Authentic Exploration Matters

Each Year, Authentic Exploration Matters hosts an Educator Retreat , and we’ll be heading to Key Largo, Florida on July 6-9th, 2025 for our Innovation Educator Retreat. Our retreat is centered around recognizing the hard work of educators and offering a program tailored to education today. We emphasize enhancing teachers’ knowledge in research, literacy, and STEAM-related marine science, helping them create engaging, and purposeful lessons for their students. Additionally, we focus on building teacher leadership and advocating for innovative, purposeful learning approaches. While the retreat itself spans four days, the program extends beyond the event, as we provide mentorship and connections throughout the year to support each other. With the growing number of educators leaving the profession and new educators from diverse backgrounds joining, we strive to be a guiding light—helping teachers feel valued, heard, and inspired. By participating in this retreat, educators will gain new strategies to inspire their students while also feeling more connected and supported in their work. An additional highlight is that they can also apply for continuing education credit that can be applied towards maintaining their certification. Elevating, engaging, and supporting the educator community is essential. Your donation will help us continue this important work, providing teachers with the tools and recognition they need to keep making a difference in the lives of their students. This year our plans are to take 10-12 educators on this retreat. The retreat includes lodging, food, collaborative opportunities, the year-long AEM program , and engage research activities with Coral Restoration Foundation and MOTE Marine Laboratories.  Additionally, participants will become the newest members of the AEM Educator Ambassadors. The event will be filmed and documented. Testimonial from Attendee “I cannot express in words how much this group of amazing educators means to me. When we met this summer on the AEM Educator Retreat, I was struggling with whether or not I would stay in teaching . ...I left feeling so inspired, and that fire inside me that had dwindled to a small flame was reignited. ...All that I learned on the trip has allowed me to share authentic experiences with my students . And it wouldn’t have happened had I not gone on this trip with Authentic Exploration Matters.” Anna Cazal MS teacher Our past retreat included 8 educators, who were able to impact 40 additional educators. Outreach to students totaled 2,500. Additionally, all educators in the program, designed and implemented engaging and practical lessons based on content an experience from the AEM Educator Retreat.