Teacher Regalado Vasquez has been riding high following completion of an elite space training academy, designed for educators and students, last summer.
The W.H. Morden Public School teacher completed a seven-day Educational STEM Scholarship to the Space Academy for Educators from Honeywell International in June. It took place at the US Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville Alabama, which is also recognized by the Smithsonian Institute. Vasquez was the only teacher from Canada selected to participate in the program, joining 99 other educators from around the world.
The program inspires teachers about the benefits of studying Science, Technology, Engineering, Math (STEM), Vasquez explained. The intensive professional development (at 45 hours) is a fully immersive experience for educators; curriculum included content provided by world-renowned NASA and is correlated to the National Science Education Standards.
The sessions included Science experiments, lectures by NASA Astronaut Dorothy Metcalf-Lindenburger, former NASA Engineer Homer Hickam and Astronaut training simulations such as Mission Control room, zero gravity Space Walk and 1/6th Chair Moonwalk, Multi-Axis Trainer, Helicopter Water Evacuation and Parachute Drag Water Landing survival scenarios.
“A true highlight for me was to hear Astronaut Dorothy Metcalf-Lindenburger who flew on one of the last Space Shuttle missions share her inspirational story,” Vasquez said. “She dreamt of becoming an astronaut as a young girl. As an adult she was a teacher and received the exact same educational STEM scholarship as the educators in attendance.”
Participating in this program will be great way to share with students, in particular, the benefits of STEM subjects, Vasquez said. He noted that while in the program, he engaged with numerous students and staff through Google Hangouts.
“Honeywell’s Space Academy for Educators is simply an incredible program, and it will be difficult to find another program as immersive for educators who are passionate about STEM,” he said. “As a teacher, I think professional development continues to play a big part of my ever evolving pedagogy. For example, last year I lectured at the Toronto Google Summit for Educators and the BringIT conference.
“Being current and cutting edge, whether that be learning about the newest technology or utilizing best practices using international resources, allows me to make my classroom a portal to the world for my students. I owe it to my students, my peers, principals and to the Halton District School Board to be the best professional educator that I can be.”
Positively affecting students, by sharing his time in this space program, will be a key component in his classroom teaching, Vasquez said. He wants them to dream big, he stressed.
“Ultimately, I hope they might start believing that anything is possible and they can accomplish almost anything they set their mind to. Perhaps one of the students in the future becomes the next Canadian Astronaut like Commander Chris Hadfield, a former HDSB student.”
Vasquez’s experiences and educational materials have been shared with the Board’s programming staff.
Since 2004, more than 2,375 educators from 55 countries, 52 U.S. states and territories have graduated from the Honeywell program.