Explorations of Connection – Bhutan and the Teacher Learning Center

Combat crawling to stay on the snow, Sonam Chhezang avoided sinking. Ugyen Lhendup was not so lucky; he had one leg hip deep in snow and the other foot still on the packed trail. The rest of the eight member delegation from Bhutan laughed and took pictures of their colleagues “observing” the snow.For the third year, a delegation of Bhutanese educators has traveled half way around the world to spend about 2 weeks in the United States at Teton Science Schools. This year’s delegation of eight is made up of: four teachers and the principal from a Sakteng Primary School, two lecturers from the Samtse College of Education, and the environmental education specialist for the Royal Society for the Protection of Nature, a non-governmental organization in Bhutan. The teachers from Sakteng had the longest journey to Teton Science Schools – walking two days to the nearest road, driving two days to their airport, and then beginning the series of flights that brought them to Jackson.The delegation’s visit includes opportunities to explore and observe Jackson Hole and the six program areas of Teton Science Schools. The main focus is on learning about place-based education and considering and planning ways to implement it in Bhutan. The delegation will begin their return trip to Bhutan on Wednesday, January 26, hopefully with many plans for the work they will continue in Bhutan.