TEACHER HERO: ROWENA GERBER

MY HERO, Wednesday, March 3, 2004
by Wendy Jewell

MY HERO met up with ROWENA GERBER at the 10th iEARN conference in Japan in the summer of 2003. Here is a brief film clip of Rowena Gerber speaking about her hero.

"EVERY CHILD SHOULD BE GIVEN THE OPPORTUNITY TO MAKE A POSITIVE DIFFERENCE IN SOMEONE'S LIFE...HOPEFULLY ADULTS WOULD FOLLOW THEIR LEAD"

ROWENA GERBER ROCKS! She makes LEARNING FUN. She empowers her students to THINK GLOBALLY AND ACT LOCALLY. And in turn they empower thousands of families in different parts of the world to be more self-sufficient. Rowena Gerber is a dedicated humanitarian and the inventive director of ACES (The Abess Center for Environmental Studies) at Miami Country Day School. Her elementary students raise money from the organic gardens they plant,then partner with the Miami Shores Rotary Club,to send SOLAR OVENS to places like AFGHANISTAN and HAITI.

VILLAGER SUN OVENS can bake up to 1200 loaves of bread a day, cook all forms of food and purify water. Solar cooking is good for the environment because you don't have to burn trees or charcoal, which reduces deforestation and air pollution. Women are liberated from having to find and pay for fuel. All they need now is the sun.

The sunny climate of southern Florida provides the perfect conditions for the exploration, creation and use of solar cookers. Rowena explains that, "each grade level designs and builds solar cookers, from primitive crayon melters for the 4 year olds to the sophisticated inventions the fifth graders come up with." "The thrilling part for us is to lay out the opportunities in the most inviting, creative way possible…then stand back and watch them explore and discover. Seeing the world through their eyes is invigorating for us and it gives us greater insight into analyzing how they learn and what is important to their development…not what is important to their reading/math scores…what is important to their overall development..ie, their communication skills, working in groups or with partners, developing a genuine appreciation for nature, running with a passion…whether it be research on what they would serve at a guinea pig restaurant or which type of insulation works best in a solar oven. This, I believe, is what makes us different from most classrooms… the freedom to explore to the point of truly knowing and understanding."

MY HERO: How are you involved with IEARN (International Education and Research Network)?

ROWENA: "For the last eight years our students have been active participants in this wonderful organization. Membership in this organization has taken them beyond their classroom walls and has brought them into the homes and classrooms of children from around the world. Through this fabulous telecommunications network, students have the unique opportunity to study "with" children from other countries, not "about" them. Respect builds through friendship, and their online friendships are cultivating cross-cultural bonds that could last well into the future. Using videoconferencing our students have collaborated by giving live solar cooking presentations with children from Australia, Jordan, India and Japan (all at the same time!), as well as frequent netmeetings with their solar cooking partners in Australia. Their award winning collaborative efforts with Australia can be viewed online at:

MY HERO:How does this kind of learning impact your students?

ROWENA: "Our standards are high, yet most children excel. A blend of using a multiple intelligence techniques both in teaching and in sharing what has been learned (assessment) provides students opportunities to learn and share in ways most natural for them. Leadership skills are enhanced through presentations and gentle encouragement.

MY HERO: Do you have a hero?

ROWENA: "I have several heroes, but one I would like to share with you is Paul Munsen, President of Sun Ovens. I selected him because of his relentless work to aid people in developing countries. His assistance in numerous countries (Haiti, Afghanistan, Dominican Republic, Ethiopia, Ghana, Nepal and North Korea) has literally saved thousands of lives. He works quietly in the background, but is tireless in his efforts to reach as many people as possible. Saving so many lives indeed makes him a hero…even recognized by Speaker of the House, Denis Hastert. However…being a teacher, I often judge people by the way they relate to children. Mr. Munson has driven from Chicago to bring the Villager Oven and to spend time with my students several times over the last few years. He has always treated all students as though they were important members of his international team. He examines their ovens, listens and responds to their questions, leads experiments, and conducts interviews. He is an excellent role model for our students and has made it possible for them to be part of this outstanding effort to make a difference in this world.

MY HERO: What is in the immediate future for you and ACES?

ROWENA: "We will be presenting a solar cooking workshop for the 10th year this April. We will also be part of the EARTHDAY celebration in Central Park on Saturday, April 24. Paul Munson will be joining us with his large Villager Oven and several Sun Ovens. We will be displaying the professionally made Sun Ovens and our own student made cookers (made from tires, lamp shades, boxes, etc.). We will also have supplies to teach people how to make their own cookers if they are interested. Another thing we hope to display are our student designed solar powered machines. They have just been drawing up plans for small ferris wheels, merry-go-rounds, cars, and boats. (Just the right size for the fairies who live in our gardens!)