Oh My Goodness I am not READY!
It is already September, I leave in less than two weeks. I am not ready. My bags are not packed, I haven’t finished organizing my electronics, My students are still setting up experiments for comparison between the two ecosystems….aghhhhh
Ok, breathe. Let’s see what I can check off my list:
1. Substitute teacher ready and raring to go (Thank you Casey)
2. Lesson plans completed
3. Grade check for students
4. Flags coming in by the droves
5. Scheduled community outreach at local outdoor store (this Saturday)
(Thanks Flagstaff Peace Surplus for sponsoring me, and providing GREAT new polarized sunglasses)
6. Practice journal writing (ok working on that one)
7. Prepay a months worth of bills
8. Is someone taking me to the airport?
For over four months my focus has been to actively recruiting teachers, parents, families of small children, colleagues and my own peers to follow along on my research expedition. I have found that there is a bit of a disconnect about scientific research occurring around the world, and the public's understanding of this research. Hence my first goal: Americans from every state in America following along learning a bit more about the science associated with Antarctica, sea floor spreading and its relation to climate change. To date, I have 46 states and two other countries following our expedition, and lots from Arizona.
Besides preparing to share the scientific expedition through outreach I have also been working on the equipment I will need to accomplish this goal: and making sure I can use the equipment. Hence the need for a new backpack to hold all my electronics. This trip has been a wonderful excuse to improve my electronic skills and electronic devices. (Thanks Dad & Sandi for supporting my electronic addition)
And now I need to finish all the little details one never thinks about that we accomplish every day. You know what I mean: who will feed the birds?
Anyone who works in education knows that each day is filled with many tiny crisis: the loss of paper work, the sad child, a computer not working, the change in a schedule…and all this ads up to total fear when leaving your classroom for a month. I am so lucky, I have an amazing substitute teacher and I have nothing but confidence in his skills, but these are my babies, my students, my fledgelings, who are not quite ready to hatch. Oh, I am not ready.
But really, I am ready, I am ready to share scientific knowledge with everyone who follows along.## I am ready to make you laugh, maybe get a little motion sick in the waves, and I am most certainly ready to increase my knowledge and share it with you about the Antarctic CircumpolarLocated or found within the Earth’s polar regions. Current and Sea Floor Spreading. What do you say we delve right in, avoid the rush and get the ball rolling!
Challenge number ONE! I will be taking 4.5 airplane flights: Flagstaff, Arizona to Phoenix, Arizona, to Dallas, Texas, to Santiago, Chile, to a small town somewhere in Chile to gas the plane and then my final destination Punta Arenas, Chile. I wonder how many miles I will travel and if anyone can figure out my carbon footprint? Please feel free to share links on how to determine a carbon footprint. The first best answer will win this amazing Antarctica hat..Come on, now don’t be shy, let the learning begin!
photo to come
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