addition to the teaching strategies I used, I will also share information about the research project I worked on. This will include a summary of what I did and what I accomplished. I will be sure to include the purpose of the research, the work done prior to my arrival, and the long-term goals of the program.

Another way I plan to contribute directly to the students is to form an environmentalist club. Many of the students do not have opportunities to be part of a group or club. After school they go home to empty houses. By organizing an after-school club, I will provide them not only with knowledge of the environment and ways we can help, but I will give them an option to going to an empty house.

The purpose of this club will be to inform the students and the community of environmental issues. We will organize service projects such as cleaning up a neighborhood park and implementing a campus-wide recycling program for all recyclable materials, not just paper.

To inform and excite the students about the club, I will share the story of my expedition and what I learned about our environment. I will give them facts about how rapidly the rainforest is being torn apart and let them know that there are things we can do to help. It is a win-win situation. The students will become more engaged in their community, learn a wealth of knowledge from a first-hand account, and be encouraged to become a part of something positive.

Documentation of Learning

While on my trip, my primary form of documentation will be with a simple journal. Electricity and internet access is very limited so I will have to rely on more conventional forms of record-keeping. I plan on keeping a daily journal to chronicle the events and record any data I find will be beneficial to my goals. When I have the opportunity to access the internet, I will update my blog with current photos, interesting facts, and news of my daily life and activities.

I will take numerous photos and extensive video footage of the teaching and the research, the side trips and excursions, and the flora and fauna. I will catalogue these in a digital image library on my laptop for easy access. These photos will be used for presentations and incorporated into my classroom whenever possible, such as making a new alphabet line by using real pictures from the rainforest for each letter.

I will continue to update my blog with the strategies I learned and have applied in the classroom. I will document the techniques and whether or not they worked, as well as list any modifications I may have made from the original ideas. With parental approval, I will post photos of my class engaged in activities or ideas I got from my adventure.

I will also organize a slide show using Power Point to serve as a tool for sharing my adventures and discoveries. This will be the presentation I will share with my fellow teachers and staff members.

Budget Narrative and Budget Sheet

When planning my trip, I looked for a program that would maximize my learning experience while minimizing my expenses. Based on the time I will be spending in the rainforest, the work I will be doing, and the knowledge and insight I will be gaining, I chose Global Vision International (GVI). GVI offers a five-week expedition with no extra costs for food, lodging, or transportation while part of the expedition. The majority of my expenses include the program costs and airfare. Additionally, I will need to purchase some supplies and gear, as well as the required travel insurance which will cover several areas, including emergency air-lift.
I already have a video recorder which I plan to take with me. I will need a quality digital camera. Since photos will be a vital part of my documentation, it will be of utmost importance that I have a camera with specific capabilities. I will be photographing a variety of species, some of which may be endangered. They might only appear for a few seconds and I want to ensure I capture that perfect moment, requiring a fast shutter speed. Additionally the camera will need a high magnification zoom lens to help catch the images that I am unable to get too close to. Batteries were also considered. I may not have the facilities to recharge batteries on a regular basis so I needed a camera that would take regular batteries. The final requirement was that it was a “point and click” camera. I do not have extensive photography experience so it was necessary that the camera I chose do the “work” itself. After researching the cameras currently available, I chose the one with the best performance and price that fit my needs.

Real Quick Notes

My, time is really flying!!! I just don't have enough hours in the day (or money in the bank) to get everything done. I still need quite a few things and I'm feeling guilty about not spending this time doing QUALITY things with my boys. They're so sick of being dragged along to doctor appointments and outdoors stores (REI, Gander Mountain, etc). I hope to finish up shopping tomorrow and finally have a few days devoted to them! I'm keeping my fingers crossed!

Anyway, I was thinking there might be some readers (I'm assuming I have some) that are interested in knowing more about what I am going to be doing. I have added something at the bottom of the blog with links to a film which offers a glimpse of life on the expedition and to GVI's Amazon site. Hopefully that will give you guys something to look at until I can post another long, rambling entry. I am also going to publish my proposal within the next day or two. I have had several requests for that!

Well, it is 2:45 AM and I still have some cleaning and ironing to do so I am going to do that so I can cuddle up with my husband for a couple of hours before he has to head to work! I'll do my best to get back to this tomorrow!