MARE Teachers

Twenty-five teachers spent one day out of their five-day training program at Sedge. Pete McClain was on hand to give the group a brief history of the Sedge Island Marine Conservation Zone. The teachers then got quickly to work. They divided into small groups and came up with a research question that they wanted to explore. They then planned how to develop a presentation to be shared with the others in the group when they returned to the Jacques Costeau Center in Tuckerton. Some looked at animals while others looked at plants. They snorkeled, fished, dug, and used every possible method to explore their environment. They wrote, drew, photographed and took videos to record their data.

After lunch the group gathered in the house for an art lesson that was far more than drawing. As the artist/teacher instructed them in how to draw a turtle, she taught skills of observation, how the human eye works with the brain to interpret images in nature, and much more. It was amazing to see how each teacher used pastels to create highly individualistic, beautiful art work.

Time on the island was (as usual) too short. We hope many of the MARE teachers will return with their students for a three-day experience