The Christa McAuliffe Sabbatical was the most exciting opportunity I have ever had professionally. The sabbatical is a yearlong experience that enables an educator to take a passion that only exists in their imagination, and transform it into reality for the benefit of the students and educators across the State of New Hampshire.
There is often not enough time in a teacher’s day-to-day life to pursue a professional ambition of considerable size. Receiving the Christa McAuliffe Sabbatical is a chance for a teacher to spend an entire year providing and acquiring professional development on a meticulously handcrafted project – a venture that requires enthusiasm, forethought, and dedication. It was an opportunity I will treasure forever.
Most importantly, the Christa McAuliffe Sabbatical is a living memorial to the life and work of Christa McAuliffe. Christa is perhaps most known around the world for being an astronaut involved in the devastating Space Shuttle Challenger tragedy. In New Hampshire, and around the country, Christa is most known and recognized for her admirable commitment to her students and profession.
It was extremely humbling to receive a sabbatical that honors the legacy of such a beloved educator, so my diligence to the success of my project increased a hundredfold so that Christa’s life and works might be further honored.
The following were the objectives of my sabbatical project, and below you will find a link to the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation’s website that describes well the Christa McAuliffe Sabbatical.
Objectives:
- Provide student teachers and elementary educators across the state with free professional development on the process of creating and facilitating engaging science instruction.
- Develop and publish a free ecosystem curriculum made easily accessible to all educators and students. (COMPLETE – see homepage)
- Teach alongside docents of the University of New Hampshire SeaTrek Program.
- Create a blog which will record my sabbatical journey, promote the ecosystem curriculum, and exist as a venue for educators to share and request assistance from each other regarding elementary education.
My NHCF Article on the Sabbatical
The Christa McAuliffe Sabbatical
Thom R. Smith 