Kari Houston went to Belize expecting to study rainforests, coral reefs, and conservation. She returned to Jacksonville with something even more valuable: a renewed sense of curiosity and a plan to help her students discover what they can do to protect the environment in their own community.
Through the Cindy Edelman Excellence in Teaching Fellowship, Houston, a fourth- and fifth-grade math and science teacher at River City Science Academy Innovation, traveled to Belize for an immersive environmental learning experience. Her goal was to turn real-world field experiences into engaging lessons that connect global environmental challenges to issues students can see closer to home.
Houston returned with three powerful lessons: curiosity can drive learning, environmental issues are interconnected, and students can use their own voices to create change.
First, Belize allowed Houston to become a learner again. She collected macroinvertebrates in rivers, participated in bat mist netting and nighttime wildlife walks, explored rainforest ecosystems and collected citizen science data while snorkeling over coral reefs. Those experiences gave new meaning to concepts she had taught for years.
Second, the experience reinforced that environmental challenges thousands of miles away can connect directly to Florida. Houston’s interest in invasive lionfish originally began with social media videos from Miami. In Belize, she had the opportunity to learn about and hunt the invasive species firsthand. Her original proposal specifically connected threats to Belize’s reefs with similar environmental issues affecting Florida’s coast.
Now, Houston wants her students to make those connections themselves. Students will investigate environmental issues in their classroom, school, or Jacksonville community, research possible solutions, and develop “Shark Tank” style pitches advocating for their ideas. She also plans to use photos, videos, field data, and storytelling to make science more tangible and inspire students to see themselves as capable of making a difference. Her Fellowship plans include blending math, science, and media literacy through real data, modeling, and science communication.
Houston went to Belize hoping to spark curiosity in her students. Along the way, she rediscovered her own.
Now, after getting muddy, asking countless questions, and experiencing science firsthand, she is bringing that curiosity home and waiting to see where it takes her students next.