A group of twelve teachers, led by Professor Meg Lowman of New College department of Environmental Studies, visited the tropical rain forests of Panama during summer 2004. The teachers learned about tropical ecosystems, visited Panamanian schools, and brought school supplies to several schools in remote locations.
During a ten-day adventure, they traipsed through pecker bushes, heard howler monkeys, learned about shade-grown coffee, experienced coral bleaching in tropical reef ecosystems, got muddy, and saw tropical ecosystems through the eyes of a professional scientist. The learned about experimental design, and about the complex ecosystems called tropical rain forests that essentially control our climate and our quality of life on this planet.
Chemistry teacher Eloise Malinsky, Pine View School in Osprey FL, summarized some of the group’s feelings,
“Every time I’m in a tropical rainforest I am always amazed at the lack of mosquitoes. It is wonderful to see that notion is in excess when everything has it’s natural predators present. I appreciated learning the advantage of shade grown coffee, where coffee is grown among other plants and trees instead of being grown in areas cleared strictly for growing coffee. Once again because the natural predators are present, the use of harmful pesticides is essentially eliminated. Arrangements were made that allowed us to visit two schools in small villages in Panama. It was wonderful to see the beautiful faces of these children. They were as eager to learn more about us as we were to learn about them. Classes were large and supplies limited, but that didn’t seem to interferer with their eagerness to learn. The high school students talked about their future education plans. The faculty appreciated the school supplies we brought to them. All of us left knowing that we would keep in touch with our new colleagues.”
