A group of Hamilton County teachers returned this week from an environmental education trip to an uncommercialized, state-protected island off Georgia coast.
The educators represent schools across Hamilton County and teach a variety of subjects, from early elementary through high school. Trip leader and Ivy Academy environmental educator Jim Watson hopes the teachers will take the lessons back to their schools and incorporate environmental education into other subjects.
“What we’re trying to do is promote environmental education in all classrooms,” Watson said. “Environmental education is all based on attitudes toward a sustainable environment, and we want to show the teachers they can take whatever they’re teaching and give it an environmental twist that provides the kids those positive attitudes toward the environment.”
On the five-day trip, teachers learned about the history of Sapelo Island, a hub for conservation and wildlife research. There were planned activities to learn about marine biology and the impact of human actions on the environment, but one of the most memorable experiences came during an unplanned lesson when the teachers stumbled upon a Georgia Department of Natural Resources researcher.
The Volkswagen-funded trip is in its 11th year and Watson said he’s never had an experience like that one. Most years, teachers will wake up at night to see if they can find sea turtles leaving the ocean for nesting. Some years they are successful, others they are not.