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A Journey of Discovery
The Inspiring Stories of National Grid Foundation Teach Earth Educators
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The National Grid Foundation, a key supporter of education and environmental initiatives, has partnered once again with ÃÀ¼§ÉçÇø's Teach Earth fellowship program to provide an exceptional opportunity for a group of dedicated teachers.
These educators ventured into the field to engage in hands-on environmental research, gaining invaluable experience in conservation and science. Their adventures, filled with learning and personal growth, are not only milestones in their own journeys but also sources of inspiration for the students they teach.
In 2024, our Teach Earth fellows traveled from Massachusetts to explore ecosystems in Nevada and Costa Rica. These experiences have enriched their understanding of the natural world and equipped them with new tools to inspire their students and foster a deeper connection to environmental science.
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Tannya Perez DiGiovanni
Joined Conserving Wild Bees and Other Pollinators of Costa Rica
What inspired me to apply for the Teach Earth Fellowship program was my desire to do what is right for our planet and to instill love and action in my students. As a special needs teacher, I believe that hands-on learning and real-world experiences can significantly benefit my students, even if I'm not a science teacher.
The most exciting and transformative experience during the expedition was learning about the diverse species of bees and their crucial roles in ecosystems. The hands-on experience of catching and identifying bees, combined with the stunning backdrop of Costa Rica's Monteverde Biological Reserve, was truly eye-opening. I was particularly moved by the collaborative spirit of our team and the expertise of our lead scientist, Dr. Valerie Peters, which made the experience even more enriching.
This journey has significantly impacted my professional growth and development. My teaching skills have been enhanced through practical fieldwork and real-world research, allowing me to understand scientific processes in a deeper way. I know that the knowledge I gained about pollinators and their ecosystems is just the tip of the iceberg, and there is so much more to learn. I have already started doing additional research and have many ideas about what I can and want to do.
Moving forward, I plan to incorporate real-world research and scientific inquiry into my classroom by creating hands-on projects that mirror the experiences I had during the fellowship. I aim to develop lesson plans that involve local ecosystem studies, encourage students to ask questions and engage in citizen science projects. By sharing my experiences and the importance of conservation, I hope to inspire my students to become proactive stewards of the environment.
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Daniela Escobar
Joined Caterpillars and Climate Change in Nevada
A few days ago, I was walking my dog and I felt something on my shoulder. I reached out to grab it and felt a big-for-something-being-in-your-shoulder organism, so I grabbed it with my hand and, instinctively, after seeing a sizable green grasshopper, I abruptly threw it to the ground. The little one looked back at me, I believe, in disbelief—I had hurt their leg. I felt horrible. I stayed with them for a while, seeing how they regained their posture and started planning their exit with a broken leg. Back in December or January, when I applied to ÃÀ¼§ÉçÇø to gain understanding about how to be an effective Science teacher, I was not expecting this to be an aftereffect, having deep empathy for all the bugs around me. This empathy is not just caring about the bugs and the painful deaths they experience often; it has more to do with a profound (as in, it sits deeper in my guts than other ponderings) rumination about what it means for us, humans, to live in balance with other creatures, particularly with the little ones that we generally discard or assume as pests. How do we engage with the creatures around us? What does it mean for us to share space, to cohabitate, treating all creatures, the little ones included, with some consciousness of their role in our spaces? How do we, knowing that these tiny creatures are on decline and play a very important role in our ecosystems, go around breaking grasshoppers’ legs? It is not that I didn’t know that climate change was real, that what we used to call heat warnings are now just summer and that, of course, that increased change in temperature was having an impact on our environments.
We have seen the depressing pictures of polar bears swimming in water of melting ice caps, but I haven’t considered what that same heat that melts the ice means for the caterpillars, for the wasps, for the plants that feed them. That understanding, that profound understanding, is now showing up in all sorts of weird ways, like seeing how some wasps slowly form a colony in my porch and be in a calm refusal to report it to the landlord. Furthermore, I am wondering how to bring that understanding to my students, how to present them with the evidence that we will witness the extinction of thousands of organisms, that this present we are living is unique in its diversity and we should cherish it, hold it, learn from it as much as we can while it is there, and enjoy it, to witness, to be witnesses. And to care for what is now and for it to be here a little longer.
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Elisa Convers
Joined Caterpillars and Climate Change in Nevada
From finding caterpillars to identifying host plants to learning about different species of butterflies, every little thing we did in the Nevada expedition had a purpose. In this microcosmos that we explored each day, the interactions of the tiniest caterpillar with its host plant and parasitoids, affected by the fluctuations of the heat, rain, and drought, are all indicators of the larger picture where all the flora and fauna cohabitate. The long research in which we participated has identified a significant decline in the population of caterpillars over the last decade. Part of the work that we did as research volunteers was to notice and document data so that scientists can track the situation and understand the problem better. I became a citizen scientist for a week, contributing my own small grain of data to understanding not only the future of insects but the future of all species. I am grateful for the opportunity I had to work closely with a group of curious scientists, artists, and writers of varied ages and cultural backgrounds. Such an eclectic mix was wonderful to foster curiosity, creativity, and collaboration.
But given that many of these species seem to be doomed to disappear, my participation in the study increased not only my understanding of the problem, but also my concern that I have to stop the decline. I’m asking myself, what can I do to mitigate the problem? To inspire my students to get involved, I am planning a project inviting 3rd grade scholars to capture the grandeur and magnificence of lepidopterans indigenous to Massachusetts/New England through the creation of caterpillars, moths and butterfly paper maché masks of the area, emphasizing local endangered species, and insects’ interaction with local plants and parasitoids. As a culminating activity, scholars will use their paper mache mask, the insect of their choice, to create and perform a short collaborative play that discusses ways to protect them. My hope is that the play can be performed for the k-2 who also study cycles of life, to build connections. Additionally, scholars will explore the idea of sustainability and use eco-friendly art practices such as reusing disposable materials. Finally, scholars will add native plants that attract pollinators in our Nature Classroom.
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Jack Elliott-Higgins
Joined Conserving Wild Bees and Other Pollinators of Costa Rica
The ÃÀ¼§ÉçÇø group took part in a research project with Dr. Valerie Peters of Eastern Kentucky University. The research was also facilitated by an undergraduate research assistant from EKU and a local research assistant. Dr. Peters is studying pollinator populations in tropical forests and the services they provide to help protect them from the effects of climate change and habitat loss.
We spent the first part of every day catching bees in the process of pollination. We camped out by flowering plants with butterfly nets and acetone-loaded bug jars. When we caught an insect, we first verified it was a bee, then labeled the specimen with the plant we found it on. This process could be painstaking at times, but we all caught beautiful and varied bees to contribute to the research project.
We spent the afternoons planting plots of land with flowers to attract more bees. This often required hikes through beautiful forest and farmland, passing grazing cows and friendly dogs. We were also able to take tours of a coffee farm, a sugarcane farm, and a bee research center. We learned about the menace that monkeys pose to the sugarcane crop, as well as the history of Quakers in Monteverde, who bought up large shares of land in the 20th century and distributed it in plots to small farmers. In our free time, we were able to explore the Monteverde Cloud Forest Biological Reserve, always on the lookout for interesting flora and fauna. The Teach Earth Fellowship was a fantastic experience and one that I would highly recommend!
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Equipped with new knowledge and experiences, these educators are ready to inspire their students and communities. By integrating field-based environmental science into their teaching, they are nurturing the next generation of environmental leaders and instilling a sense of responsibility for the planet.
Since 1975, Teach Earth has been leading the way in professional development, combining immersive research with cutting-edge educational practices. We thank the National Grid Foundation for their ongoing dedication to empowering educators and supporting environmental conservation.
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A special thank you to the National Grid Foundation for funding these teachers’ fellowships!
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