The Argonauts at Boot Camp |
Becoming a JASON Teacher Argonaut has to be the most amazing experience that I have ever had, both personally and professionally. I went through the application process to become a Teacher Argo, never really expecting that I would be selected to go on the adventure of a lifetime. Imagine my excitement when I was contacted and told that I was going to be a Teacher Argonaut!
The other two Teachers Argos and I arrived in Milwaukee for our Boot Camp several days before the students. We met with the JASON Argonaut field director along with other wonderful people in the JASON family. The purpose of the Boot Camp was to help us bond with each other and prepare ourselves for our Field Assignments. We spent those first few days without the students doing some team building as well as becoming familiar with the JASON Monster Storms curriculum. We also went over the responsibilities that we would have at Boot Camp, on the Field Assignments, and for the school year. Our focus for Boot Camp was to learn about the accuracy of the weather forecasts as well as the wreck of the Edmond Fitzgerald, a freighter that went down in Lake Superior.
The nine Student Argonauts that arrived at Boot Camp in Milwaukee are the most amazing students! We had an awesome time getting to know each other and working on a variety of activities. We worked with many researchers, scientists, and professors in the areas of weather and storms. We were in classrooms and out in the field. We spent time on the land and the water. We put in 15-hour days, but none of us were complaining! We saw, did, and learned so many incredible things that helped us understand storms and forecast the weather. I learned more during this 10-day adventure than I could have ever imagined.
We are now getting ready to go off on our Field Assignments. My three Student Argonauts and I are going to the NASA Goddard Space Flight Facility in early July. While leaving Boot Camp and Milwaukee behind was hard, we are looking forward with great excitement and expectation to the adventure ahead in our Field Assignment and the coming school year!