Educator Opportunities
Earthwatch is looking for teachers who are passionate about teaching, excited about making a difference with their time and talents, and committed to engaging their communities using their knowledge, passion, and energy to bring about awareness and inspire action.
Are you:
- A K12 classroom educator
- Passionate about teaching
- Looking to learn more about environmental issues
- Excited to collaborate with a team of teachers from around the country for 10-14 days over the summer
- Committed to engaging your students and school community outside the classroom
- Interested in how scientific research is conducted?
If you are, here’s what you need to do:
We’ll contact you if we have grant funding for which you are eligible and direct you to the online Educator Application. If you’re not eligible for any of our fellowship grants, we’ll keep your form on file and notify you when we have funding for which you are eligible.
Earthwatch receives funding on a rolling basis. Consequently, fellowships will also be awarded on a rolling basis until funding is exhausted. We hope to announce all awards by May 1, 2013.
In the Field
As an educator fellow, you'll spend 1-2 weeks on an Earthwatch expedition alongside other teachers led by prominent field researchers. You will develop your skills and understanding around environmental concerns so that you are better able to pass on that knowledge to your students. The goal of this fellowship is to prepare you to return to your and community with greater understanding and appreciation of the natural world.
Close to 50 teachers will be selected and placed in teams with seven – nine other educators. The projects you will participate on are in Spotting Songbirds in the Rockies, and Climate Change and Caterpillars in Arizona and Ecuador. You’ll arrange and book your travel to the research site. You’ll work with an Earthwatch Program Coordinator who will provide you with any information you’ll need. You will need to complete expedition forms that require a medical doctor’s signature, and complete a field report and evaluation when you get back from the field. Some fellowships include funds to help defray travel costs. Details will be contained in your award letter if you are eligible for such an award.
The minimum contribution normally required of expedition participants is waived for Fellowship Recipients, thanks to the generosity of fellowships' funders. All Earthwatch Educator Fellowships offset the full cost of your expedition, including meals, accommodations, research permits, equipment costs, and on-site transportation. Educator Fellowships also provide a travel stipend to offset some out-of-pocket travel expenses to and from the expedition site.