Early on when I first arrived at my assistantship people were talking about a green charter school that we would be working with. 'Oh yea eventually... you're all going to do something with the school' was about the extent of the conversation. Until we were in the car going to a meeting with our new work partners did we fully understand what we were getting ourselves into. Our supervisor was driving and basically said 'What were you all thinking? We should probably have some sort of plan before we walk in there, the big boss man wants us to do some sort of research that's on going, so lets think'
So we walked in and my supervisor, our fearless leader, and the young teachers supervisor (his fearless leader) sat back and said 'well... this is for you all for you all to work out far as we're concerned'. So here we were, three doe- eyed young professionals being told to do something. Having been in the Peace Corps, and working as an outdoor educator I can pretty much pull it together and a brave give a fake-it-'til-you-make-it face until something does happen. However, this time, I was a little stunned. I'm not a teacher, I'm an educator and working with a school to develop curriculum is something I've never done. The fake-it-'til-you-make-it strategy didn't seem appropriate because these were children. What type of program could we do?
The idea was they would come here every month and do some sort of outdoor programming. It would be a full day every time. In order for these kids to come it had to be not only worth while for students but also worth while for the school. If either one of both of those parties didn't feel they were getting enough out of the programming it could be a disaster. If the kids didn't like it, the program wasn't going to work, if the school didn't feel it was worth it to come, they wouldn't. We have to make it not only ongoing, but also engaging and educational.
We came up with an idea, giving each student a 'plot' or place and get it know it by learning about it. There was also a prescribed burn going on and we were looking to study the effects of that. This project was looking at not only seasonal changes but also changes made from the fire. They were going to take their data and compile it together within a project. They were also going to get to choose one thing to study, a question they would like answered. From our study they would take the methods of data collection that we taught them to answer their question.
The teacher loved the idea. So we've taken it and ran. But having to wade through educational standards to make sure that the students are getting the most out of the program is mostly the problem. Standards and criteria are great. They help define expectations of teaching. However, I can also see where they are cripplingly confining. A creative teacher who sees educational value in nontraditional topics is stuck trying to check boxes. I can't imagine having to work through every single curriculum standard. You would get through most in a year, but definitely not all.
My goals this week were to check the curriculum standards and make sure that we're hitting on quite a few in environmental education and science. Not the most exciting thing I've ever done, but enlightening. It is also interesting to see how much work gets put into a class or program when starting from scratch. I want this program to have more weight, and linking it to the curriculum standards will only make it stronger.
Friday, September 27, 2013
Tuesday, September 24, 2013
Bottling the Drifter
In the last five years I have lived in Vermont, Maine, Africa, Alaska, California, Wyoming, New Hampshire, and now Wisconsin. Before going to grad school I had to turn down a job in Washington state. I was a drifter, someone who moves from place to place in search of work. I usually only lived a in place for a few months and then moved on to the next job. I would ski in the winter, and was an outdoor educator in the spring summer and fall. Adventure, travel and first hand experience was what my life was about. Being a drifter was only supposed to be until I found a 'real job'. Temporary and seasonal work was just that, in case there wasn't anything better. Full time, year round work was what I really wanted after coming back from Benin. Or at least I thought. Knowing myself better now, I know that full time year round work somewhere wasn't going satisfy me. I'm a free spirit and dreamer. I always enjoyed having my next adventure, a roller coaster life. I also knew that it wasn't a long term solution to any problems.
Financial security sounds wonderful, health care also sounds amazing, being able to afford an apartment is pretty much what every seasonal employee dreams about sometimes. Not having to pack your car or your backpack every three months, not having to purge your clothes all the time, and thinking about shopping somewhere other than goodwill are realities for others, but not the drifter.
But once the drifter does quietly turn into a life of ease, being tired of the aforementioned things, surrounding themselves with the items from their storage unit and sleeping on a bed that has sheets they begin to realize something. At first they think it's great. They might have an oven, a toilet they don't have to share, wifi, a closet, and maybe even a reliable car. At night they don't have to worry about being cold, if it's going to rain and their tent leaks or if they're able to drive their car up the driveway at night. They've found the holy grail, a job that actually pays them what they feel they might need, and an apartment in their budget. So they snuggle in the comfort that financial and long term stability. Then they noticed that they have sacrificed things by living like everyone else. They begin to miss the job search, the unknown, the work hard and party harder lifestyle. They miss all their bum friends, who don't care about their clothes and lack of deodorant. They miss making new friends and family where ever they go. They begin to want that life again. It's a rash on your subconscious, always itching and the more you scratch and think about it, the worse it gets. Old habits die hard and you find yourself job searching, dreaming and thinking about how you're going to pack your car.
To say that I haven't thought this way would be a lie. New adventures are always on my mind. The drifter in me wants to pick up and go somewhere different. But I'll have to put it aside for now. Getting into graduate school on full scholarship is huge. I wasn't moving forward in my career with what I was doing. Something did have to change, and getting a masters degree is going to put me in a better place for a long time career solution. Outdoor environmental education isn't a fun way to spend a season, it's what I want to do. I know this, I know that I can have goals and can reach them. But I think everyone find themselves missing former lives, and feeling a pull from their past. Making the choice that's best for me, means saying goodbye for a little while to my drifter ways.
Financial security sounds wonderful, health care also sounds amazing, being able to afford an apartment is pretty much what every seasonal employee dreams about sometimes. Not having to pack your car or your backpack every three months, not having to purge your clothes all the time, and thinking about shopping somewhere other than goodwill are realities for others, but not the drifter.
But once the drifter does quietly turn into a life of ease, being tired of the aforementioned things, surrounding themselves with the items from their storage unit and sleeping on a bed that has sheets they begin to realize something. At first they think it's great. They might have an oven, a toilet they don't have to share, wifi, a closet, and maybe even a reliable car. At night they don't have to worry about being cold, if it's going to rain and their tent leaks or if they're able to drive their car up the driveway at night. They've found the holy grail, a job that actually pays them what they feel they might need, and an apartment in their budget. So they snuggle in the comfort that financial and long term stability. Then they noticed that they have sacrificed things by living like everyone else. They begin to miss the job search, the unknown, the work hard and party harder lifestyle. They miss all their bum friends, who don't care about their clothes and lack of deodorant. They miss making new friends and family where ever they go. They begin to want that life again. It's a rash on your subconscious, always itching and the more you scratch and think about it, the worse it gets. Old habits die hard and you find yourself job searching, dreaming and thinking about how you're going to pack your car.
To say that I haven't thought this way would be a lie. New adventures are always on my mind. The drifter in me wants to pick up and go somewhere different. But I'll have to put it aside for now. Getting into graduate school on full scholarship is huge. I wasn't moving forward in my career with what I was doing. Something did have to change, and getting a masters degree is going to put me in a better place for a long time career solution. Outdoor environmental education isn't a fun way to spend a season, it's what I want to do. I know this, I know that I can have goals and can reach them. But I think everyone find themselves missing former lives, and feeling a pull from their past. Making the choice that's best for me, means saying goodbye for a little while to my drifter ways.
Sunday, September 22, 2013
Teachers and Environmental Education
I've written about sense of place and advocating for teachers to connect kids more to the outdoors. See my post called Sense of Place. Kids should be outside, they should be learning and connecting to their environment. Start with the backyard, slowly move up to the world. As an adult I feel that I have problems connecting to places that I don't know, empathizing with their problems and feeling like I can talk intelligently about a problem half a world away. I would consider myself an informed environmentalist and if I have problems making these connections than I can only imagine how children feel.
Who teaches kids about the woods then, who connects kids to nature on their level? Lots of people can! Parents, Boy/ Girl Scout leaders, Youth Group leaders, non formal educators, camp counselors, volunteers, friends, family, and of course, classroom teachers. Classroom teachers have an amazing opportunity for connection. Why? Because our government, and many around the world, has deemed the subjects of math, literature, social science, history, art, music and physical education so important that they will pay for it's citizens to have at least a base line knowledge of these subjects, not only for just one year, but for 13 years if you include kindergarten. Putting environmental education and building environmental connection in a school curriculum only adds weight to the subject matter. Because environmental education is so broad it can be combined with any preexisting course. For example, learning about math by analyzing data collected from trees, learning about the water cycle by collecting rainwater and kayaking down a river, reading about the history of your town and looking at ways the land was used (maybe map some old stone walls!). The opportunities are there.
Now here comes the hard part. It's a great idea. I can get many people excited and interested in implementing this type of curriculum. They agree that yes this should be done! By someone. Usually when people say 'someone' they could mean one of two things 'someone' meaning YOU or 'someone' meaning NOT ME. There is a disconnect between teachers and environmental education. Keep in mind, I do not mean all teachers, some are great and excited to bring backyards into their classroom. Disconnect number 1) teachers work extremely hard. They are paid very little. They have terrible budgets to work with.
Let me step on a soap box for a hot minute here: If our military can buy pretty much whatever they want, whenever they want, and millions of dollars can be put into presidential campaigns... Tell me why teachers have to fund-raise for field trips? Tell me why we can feed every prisoner 3 square meals a day but our kids who are in public school have to pay for lunch? Tell me why supplies like new books (I remember only using ONE book in my high school that was less than 5 years old, our history books still had the USSR in the map) graphing calculators and computers are often times deemed 'too expensive'? Ok I'm stepping off the soap box now.
Going back. The teacher is worked very hard, many days bringing home quizzes to grade, papers to read, progress reports to fill out. They should have enough time to have a life too. Adding something else onto the job of a teacher is not only short sighted but also disrespectful of their time. Disconnect number 2) Some teachers just plain don't like going outside. So because they aren't interested in it, the don't do it. And so instead of a teacher creating a unique lesson plan which was about going outside to learn about chipmunks foraging or migratory Canadian Geese, the students sit inside and learn about penguins. This was my 4th grade class. We learned about penguins. I am from Vermont. I am 10. I have never seen a penguin in my life. I have no idea what South America or Antarctica look like. I only know that penguins are flightless birds that look cute and waddle. We learned about penguins for what seemed like weeks. It was fall and often times at recess we would point out migrating geese and the V shape they make as they were flying south. Curiosity and wonder were running wild. Where did they go? What did they do there? Why didn't they stay in Canada? Why learned about penguins and not geese I still have no idea. I remember clearly our teacher standing at the front of the class after the test and saying how disappointed she was that we all had done poorly on our exam. If I could see her now I would remind her. I was 10. I didn't give two shits about penguins. Our grades reflect your teaching. You failed to inspire excitement and curiosity and you also used an abstract animal. Our development wasn't ready for abstract thought. Good job, you set us up for failure, and then you told us it our fault.
Another high school science teacher of mine in AP Biology talked about pea plants and genetics. This was a perfect opportunity. Why didn't we have pea plants?! We could have grown and cross pollinated pea plants! But now we learned about it through a book. Thanks. Way to remove real life experiences from your classroom. Some people, just like some teachers, don't like going outside. And so they have the flexibility to choose to learn from a book instead. This is robbing a classroom of direct experience. Even if an activity was there, if it was all set up, easy for the teacher, not any more work perhaps less, that teacher could look outside and say 'well, it's raining, I don't want to do that' and just not. This makes me so mad. I can't choose whether or not I want to learn math in public schools, so teachers shouldn't be able to choose to do an entire course on environmental issues inside.
Moral of the story: working with teachers and finding solutions to these barriers is going to be the next step in a more integrated approach to bringing kids closer to their place and connecting them in many ways to the environment.
Sunday, September 15, 2013
Being a Good Tourist
I have worked in the tourism industry for a number of years, doing different jobs here and there. I was a ski instructor, a lodging and reservations phone operator, front desk, waitress, housekeeper, tour photographer and now I'm the face of a nature center. I have helped people in and out of helicopters and I have also poured them coffee.
There are great people who come and are willing to pay for the services that these places provide. Many are happy to be there, have a great time, enjoy whatever things there are to do, and leave without too much fuss. These are the people that you want coming back, the ones that are hassle free tourists. These are the same people that graciously accept when there is a problem, understand that things don't always go according to plan and are flexible with their travel plans. It is much easier to find solutions to problems when the person on the other end is understanding.
Then there are the high maintenance tourists. These people are the ones that take up the majority of your time, they nit pick every little detail, they don't appear to be having any fun and they also complain about everything. They are uncompromising, always trying to squeeze every last amenity or service out of you that they can, they look for problems, and worst of all they are entitled. Their attitudes are 'Well I paid for the cheapest option, but I want the best.' They don't see staff as people instead they see them as servants. Staff are forced to grin and bear and apologize for services which were never part of their vacation in the first place, or cirucmstances that were out of their control.
"I'm sorry that you forgot to sign Joey up for ski lessons today in the middle of February break and ski school has been booked solid two weeks"
"I'm sorry the helicopters are loud"
"I'm sorry it's raining outside"
My personal favorite "I'm sorry the puppy you were holding was squirming and fell out of your arms and landed on your foot" keep in mind I was simultaneously trying to comfort a terrified puppy who dropped from a height of four feet and landed face first on a steeltoed boot.
The sense of entitlement 'Because I've paid for this my expectations are so high that they are impossible for you meet them'. They look down their nose at you, you are scum to them, someone they can complain to when they found a spot on the rug underneath the bed, when their coffee wasn't poured for them 5 seconds after they seated themselves, or when the weather isn't cooperating with their plans.
Being the understanding tourist is hard sometimes. When the answer isn't the one that you were looking for, you're forced to reevaluate. I find that remembering the person you're talking to has limitations to what they are authorized to do, helps. Accepting an answer and going up the chain, is sometimes your best bet. Also realizing that the staff are often times very busy, and there might be a larger problem on hand than running towels or lighting your fireplace.
I sometimes have felt the feeling of entitlement well up inside me when I'm on vacation. Perhaps it's because I worked in the tourism industry I begin to get overly critical. It's not a feeling I enjoy. I remind myself that the customer service respresentatives are people too, even if you're not speaking to them face to face. They aren't there to be harassed, or verbally abused by me. They get to go home happy, feeling good at their jobs.
While yes, there are times where a hotel has messed up, where the food is bad, or when your instructor is having a lousy day. It is not always tourists bad attitudes. If you're at a quality establishment then the place will recognize and do the best they can to make it right. If you really don't like the service you are getting, you don't have to come back. But please keep in mind that customer service representatives are people too and often times they are doing all they can for you.
There are great people who come and are willing to pay for the services that these places provide. Many are happy to be there, have a great time, enjoy whatever things there are to do, and leave without too much fuss. These are the people that you want coming back, the ones that are hassle free tourists. These are the same people that graciously accept when there is a problem, understand that things don't always go according to plan and are flexible with their travel plans. It is much easier to find solutions to problems when the person on the other end is understanding.
Then there are the high maintenance tourists. These people are the ones that take up the majority of your time, they nit pick every little detail, they don't appear to be having any fun and they also complain about everything. They are uncompromising, always trying to squeeze every last amenity or service out of you that they can, they look for problems, and worst of all they are entitled. Their attitudes are 'Well I paid for the cheapest option, but I want the best.' They don't see staff as people instead they see them as servants. Staff are forced to grin and bear and apologize for services which were never part of their vacation in the first place, or cirucmstances that were out of their control.
"I'm sorry that you forgot to sign Joey up for ski lessons today in the middle of February break and ski school has been booked solid two weeks"
"I'm sorry the helicopters are loud"
"I'm sorry it's raining outside"
My personal favorite "I'm sorry the puppy you were holding was squirming and fell out of your arms and landed on your foot" keep in mind I was simultaneously trying to comfort a terrified puppy who dropped from a height of four feet and landed face first on a steeltoed boot.
The sense of entitlement 'Because I've paid for this my expectations are so high that they are impossible for you meet them'. They look down their nose at you, you are scum to them, someone they can complain to when they found a spot on the rug underneath the bed, when their coffee wasn't poured for them 5 seconds after they seated themselves, or when the weather isn't cooperating with their plans.
Being the understanding tourist is hard sometimes. When the answer isn't the one that you were looking for, you're forced to reevaluate. I find that remembering the person you're talking to has limitations to what they are authorized to do, helps. Accepting an answer and going up the chain, is sometimes your best bet. Also realizing that the staff are often times very busy, and there might be a larger problem on hand than running towels or lighting your fireplace.
I sometimes have felt the feeling of entitlement well up inside me when I'm on vacation. Perhaps it's because I worked in the tourism industry I begin to get overly critical. It's not a feeling I enjoy. I remind myself that the customer service respresentatives are people too, even if you're not speaking to them face to face. They aren't there to be harassed, or verbally abused by me. They get to go home happy, feeling good at their jobs.
While yes, there are times where a hotel has messed up, where the food is bad, or when your instructor is having a lousy day. It is not always tourists bad attitudes. If you're at a quality establishment then the place will recognize and do the best they can to make it right. If you really don't like the service you are getting, you don't have to come back. But please keep in mind that customer service representatives are people too and often times they are doing all they can for you.
Friday, September 13, 2013
Research
When I applied for Graduate School I learned that the program I was interested in didn't have a thesis requirement. I was so happy. I've heard horror stories of people being out of school for years and while having completed the classes they've yet to complete their thesis. Some advice from one person to another in thesis writing and completion was 'if you're so close to finishing but can't you have two choices... lock yourself in your room with only your computer, no internet for the next 36 hours... or... get rip roaring drunk and in the morning, while you're still semi- intoxicated begin to write your paper. by the time your hangover is done you should be finished.' Neither of these choices seem like great ideas, graduate school could turn into 3 or 4 years rather than just two. No thesis means I got to avoid this scenario. However, we have a project which I was told 'is almost exactly like a thesis.' After being accepted and being in class for a week or so I wasn't going to leave just because of this, but my heart sank a little bit. It came back up slightly when they told us we would definitely for sure be done when we graduated.
Even though I now am basically doing a thesis I feel better about it. Being the one doing research instead of reading the research is encouraging. That I am now on the level of education where I can positively add something to my field. This has also given me the opportunity to really dive into a topic I've been considering for about a year now. My research has been approved, which is great. The topic is looking at combining noncompetitive sports and field science. For example: the study of geology and rock climbing, studying how a landscape changes while backpacking, studying weather patterns by sailing, understanding river ecology by kayaking, studying GIS/ GPS by hiking and geocaching. How combining these two topics not only are you having a longer class (2 1.5 hour classes now are a 3 hour super class) but you also are learning better. Moving physical education toward noncompetitive sports (not 100% but at least somewhat) will engage a larger audience. When I was in phys ed I hated it, I was always on the loosing team, or I didn't play at all. It was about counting points rather than wellness. The teacher cared more about the game and the score rather than the individuals. I realize this is not every gym class. I know I would have been happier if we had been mountain biking, or sailing. Promoting wellness and self esteem in an 'everyone wins' environment makes gym class an emotionally safer place for students.
So now that I've chosen my topic, I'm locked in. I really don't know where this project is going, if it's going to be writing curriculum, looking at in place curriculum and developing a best practices, or is it going to be evaluating the in place curriculum. I must not be the first person on earth to come up with this idea. Somewhere, someone must be doing this already I just have to find them.
Even though I now am basically doing a thesis I feel better about it. Being the one doing research instead of reading the research is encouraging. That I am now on the level of education where I can positively add something to my field. This has also given me the opportunity to really dive into a topic I've been considering for about a year now. My research has been approved, which is great. The topic is looking at combining noncompetitive sports and field science. For example: the study of geology and rock climbing, studying how a landscape changes while backpacking, studying weather patterns by sailing, understanding river ecology by kayaking, studying GIS/ GPS by hiking and geocaching. How combining these two topics not only are you having a longer class (2 1.5 hour classes now are a 3 hour super class) but you also are learning better. Moving physical education toward noncompetitive sports (not 100% but at least somewhat) will engage a larger audience. When I was in phys ed I hated it, I was always on the loosing team, or I didn't play at all. It was about counting points rather than wellness. The teacher cared more about the game and the score rather than the individuals. I realize this is not every gym class. I know I would have been happier if we had been mountain biking, or sailing. Promoting wellness and self esteem in an 'everyone wins' environment makes gym class an emotionally safer place for students.
So now that I've chosen my topic, I'm locked in. I really don't know where this project is going, if it's going to be writing curriculum, looking at in place curriculum and developing a best practices, or is it going to be evaluating the in place curriculum. I must not be the first person on earth to come up with this idea. Somewhere, someone must be doing this already I just have to find them.
Sunday, September 8, 2013
East Coast
The old East Coast vs West Coast vs Midwest has reared it's ugly head, before 9am, pre 1st cup of coffee. I didn't even sit down to eat. I took my meal to go. There was no point in arguing with someone about east coast stereotypes when I didn't have the energy. The conversation when a little like this 'So I was in a town the other day and it was very east coast.' another person laughed at the table and asked 'What do you mean?'
'Well it was full of little shops, it was touristy and cute' (facepalm. I wonder what if this person would feel that some rural Vermont roads in spring time were 'cute')
This then sparked a heated debate at the table. If the east coast is cute what does the midwest have? Well what about the west coast?
While this debate was absolutely riveting, I took my cup of coffee to go and ate in the safety of my own apartment.
I am from the east coast, born in raised in a tiny town in Vermont. I grew up skiing, swimming and hiking. Down the road there is a ski mountain which reminds us all where the money is all coming from in the area. My town and the surrounding towns would be even poorer than they already are if the mountain wasn't there. In the spring everything gets muddy and smells bad (did you know that mud has a smell? Trust me it does). Old timers can tell you about dowsing sticks, sugaring and deer hunting. Rural Vermont not only has it's own accent and vernacular but it also has a completely different culture from other areas on the east coast.
Often times when I hear someone describe the east coast, they say the people are closed off, rude and power hungry. Sure there are people like this, but there are people like this everywhere. Another generalization I've found is when people think of the east coast they really mean, New York City, Boston, or Washington DC. They rarely mean Bangor, Maine, Wilmington, NC or Savannah, GA. Same is true for west coast. Heavy hitters are LA, San Francisco, and Portland, OR. They rarely mean Eureka, CA, Eugene, OR, or Tacoma, WA.
Making generalizations about east coast/ west coast/ midwest is ridiculous. Just as my town in Vermont totally different from Boston, which is also again different from Ellsworth, ME, so it is everywhere. To describe a coast about the only thing you can say is that is nearer to either the Pacific or the Atlantic. Each coast has a host of different groups of people with their own values. My point is that stereotypes about such large areas (or stereotypes in general) inaccurately portray the smaller components of a place. The East Coast, West Coast and Midwest are BIG places. Don't scale them down to one or two general sentences.
'Well it was full of little shops, it was touristy and cute' (facepalm. I wonder what if this person would feel that some rural Vermont roads in spring time were 'cute')
This then sparked a heated debate at the table. If the east coast is cute what does the midwest have? Well what about the west coast?
While this debate was absolutely riveting, I took my cup of coffee to go and ate in the safety of my own apartment.
I am from the east coast, born in raised in a tiny town in Vermont. I grew up skiing, swimming and hiking. Down the road there is a ski mountain which reminds us all where the money is all coming from in the area. My town and the surrounding towns would be even poorer than they already are if the mountain wasn't there. In the spring everything gets muddy and smells bad (did you know that mud has a smell? Trust me it does). Old timers can tell you about dowsing sticks, sugaring and deer hunting. Rural Vermont not only has it's own accent and vernacular but it also has a completely different culture from other areas on the east coast.
Often times when I hear someone describe the east coast, they say the people are closed off, rude and power hungry. Sure there are people like this, but there are people like this everywhere. Another generalization I've found is when people think of the east coast they really mean, New York City, Boston, or Washington DC. They rarely mean Bangor, Maine, Wilmington, NC or Savannah, GA. Same is true for west coast. Heavy hitters are LA, San Francisco, and Portland, OR. They rarely mean Eureka, CA, Eugene, OR, or Tacoma, WA.
Making generalizations about east coast/ west coast/ midwest is ridiculous. Just as my town in Vermont totally different from Boston, which is also again different from Ellsworth, ME, so it is everywhere. To describe a coast about the only thing you can say is that is nearer to either the Pacific or the Atlantic. Each coast has a host of different groups of people with their own values. My point is that stereotypes about such large areas (or stereotypes in general) inaccurately portray the smaller components of a place. The East Coast, West Coast and Midwest are BIG places. Don't scale them down to one or two general sentences.
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