Douglas Wilson

Flight Facilitator

Douglas Wilson has taught k-8 grades for 36 years as a classroom teacher, gifted education specialist, and English as a Second Language coordinator. His career includes positions in Japan, Texas, Michigan and Illinois. As a child in rural west Texas he enjoyed nature and exploring ways to be creative in the desert landscape. He recently moved to Pennsylvania and feels privileged to work at the Challenger Learning Center in Pottstown.

As a first year teacher in 1986 he watched the launch of the Challenger mission with his students in anticipation of seeing Christa McAuliffe teach from space. Dealing with the tragedy of the astronauts launch remains a vivid memory to this day. Eleven years later he took a group of 5-6 graders to an overnight camp in one of the first Challenger Centers at NASA in Houston, Texas. The experience fostered a love of exposing young people to science in real work, applicable situations. Developing curriculum that actively engages learners to inspire curiosity and self-learning allows him to use his own creativity for young people. Facilitating Challenger missions is a perfect outlet for his desire to lead the next generation into a lifetime journey of curiosity in the unknown.

Douglas is a sculptor in ceramics, a bad painter, and an avid gardener. With two big hounds and a cat he takes tiny bits of them with him wherever he goes.