Quality Trip with Quality People

You know there is a lot of work and money that goes into making a trip like this happen, however the success of a trip is due, in large part, to the work ethic and personalities of the participants. We have done a lot of workshops and taken teachers on lots of trips, however I am so impressed with the group we have on this trip. I am encouraged to see the teachers work with this new technology and hear them talk about how they plan to implement their new appreciation for West Virginia and coal into their classrooms. We have science teachers talking about how interested they are in the history of coal and the social or economic impact it has played or will play on the state of West Virginia. In turn, we have math and social studies teachers tromping through streams taking environmental data to determine the streams water quality and then discuss the ramifications of, not only stream life, but the life of the surrounding area. They are truly developing cross-curriculum ideas. Instead of hearing about teachers talking about how tired they were or what they planned to do once the trip was over, we heard stories about how teachers in all the vans (4) were discussing how interesting the last visited site was or how they planned to implement what they were learning into their classrooms this fall. Parents in Cabell County should be proud to have these teachers in their schools. Take a look at the teachers blogs on the right to get an idea of what they have been learning. Two more days to go.................