Some great pictures for you to see

For some reason, the computers here at the internet cafe won´t recognize anyone´s flash drive, so I can´t show you the pictures I took, but I can send you to the site of the National Geography photographer who has been with us. The site is www.toyota4education.com and if you go to it and look for a person laying on their stomach to take a picture of an iguana, that will prove I´m really here! Today is our last day in the islands and we fly out to Quito tomorrow morning, have our hike to the orchid and hummingbird refuge the next day and then we all head for home. The internet is poor in Quito, so this will probably be the last you hear from me until I get home. I can´t wait to see you all!

Boobies and Iguanas and Seal Lions--oh my!

Hello from the Galapagos Islands!!! It´s been really hard to get a connection and I´m not going to try to tell you everything that I´ve been doing because it would take to long, but I want to tell you about some highlights: I HAVE seen Blue-Footed Boobies and they were every bit as wonderful as I thought they would be! The Marine Iguanas are fabulous and they are everywhere. I got some really good footage of the big males challenging each other--¨This is MY patch and you´re too close to it¨ they seem to say. The animals have been fabulous, but the best part for me has been meeting the wonderful people, especially the children. I took some Shut the Box games with me and they have been a huge hit---the kids here like them just as much as the kids at Bountiful El. We have all been working incredibly hard, usually up before six and on the go all day long. Today we had a class (yes, a class--we have lots of them!) at the Darwin Centre and then off to the highlands to learn about organic farming. We hiked into the interior to get trees and then plant them as part of a reforestation project. They best part was that we saw wild giant tortoises! They are HUGE!!!!!! You can see where they´ve come through the foliage because it looks like a tank has been through there. I want you all to know that the poorest school you´ve ever seen in the U.S. has more than the best school here. The students have to bring their own markers to school for the small whiteboard they have and teachers are expected to buy ALL their own supplies on their salary of less than $1000 a month. (no DEA here...) I have learned more than I ever thought possible and worked SO hard! Being here has been one of the great privileges of my life and I will never forget anything I´ve seen.

Touring the Everglades

Hello from Miami!! I had an anazing day today, spending the whole day with the group in the Everglades. I got a lot of great ideas for things for us to do when I get back, so I hope you're all ready for that! I waded in water up to my waist and it was chilly until we got used to it, but it was all worth it---we saw birds that I've only seen in pictures and something that I NEVER thought I'd see in real life and I'm putting a picture on for all of you. We had to learn everyone's name by describing ourselves with an adjective that matched our name and I held up the book that Mrs. Z's class made for me and told them that I wanted to be "Shining Sheri", because I'm carrying the light of all the kids at Bountiful Elementary with me. "Awwwwww" They are all so envious because I work with kids who are so smart and nice and still think that I'm smart--they all work with high-school students. Tomorrow, we head to Quito, Ecuador and then on to the Galapagos. I still can't believe I'm really here--I miss you all and I'm carrying you in my heart every step of the way.

1st posting

I've never had a blog before---I've never NEEDED a blog before! I have the chance of a lifetime to go to the Galapagos Islands as part of a group of teachers sponsored by Toyota and I leave on November 21st. My goal is to send back a short message and photos every day while I'm gone (technology permitting), so I want to be sure this site is up and running. My AMAZING students have been learning about the Galapagos and they now know more than any other elementary kids in Utah, and probably more than most adults and this trip is for THEM. I want to bring back every scrap of knowledge that I can and share it with them and with all the other teachers and students in Utah, so here's my homework assignment for you all:
Ask me your questions. Tell me what you want to know and what you want to see. I'll do my best to answer every question and I'll try to take a picture of everything you ask for. And please give me ideas for how to make this blog better---I'll bet you've all done it more than I have and I'll be glad for your ideas!
p.s. don't forget to check out my webpage on our school website--it has great links to information about the Galapagos and other great sites.