April 14, 2008 — McFee Elementary School kindergarten teacher Tana Congi was notified last month that she had won a Fund for Teachers (FFT) grant to work with the organization Global Vision International in the Ecuadorian Amazon rainforest this summer.

Congi, who is in her first year with CFISD, will be staying in a remote village located between Tena and Coca where she will research conservation and teach English to the local children.

Congi, who has been fascinated with the rainforest from a young age, applied for the grant in 2007 but didn’t receive it; she was excited when her grant request was approved the second time around.

“Words can’t even describe it,” she said. “I find it hard to believe that my lifelong dream to explore the rainforest is actually coming true. It is something I have spent countless hours imagining and to actually be facing it seems so surreal.”

From July 9 - Aug. 17, Congi will stay in a village where the only electricity comes from a small generator that is reserved for charging equipment.

“I’m not going to be a tourist; I’m going to be a part of it all,” she said. “That was the main thing about Global Vision International that appealed to me, because I wanted to get an authentic feel of the rainforest.”

Surrounded by nature, she plans to document her trip with numerous photos and video clips that she can bring back to her classroom. She plans on having a rainforest theme for her classroom next year and teaching conservation practices to her students that she will have learned firsthand in the Amazon.

Congi was one of 107 Houston-area teachers out of 448 applicants to receive a 2008 FFT grant. FFT awarded a total of $401,871 to teachers to support their personal and professional growth.

“This is the chance of a lifetime,” Congi said. “I am so very grateful to Fund for Teachers.”

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