The Heck With The Apples, An Airplane Lesson A Day....

Over 200 teachers from as far as Chevak, Alaska came to the Founders Wing at the EAA AirVenture Museum to attend an event called “Teachers Day”. The event is intended to inspire educators to appreciate the value of aviation as an education tool and provide examples of resources that can be brought to the classroom. Teachers at all grade levels (K-12) from across the United States were invited to participate at no charge.

"We are amazed by how many great opportunities are out there to use aviation to engage and motivate kids to learn," said Freeman, "today's students respond to real world applications and aviation really captures their attention."

Ryan Walker, a teacher who led a recent aircraft building project at Chevak High School in Alaska, attended in 2010 and this year flew the aircraft the he and his students built - a RANS S-6s Coyote - to Oshkosh.

This year’s event was sponsored by EAA, BuildAPlane, General Aviation Manufacturing Association (GAMA) and the Wolf Aviation Fund. Numerous examples of aviation-rich curricula were provided by twenty enthusiastic presenters. What appeared to generate noticeable excitement were the hands-on activities that include aircraft building and aviation themed summer camps.

ANN had the opportunity to talk with a number of teacher/participants about their experience.

FMI: www.gama.aero, www.wolf-aviation.org, www.eaa.org, www.aero-tv.net, www.youtube.com/aerotvnetwork, http://twitter.com/AeroNews