The undeveloped shoreline of Sapelo Island, Ga., is a long way from the inside of a Hamilton County classroom. But the coastal preserve turned out to be the ideal setting for a handful of Tennessee teachers to become students themselves.
Several Hamilton County teachers recently spent five days at the University of Georgia's Marine Institute on the island.
"Instilling a sense of environmental stewardship is imperative for educators in the 21st century," said Jody Conn, who teaches fourth graders at East Brainerd Elementary. "This workshop opened my eyes to the many teaching opportunities about the environment that are available to my students."
The teachers explored different avenues of incorporating environmental activities into their classroom curriculums, said Jim Watson, workshop attendee and future teacher at Ivy Academy, an environmentally-themed charter school set to open in the fall.
On Sapelo Island, teachers studied the coast and the marsh and the kinds of harmful debris found in the ocean and along the shoreline.
Mini lessons were another part of the curriculum, in which teachers ranging from pre-kindergarten to high school, as well as librarians, taught short classes to other teachers about what they had learned.
"Teachers sharing ideas might just be the best method of professional development and does not occur very often due to their hectic school schedules," Mr. Watson said.
While most schools have in-service training, teachers appreciated the hands-on education offered on the island.
"Building a strong sense of environmental stewardship in a young child today is the best chance we have at having a positive effect on the environment tomorrow," Mr. Conn said.
Stephanie Parrott, fourth-grade teacher at Falling Water Elementary School, said teachers need a chance to learn, too.
"I think as a teacher, sometimes we put our learning on the back burner," said "We search for ways to make learning interesting, fun and relative for our kids at their own level, but we don't foster our own eagerness to learn."
In the 1980s, the Chattanooga Nature Center sponsored trips, similar to the one taken to Sapelo Island, with grants from the Lyndhurst Foundation. When the money dried up, the trips stopped, said Kyle Mr. Waggener, Nature Center director of education.
When a former trip participant, Judy Whitaker Sivils, passed away, the family asked donations be made in her name to the Nature Center to get the trips going again.
Last year, they began with a first trip to Sapelo Island. Enough money was left over to help fund this year's trip, as well. Ms. Parrott also donated money to complete the amount needed for the trip.
Participating schools
Teachers from the following schools made the trip to Sapelo Island, Ga., to learn more about the environment to incorporate into their curriculums.
* Daisy Elementary
* Soddy Elementary
* Soddy-Daisy High School
* Ivy Academy
* Falling Water Elementary
* East Brainerd Elementary
* 21st Century Academy
* Lookout Mountain Elementary
* Harrison Elementary
* East Ridge High School
* Hamilton County Adult High School
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