Earlier this month Clearwater’s Program Staff and Crew hosted the New York State Master Teacher Program for a two-day training. The first day was spent aboard the Clearwater, and the second along the shoreline and at times in the river at Esopus Meadows Preserve. K-12 educators from several regions across the state participated in this professional development opportunity.
The New York State Master Teacher Program, established in 2013, recognizes outstanding K-12 public school STEM teachers and counselors and sustains a statewide professional network of educators dedicated to professional growth and development. Master Teachers and Master Counselors are educational leaders committed to sharing best practices and creating engaging and inspiring learning environments for all K-12 students as well as support for teacher and counselor preparation programs.
NYSMTP participants found the hands-on nature of Clearwater’s education programs interesting and engaging, reflecting, “The experiences with Clearwater sparked lively conversations on how they (the educators) can incorporate what they learned into their classroom curricula. Discussions included how crucial the Hudson River ecosystem is and how it can be integrated as an anchoring phenomenon across content disciplines and grade levels. The NYS Science Learning Standards are designed to be phenomena-based and the 2-day experience with the Clearwater teams was just the in-depth experience these teachers wish to share with their students. This experience will enhance classroom teaching and professional conversations in STEM classrooms across the state.”
