Teacher to Ranger to Teacher
Teacher-Ranger-Teacher Hughett presents school programs at Fairview Elementary during National Park Week 2013 National Park Service One educator will be selected from the applicants to work as a park ranger during the summer. While wearing the national park ranger uniform, the teacher performs various duties depending on their interests and the needs of the park. Some duties include developing and presenting interpretive programs for the general public, staffing the visitor center desk, developing curriculum-based materials for the park, and taking on educational projects. (See TRT Position Description.) The teacher then takes back to the classroom curriculum-based programs that draw on the summer's experience and introduces students to the remarkable American heritage that national parks preserve. Teacher Rangers form a link between school children and National Parks. National parks enrich the lives of many in this nation. They provide access to the powerful ideas, values, and meanings associated with the remarkable cultural, natural, and recreational heritage of the United States. The National Park Service (NPS) strives to provide opportunities for all Americans to connect to their national heritage through the national parks. However, these opportunities are lacking for some children- often due to a variety of social and economic factors. The Teacher to Ranger to Teacher (TRT) Program offers a solution, by linking National Park units with teachers from local school districts. The TRT program is made possible through an Inter-governmental Personnel Act Agreement (IPA) between the public school district and the NPS. The program was initiated in 2003 and became a national program in 2007. As park ambassadors, the teacher-rangers take what they learn back to their home schools and share unique experiences with children, the future caretakers of America's special places. If a local teacher from Scott and Fentress counties in Tennessee or McCreary and Wayne county in Kentucky is interested in applying for the Teacher Ranger Teacher program they may do so by contacting their principal or the superintendent of their school district. Click here to obtain a TRT application. You can learn more about the TRT program by going to: http://www.nps.gov/interp/trt/index.html. |
Did You Know?
Because of its designation as a National River and Recreation Area, Big South Fork allows hunting, fishing and trapping all in accordance with the appropriate state regulations. More...