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| |  | | | | A Really NEAT Experience!
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07.09.04
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NASA's Educator Astronaut Program recently hosted a gathering at Johnson Space Center of 160 science and math educators from around the nation. These teachers are part of the Network of Educator Astronaut Teachers (NEAT) and were selected from a group of 1,600 educators who applied to be educator astronauts and received superior marks on their applications.
Image to right: Teachers participated in a "make your own space suit" ice-breaker activity. Credit: NASA
Connie Hollingsworth, NASA manager of the Educator Astronaut Program, described this conference as a chance to recognize "outstanding educators for their enthusiasm, leadership skills and commitment to educational excellence, and, in addition, to facilitate communication between NASA and the K-12 community."
Top NASA officials were on hand to share their perspectives on education. Adena Williams Loston, Associate Administrator for NASA's Office of Education, discussed the Vision for Space Exploration and the positive impact teachers have on students. Bill Readdy, Associate Administrator for Space Flight, spoke to the teachers about how "education should be a focus not only on the students, but on the teachers." The 2004 astronaut class, who reported to JSC for training the same week, shared stories about the teachers who inspired them, reinforcing the theme for the week: "Inspiring the next generation of explorers."
Workshops, tours and briefings, which included a reception in honor of the teachers, were planned to keep the educators busy throughout the week.
At a "share-a-thon," the educators gave each other creative teaching techniques and activities to apply back home.
Image to left: Teachers gather ideas at the share-a-thon. Credit: NASA
"Every teacher here knows something that another teacher does not, so here we are not only teachers, we are learners," said Rachelle Kean, a 12th-grade teacher in Pennsylvania.
The workshops helped to "break teachers out of their cocoon so they could bounce ideas off of each other, resulting in new ideas to use," said Alex Bustillos, an eighth-grade teacher in El Paso, Texas. In addition to sharing immediate ideas, the visit to NASA became a time when the teachers could make connections for future reference, and also for NASA to work with the teachers to discover how to improve program content for other educators across the country.
On one of the behind-the-scene tours at JSC, the teachers got the opportunity to stand in the historic Mission Control room in Building 30.
"Standing in the Apollo control room has been the most inspiring thing at NASA because I was able to be in a room where life-changing events took place," said Aldo Cos, an eighth-grade teacher in California.
As much as the teachers may have learned during the conference, NASA will benefit in turn from their creativity, perseverance and commitment.
"I believe in my heart that you all are the ones that are going to inspire NASA, as well as our nation," said Kent Rominger, Chief of the Astronaut Office.
Jennifer K. Sorensen
Johnson Space Center, Houston
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