What happens when you drop a bunch of Maine educators off in Costa Rica, make them put away their phones, and present them with:
• Cultural immersion
• Challenging physical/outdoor activities
• Close group dynamics—for a week
Shades of “Survivor”? Not exactly! What does happen is outstanding professional and personal development, new resolve to embrace uncertainty and step outside comfort zones, and lifelong bonds of friendship with your group.
These were the results from last month’s supercharged professional development opportunity sponsored by Educate Maine and Hurricane Island Outward Bound School (HIOBS). For this group of nine educators, it was also an occasion of immense personal growth.
“I expected the physical challenges to be the hardest part, but they weren’t,” said Rachel O’Toole, school counselor at Westbrook Regional Vocational Center. “The real challenge was mental, letting go of any masks we wear, being genuine and vulnerable with strangers. This experience was beyond anything I had ever encountered.”
O’Toole’s cohort agreed.
“It wasn’t just professional growth; it was personal transformation,” said Lorraine Glowczak, Director of Community Connections and Storytelling Ambassador for RSU14 (Windham and Raymond).
“This experience is what leaders try to emulate in our professional development… this is THE ultimate professional development that cannot be matched,” said Melanie Craig, Dean of Students at Bonny Eagle Middle School.
The expedition through the rainforests and rivers of Costa Rica included wilderness navigation, hiking, surfing and skill-building activities along with team development and complete cultural immersion. Over six days, the educators challenged themselves and their peers to bravery, creative problem solving and increased perspective. They couldn’t wait to employ these new skills in their buildings.
“As a classroom teacher, I was reminded of the rewards of investing in the people and group dynamics in my room to build the strongest possible foundation for all learning that will occur here,” said Emilie Throckmorton, an English teacher at Bangor High School (and Penobscot County 2024 Teacher of the Year). Allyson Gilbert, a science teacher at Mount Ararat High School, agreed.
“This trip was a powerful reminder of how transformative experiential learning can be,” she said. “One direct result is my plan to revamp our school’s Outing Club to get more students outdoors and connected to nature. This experience also sparked new ideas for weaving global awareness and environmental themes into my curriculum, helping students see their role in a broader world—and how learning, at its best, is both personal and purposeful.”
And Matthew West, assistant director at the Lewiston Regional Technical Center, recommends this type of experience to all educators.
“It goes far beyond the boundaries of a traditional classroom. Immersing yourself in another country and culture—being able to see, feel, hear, and truly live it—offers a depth of learning that textbooks and lectures simply can’t provide,” he said.
