Science teachers have the opportunity to better connect with students through field trips to Mexico.

Forty-five high school and middle school teachers from DeKalb, Elgin, Rockford and Aurora school districts will be selected to travel to the Yucatan Peninsula or Mount Popocatepetl, a volcanic region near Mexico City.

Kathleen Kitts, assistant professor of geology and environmental geoscience, helps coordinate the field trips and finds the experience helps teachers and students bond.

“The students like the fact that their teachers take the time to go to the areas they and their families are from,” Kitts said. “Talking about Mount Popocatepetl rather than Mount St. Helens helps Mexican students better relate to and appreciate the material.”

Science teachers having direct experience with the subjects they discuss also makes the lessons more enjoyable and relevant, Kitts said.

“Teachers will come back from their trips with tons of pictures and hands-on geological findings, like rocks and soil, which make the lessons much more exciting than simply reading about it in a textbook,” she said.

Kitts, fellow NIU professor Eugene Perry and two former NIU students with doctorates help lead the teachers through Mexico during their two-week educational trip.

“The teachers will receive graduate credit for their time spent in Mexico and will form new lesson plans based off their experience,” Kitts said.

In a press release issued by NIU’s Office of Public Affairs, Amie Thompson, an eighth-grade science teacher who participated in a past trip, spoke of the difference it made.

“When we discuss volcanoes and other earth science topics, I can refer to knowledge gained on my trip, and everyone sits up a little straighter,” Thompson said. “They are anxious to tell me about their homes and to hear about the experiences I had.”