Bike the walk

There are many different aspects to environmental thinking when I think of how CMU did. Where they all talk or not.

Students. Mostly students did fairly well with being environmental. Most people lived on campus or were able to bike to school (I think on an average winter day there were about 15-30 bikes at school), car pooled, bused or walked. So I think that they did fairly well with this.

Food services started composting after I left and I am glad that they have started with kitchen scraps and plate scraps. One issue with food services is compostable vs real cups and plates for coffee breaks. Because of the extra work most people don't want to pay the extra price for real things. So although people want something environmental they don't want to pay for it.

Many teachers support scrap paper for papers.

I think that the people at CMU care and therefore have made changes. The people up top are sometimes not concerned with it and don't want to ever pay extra. It is a battle but I think the people are winning.

Walk the Talk.... Goshen College style

I felt that Goshen College did a pretty good job of walking the talk of things. In most of my science classes we defiantly talked about things that tied into environmental education and sometimes it would show up on tests, more in my environmental science classes. But my campus as a whole was defiantly aware of environmental education and the environment for that matter. We would always have people come from outside the campus to talk about the environment. For example, we had Dave O and Luke and Paul come to our campus to talk about the environment during chapel and convocation. GC did a very good job at getting well known people to come to campus and talk about environmental issues, like E.O Wilson, Bill McKibben, etc. I was a part of Ecopax (environmental club) that would put on events for people on campus to come to like earth hour (turn the lights off for an hour), 350 day, wild edibles, canoe race where people raced but also had to pick up trash in the Elkhart river. Ecopax would also join with other clubs to reach a greater audience but it incorporated environmental stuff. And last year GC finally got our dining hall to compost! We did a pilot run and it was successful so this upcoming year composting will be in place. So yeah I think GC walked the talk pretty good.

Walking and Talking....

Assessment is something art programs are good at. For every studio art class you take, generally you create a portfolio for that class by the end of the semester. Throughout the semester, we would have weekly or by-weekly critiques of the work that was being made- both students and faculty are involved in this process. I got a lot of good feedback from these critiques- and always felt I knew what direction I was going. Portfolios are a very good way, I feel, to assess work and also have a good "summary" of all the things that you learned that semester.

The biggest assessment process that a Bachelor of Arts Program initiates is the BFA review. This is a BIG review that is for all BFA hopeful students- just because you are enrolled in the classes, doesn't mean you are in the program! This takes place about late sophomore year, and it is a day long event. You wait until you turn, sitting in the hall while clutching the selected items from all the different studio art classes that you have taken, while still having most of the work represented from the field you would like to go into to (in my case, it was photography). Then, someone called your name, and you walked into a room where all the prof were, and they spend an hour or so assessing your work- looking at everything, asking questions, making comments . They want to see if you have been learning while making art- and if you can actually make art! Then, you get notice the next week if you have been accepted into the program....or not. If you don;t make it, you can always try again- revise your work, make new work, learn how to paint/draw/photograph/print BETTER. (thankfully, I made it in the first time!)

Walk the Talk.

I went to Taylor University from 1990-1994. I feel that the science department (especially the biology and environmental science departments) walked the walk, but we didn't talk about it that much. I believe Taylor had a recycling program, but it wasn't the main focus. The campus overall didn't focus on the environment like many campuses do today. It just wasn't something people talked about. Honestly, students there were more concerned about mission trips than they were about the environment. Maybe I'm remembering it wrong. It has been a long time. Sustainability wasn't a word used at Taylor. I tried looking on Taylor's website to see if there was a policy concerning the environment. I found this quote, "The School's academic programs actively explore the many facets of Creation, and seek to more fully understand the ways in which God our Creator is revealed in Creation." Is this walking the talk? I guess so...if you are into that sort of thing. I wanted something a little more rounded. What I got was a debate on evolution vs. creationism rather than how you pair stewardship with sustainability. I would not be surprised if some faculty believed that the oil spill was in God's plan. Whew. I have a hard time thinking about my undergrad days as you can see.

walkin' da talk...

creative assessment? not for the general requirement courses...the few highlights that have stayed with me are from Spanish for bilingual native speakers -perhaps b/c Miriam was on her way to a PhD program, she was innovative in her assessment by assigning films that had to be reviewed (assessed our grammar/syntax skills) and we had to lead a discussion in spanish for our peers. One of my latin american/latino studies professors made us "work" quite differently by attending community-oriented events, outside speaker engagements, volunteering our time at a community-based org./center from which we wrote about in relation to the concept areas we we're covering. Some folks def. complained, b/c it wasn't as easy as just taking a test. You could of gotten away w/o reading and writing, but the time commitment for these "outside" assignments were real.
Bringing it back to that self-consciousness space about how our skills/attitudes/perspectives/and or behavior had changed from the inception of our class participation to its' ending was really rewarding and why not -most inspiring- some of my classmates had some real transformational experiences that really shifted the perceived ways we thought of interaction about some of the high-philosophizing subject matters we covered.
I'm really fascinated by this indicator of student self-assessment being facilitated from the start by encouraging involvement in the learning process. How to do this ?

Walking the Talk at Texas State

I feel as though some of my professors at Texas State did "walk the talk" of assessment. In the Geography department, my favorite professor and mentor hated testing and really didn't believe that it taught students much at all. In every one of his classes, he gave students the test a week before hand. He knew that we were only going to memorize the answers for the test and forget the information afterward, so he did not want us to spend time stressing about it. He simply thought that if he had to give tests, since we were at a state school, he would at least make it so each student basically got an A each time. Although he would have loved to think that all of us would grasp the information and know it after the test, he didn't believe that it was the only way to see what we had learned about the particular subject. His focus in each one of his classes was the project at the end of the semester. This project counted for most of our grade and he expected it to take some time and utilize the information that he taught throughout the semester.

In my Geography of Texas class, we had to make a guide to Texas. We could do this in many ways. In my guide, I chose a certain greenspace that was along the Balcones Fault Line and showed how the fault line changed the geography in a small area. Then I related it to the state of Texas as a whole. In this I had to look at the ecology, elevation changes, rivers, temperature and weather patterns, as well as changes in culture and history across the state. It was fascinating to be able to learn this on my own and put it into a well crafted presentation.

In my Nature and Heritage Tourism class we had to design a presentation that could be presented to city council that demonstrated a 3 activities that could be implemented in our area. Mine involved how to bring EE into after school programs in elementary school using many parks in the area as well as the river. We used many of the concepts that were learned in class to put this together and then had to present it to the class in a professional manner.

I also found that in my creative writing classes this was also true. Although I felt that this is just the basic flows of a creative writing class/workshop. In all of my classes, we did not have tests. Our grades were based on 3 portfolios that were submitted throughout the semester as well as our participation in workshop. We continuously brought in work to be critiqued by our class members as well as our professor. Some of our professors made sure that we wrote in certain forms in our portfolio in order to learn how to write different types of poetry. Throughout the semester we also read many poet in order to learn different forms and styles of writing. This was extremely helpful to me as a poet and as a critic.

Besides these, most of my classes were based on papers and tests. Although some had great projects that made up a good part of the total grade, tests were still held very high. I knew the way I tested, I am a horrible multiple-choice test taker. I made sure that most of the classes that I took were writing intensive, because I knew that written essay tests were the only way that I tested well and would make the grades that I wanted.

Friday's Visit to the Fair

Be ready for a wild and wacky fair that offers a giant ferris wheel, all the cows and horses you desire and a variety deep fried items including sticks of butter!

Double click on the map to make it bigger!

Multiple Intelligences Test

Linguistic - 25
Logical-mathematical - 25
Musical - 25
Bodily-Kinesthetic - 22
Spatial-Visual - 22
Interpersonal 22
Intrapersonal 20

I must say that I am not the biggest fan of these types of tests. My answer depends on the first example I think of that has to do with what they are asking. I don't think that these explain me very well. When I do look at my intelligences I am surprised that Linguistic, logical and musical were up there the most. I can't express myself that well (hence all the noises), I suck at figuring things out (like how the toilet dispenser stays on) and I suck at music, although I enjoy listening and watching people play.

All Powerpoint Presentations

All Powerpoint Presentations that you have seen in class are now on Moodle for your perusal. Enjoy!

M for Moodle and Massasauga Rattle Snake!

What is needed in your curriculum for class

Create a 4 hour non-formal field trip lesson plan
Create a 2 week / 3 hours per day curriculum for a school of your choice.

Below is the list of things I would like addressed but if a certain activity comes from a certain curriculum guide just mention the title of the guide, the title of the activity and the page number.

Let's talk about us all creating a two week curriculum for a certain class and all choose a different theme for the two weeks so then we actually create 12 weeks of class which I think someone like Krista Troyer, the fifth grade teacher today, would appreciate!

Title
Summary/General program description
Grades
When
Length
Maximum Students
Materials needed
Goals 
Objectives
Activities/Procedure
Concepts addressed
Correlations to science standards and to other subjects
Wrap up - how to bring it all together
Pre and Post Activities
Resources

Warsaw Raft Schedule

August 25

We will meet at the Grassy Creek Public Access off of E. 500 N. (where the E. is on the E. 500 N.) at 9:00 am and then Camp Crosley is at the far west end of James Lake.



10:00 Students arrive/announcements/raft assignments
10:30 Launch into Grassy Creek
-Topics: watersheds, plant id, water tests
11:30 Enter Tippy Lake
-Topics: Lake facts
12:00 Arrive Pie-Eyed Petey’s to board Pontoons
-Topics: Lake Eco-Zone, Secchi reading
12:45 Arrive Camp Crosley/Lunch
1:30 Watershed Activity
-Two rafts will be assigned to each tarp
2:00 Load buses

Race to the Top: an Odious Problem

Especially important viewing after our Friday discussion.

-------------

"We're lying to our kids," says professor and former charter school advocate and supporter of No Child Left Behind Diane Ravitch. High-stakes testing and punishing teachers for low-scoring kids is failing, according to her research; moreover, charter schools are only successful, when they are, because they can select the best students from the failing districts in which they are located.In a new piece at The Nation, and in her new book, The Death and Life of the Great American School System: How Testing and Choice Are Undermining Education, Ravitch lays out the case against the policies she once supported. ; She joins Laura in studio to discuss the problems with education--and how Obama and Arne Duncan might be making things worse, not better.

http://blip.tv/file/3902166

Give a dog a bone

I really was intrigued while reading David Sobel's article. Two quotes that really stuck with me were, "What's important is that children have an opportunity to bond with the natural world, to learn to love it and feel comfortable in it before being asked to heal it's wounds" and the other quote was, "knowledge without love will not stick. But if love comes first, knowledge is sure to follow" by John Burroughs. I really liked these two quotes because they helped me think of what would be enticing to a learner and teacher. If people (whatever age) just get outdoors and explore what is around them they will start to value all the little things that make up the big picture. So I think being outdoors is the key factor to engaging kids and educators. It does suck that now with the economy that schools are cutting fields trips because those were the best perks of being in school. But since field trips are being taken away, teachers should not let that affect the children having the opportunity to go outside during class time. Teachers should take their kids around the school and explore whats near them. Educators should also have a lot of hands on activities for the children.

Now to reach adults and high schoolers EE should get those people by learning their interests and tying them in that way. It's all about playing to what people are interesting in. I like to think of it like giving a dog it's bone...... just give people their bones, but with EE involved. The media helps a lot in this arena

Enticing EE....

The same premise of allowing feeling & intellect being intimately involved in the learning process for students, goes for educators. At the end of the day, as learners we need to be hooked. Surveying teachers' to understand how to meet them halfway can be a standing grounds to providing them with a transformational experience.
It may very well take financial resources as Jennifer said, that account for teachers' participating in programming that builds their awareness & interest, so they can break down their own fears and misconceptions.
It seems like folks in the area of non-formal EE could be a resource for school-based administrators attempting to be inclusive of providing professional development on EE. Seems like school administrators also need to be pulled in within a circle amongst their own, to become inspired. Real-life examples of models in their region would also speak loudest to making this commitment become real-life application!
I whole-heartedly agree & know from experience that Sobel and others that confirm that things need to start from the very place we inhabit is the way to go. Being in the city, has been the greatest teacher in this respect. Challenging but powerful. It's actually the reason I decided to do Merry Lea as opposed to venturing to the west coast (just yet), because this first part of my living has been connected to the great lakes/midwest.

This approach would personalize the context for educators as well, having to deal with their immediate surroundings -such as on school grounds -i.e. is there only lawns or gardens too?

Why NOT EE? That is the question.......

David Sobel's paper resounded heavily with me (though I didn't really care for his comparing "victims of EE" to child abuse victims- kinda tacky!). HOWEVER, he made some really good points about how EE could be so much more enticing if educators focused on what is in their own backyard. A couple of weeks ago at the kids garden I run, I had couple of kids point at a fallen down stop sign in front of the garden and tell me that we needed to get rid of it so it wouldn't hurt the spotted cheetah. Cheetah? I asked. Where are there cheetahs around here? They just stared at me blankly, and then yelled "Save the Cheetahs!". Later, I checked out one of the classrooms and saw that they had posters of endangered species all over their room, and also a corner where a paper "rain forest" was being built (though, i don't remember cheetahs being there either....). Anyway, last week I pointed at a big hole that we had in the garden. What could it be? I asked the young ones. All hands went up. " A BIG, FAT SNAKE!" they said in unison. I shook my head. Very unlikely, but cool nonetheless. What about a groundhog, I suggested. Once again, blank looks all around. What is a groundhog, they inquired. BACKYARDS, teachers. Backyards........ that is the answer.

How can we make EE more enticing for educators and learners?

I don't know if the question is HOW, but WHEN. When will EE become more enticing for educators and learners. I know that it has got to be sometime soon, at least I hope so. When I look at the current state of the environment, it feels as though EE may be the only thing that can give any of us hope.

I think in order to make EE enticing, we have got to make the environment a top priority. Eventually the average joe will want to know what is really happening with global warming, climate change, deforestation, pollution, etc. I feel like when this begins to happen, and I think and hope it is now, people will want to learn about the environment and teachers will want to teach about the environment. I feel as though this is happening at smaller scales right now. If not, why would we be in this program at all? Why would Merry Lea exist?

In Texas, I would walk into my mentor's office at least weekly and complain about the common man. I would sit there and tell him that I was SO different from everyone and so was he and how could we ever expect anything to change. He told me every single time that I was being silly because so many people feel the same way and never say anything. One time, he even posed the question to one of my classes and every single person raised their hand.

So maybe the way to make EE more enticing is to speak about EE. To make EE matter and really advocate for it. Maybe there really are those people, like the rest of us that are everywhere and just need someone to hold their hand through the process. I think EE is enticing in itself. I think that it has to be one of the greatest things ever, especially when it comes to education. I just think people need to know about and to know about the issues. With this, EE is enticing in itself.

Eatin' It Up

Why don't people eat up environmental education. I wish it was like that game Hungry Hungry Hippos. Those hippos really loved marbles...even when they weren't that hungry. Poison Ivy, mosquitoes, poisonous berries, and monsters! all contribute to teacher fear. I know there are many reasons why teachers aren't eating up environmental education, but I do believe it all boils down to fear. So many teachers fear that they don't know how to take kids outside. Questions like, "What if they fall down, what if someone gets stung by a bee, what if there are bears" all plague teachers. We live in a litigious society, and administrators know and fear this. This past year a 5th grade teacher in our corporation told her class that she was taking them to a bog. I offered to show her some things before she took her students on the trip. She never contacted me, and I found out they never went to the bog. Maybe it was a time thing, but I don't think so. Stories like Little Red Riding Hood and Hansel & Gretel are deeply ingrained in our psyche. In these stories "the woods" are seen as dangerous. We need to remove these elements of danger so that teachers can explore. If we can teach educators to embrace adventure rather than fear, we can transform environmental education. Educators only need a little training to be comfortable with the outdoors. It is a change in mindset that will revolutionize environmental education.

Standards

Standards are like rules and laws and if we didn't have those I feel that our world would be one be mess. There always have to be some boundaries so that people are all on the same page. Now I do think some standards are a little over board and sometimes not necessary. Like schools being order to make cuts because they didn't meet the standards on the state wide test. So I guess what I'm trying to say that there needs to be standards set up but the restriction those standards have needs to be well thought through and think of all the aspects.

Standards

While doing our reading about these standards, I kept going back to different times in my life when I felt the "force" of standards. One big moment was when Oliver was a little (little!) guy, and we had a wellness appointment with his pediatrician. At the appointment, the doctor asked me how many words Oliver could say. At that time, he was mostly using grunts and hand motions to communicate- not like the clear sentences his little girl friends were using. I was petrified! What was I DOING WRONG? Did he lack words because I didn't believe kids should be stuck in front of Baby Einstein to learn about the world? Were the 8 books a day I read to him not enough? Should I have knocked him down when he started walking before he turned 1? I later went back to have another appointment, and there was another doctor there, with another set of standards. Besides Oliver's 3 words that he could say, she also included the 5 words that he signed (in sign language) as vocabulary. Whew! We made the grade! And i learned a VERY important lesson that day- everyone is different! And to not be afraid of one person's standards. And yes, these standards are put in place for a reason- to make sure kids are progressing in development (which is essential!). However, everyone progresses at different rates, and standards cannot predict the learning curve for everyone. I am happy to say that lil' O progressed very nicely, and I actually have a difficult time getting him to NOT talk.......

ps.

Standards should be taken for face value- and not as scare tactics!

Standards

I think the idea of standards is a good one. Not only for educators, but for parents and students. Educators should be given an idea of what they are supposed to teaching and held accountable. The problem with this is that they also have a lot more on their plates. The standards set by the State on Indiana for Science, and the NCATE for Environmental Educators are great, but I do not know if they are realistic. I don't feel like I got the kind of education that is being described and I went to one of the top public schools in Ohio that had an A rating each year. I feel as though when it came to Science and Math that my education was lacking. I was horrible at science and math, so what did they do? They put me in remedial math and science classes so that I could "catch up". All this really did was remind me that I did not do well in these classes, so the education that I got was not up to standards. In these classes my teachers focused on getting the remedial kids to pass the standardized tests so that our school score didn't go down.

I have not only noticed it in these subjects but in many others. I was in Honors English classes since 7th grade. Funny that I was in remedial math and science and honors english. My english classes were much better than the remedial classes or just regular english classes. I would ask my friends what they did and it didn't even compare to the type of education that we were getting in the honors classes. I assumed this was similar in honors classes for math and science, but i wasn't even close to being allowed in those classes.

So, do I think standards are good? Yes. Can their expectations be realistic? I don't think so. At least not right now. In order for it to be realistic we need much better teacher education. We would also need a way to get every kid engaged in every subject, which is also a very hard thing and I am not sure where you can even start with a solution.

Multiple Intelligence Test Results

Interpersonal 33

Musical 33

Spatial-Visual 31

Intrapersonal 31

Bodily-Kinesthetic 27

Linguistic 23

Logical-Mathematical 12

Pretty much what I thought!

Standards

Let me premise this post with a statement. I'm not an expert on standards, but I do have a strong dislike for the misuse of standards. I do believe standards are important. Without standards important concepts would be lost. Teachers who don't feel confident with scientific concepts rely on standards to guide them. Unfortunately, administrators use standards as regulatory law. Many high school teachers are required to write the standard they are teaching on wipe boards outside their classrooms. Administrators feel students need to visually see the expectations/standards for that day's lesson. If you have ever met a teenager, you already know they won't and don't read those wipe boards. Maybe it's an accountability thing. Teachers need accountability, but I don't believe wipe boards are the answer. Writing the standards outside teacher classrooms becomes a chore rather than a teaching tool. The Indiana standards for Environmental Education are fairly progressive, but are seen by many as unnecessary paperwork.

No one called me normal

What are standards for?

I am sure that there are many reasons for standards but I have thought of three.

1. Accountability. We are always putting our trust into other people, whether for education, driving, electric wiring. Without standards people could do things without the qualifications therefore leading to harm of others.

2. The "real world" In most job interviews that I have had people always want to know how well I can use a computer. It has become the standard that people know word, excel and other programs. Another reason for standards is that the skills people "need" in the real world are aquirred

3. Efficient teaching. The final reason that I could think of is efficient teaching. If a teacher didn't follow the curiculm for that year the teacher next year would be screwed. Having to get kids up to snuff with last years learning and this years.

Sometimes I think that there is a lot of emphasis on standards and it makes our world go in circles. But I think that they can do positive things.

Standards of the day...

Over a year ago, I started training as a doula aka birth assistant -not the midwife, but the person supporting the mother) and one of the most amazing reminders time after time is the amazing intelligence of a woman's body in preparing and laboring to give birth. Unfortunately, when interventions that are not absolutely medically necessary are the norm, the birthing experience is hijacked for many women. In short, we were constantly reminded of certain "expectations" and more or less the sequence of stages in labor that kind of serve as the template for what to expect, but the journey's stage is ultimately set by the woman's body, and things happen on her body's time/space. Reading about standards brought me back to the idea that we all need (i.e. EDUCATORS)support in journeying through whatever the task at hand is. It didn't surprise me to read the following within the IN Environmental Education Teacher Survey General Conclusions:
-Most teachers do not use the outdoors to teach a variety of subjects more than 3 times each year.
-Among teachers who do not integrate environmental education into their teaching, there is a strong feeling that it is not relevant to what they teach.
-The primary perceived barrier to integrating environmental education in the curriculum is lack of time in the school day.
The recommendations for what to target sound great, but where is the capacity-building model for schools, districts (the wholeness of it all), and above all teacher support to actually be in position to implement? I think teachers would be better equipped in creating the responsive learning environments we all envision by making things actually feasible on a real tangible level.

At the end of the day, everything comes down to fund$, so policy really can be a force to mandate the future of EE in public education. How much are those military spending figures #%@%! again?



The truth about Farmer Joe-movie critique

One word reviews: good, unique, dramatic, sad, hopeful

Overall I did like the movie, it was edutaining and provided a farmer with a face.

When I thought about if this movie is EE this is what I came up with:

This movie seems to have a variety of elements that we have been talking about.

The movie seems to start at the affectiveness end of things. Making people feel something towards the farmer, especially for the older generations who can relate to great community, farming, tractors, horses and hard times. And there are numerous mentions of love, which is also very relatable. They are creating a feeling and emotion that the viewer feels towards the characters.

Next the film moves into a more informative stage where farming, economics, politics, life styles, are discussed. Giving a little more information for people so that they know (even if it is just a little) about the land and situations that surround it.

Finally the action part. I was glad that the difficulty of farming organically was shown. It is not just love and party but really hard work, which may be why some farmers choose not too. But with the help of the community it turned out and it wasn't just dependent on the farmer. Seeing the people help with the farm and ultimately purchase some land was not only hopeful but motivating for me to become part of a community that cares for each other and the land like that.

Although the film was able to do all of these things, making me aware, feel, and want to take action, it was not about telling facts and giving multiple view points, with that in mind I would vote no for being environmental education. But I do think that it can be an effective tool, one part of EE.

Those are some of my thoughts.

I suck. Or I am an Idealist and it hurts somedays. I want the ideal world.

I suck. I suck because I haven’t “really” converted my friends to become greenies. None of them. I’ve made them think. I’ve made them feel guilty. I’ve made them say “oh no here comes Paul.” But as an educator somedays I feel like I failed....
I have a morning routine of making coffee and then washing dishes while looking out at sunrise pondering the meaning of life and some days staring at my neighbors 5 barrels of trash. I consider them friends but they still have not heard my urges of recycling cardboard or the preaching of lessening impact before we perish in the firery depths of hell.
Some days I feel like Debby Downer from Saturday Night Live and I wish I could just watch soccer with my buds and not think about the carbon footprint of a large stadium or the BP spill and my friends disinterest in talking with me about it or the amount of waste I created by watching that soccer match. Chip bags and bottles.
The average American produces from 3-5 pounds of trash per day, which adds up to 50 tons per year. That means over 200 million tons of trash are produced by everyone in the U.S. every year! Up to 70% of this trash is buried in landfills.
I’ve been in EE now for 20 years and I’ve lived in Goshen for ten and I know my friends are not perfect and neither am I but this idealist is allowed to get down once in a while.
If you remember in that list that compared yesterday’s with today’s emphasis in environmental education, one comparison that I pointed out was “business as usual” versus “urgency”. I do feel it is more urgent now to make a difference.
My friends do do their part and I wouldn’t say reluctantly, by recycling, shopping at the Farmers Market - but I want more! We need more! I want them to act out! I want them to go to the city council meetings! I want them to run for some sort of political seat on a sustainability ticket! I want them to understand – I want to make a difference in their behavior and attitudes. Shall I test them?
I am anxious about the future and I want to make people change now – but how do we do it? We help them remove their barriers - lack of time, Money, Confidence, Interest, Lack of information about opportunities to learn, Scheduling problems, “Red tape”, Problems with child care, Transportation. I must continually refresh my hope, increase my knowledge base and keep active in the environmental/ecological community. Part of my job as a friend, father, neighbor, educator is to help remove these “barriers” so we can all become more environmentally literate and responsible citizens!
Wouldn’t that be great?

Musical 36
Interpersonal 36
Bodily-Kinesthetic 35
Spatial-Visual 34
Intrapersonal 30
Linguistic 28
Logical-Mathematical 26

I believe like Stevie Wonder that there should be music all the time to sooth savage beast but I was surprised I was so high up in the musical rankings!

Old Farts.

My grandparents had this picture framed in their home. For some reason it always cracked me up. Two kids talking about how long they've been farming. At some point those "farm

er's", may lose the innocence of childhood. They won't care why the sky is blue, or why zebras have stripes. Why do some people lose their ability to be curious? Is it house payments, credit card bills, laziness, or age that cause them to lose a lust for life? My friend and colleague Bob has changed. He's 64 years old and still teaches history at Manchester High School. He hasn't lost the desire to learn. I can't remember the last time he didn't mention something he had read that day. Bob is one of the hardest working teachers I know. I guarantee he hasn't used one worksheet he used the year before. I believe he has a desire to learn because he has never lost the desire to learn. Sometimes I think he reads so much because it's become a habit. He can't stop even if he wanted to stop. When he reads he learns, and many times I've seen changes.

Here are the scores:

Interpersonal: 37

Intrapersonal: 33

Spacial: 32

Musical: 29
Linguistic: 26
Math: 20

Kinesthetic: 19

Multiple Intelligences Test

My scores were:

Interpersonal: 37

Intrapersonal:35

Musical:34

Linguistic:32

Spatial-Visual:27

Bodily-Kinesthetic:23

Logical-Mathematical:22

Basically what I thought my 4 highest would be. I did not think they would be in that order though, so that surprised me a bit.

Old Dogs

While working in bars I began to notice all the things that we threw away that could have been recycled. It made me so angry to know that there were hundreds of bottles from one bar being thrown out on a daily basis. At one bar I worked at we only served bottled beer. When I started working there I thought that we recycled since we put all the bottles back in the boxes. When I started working nights, I realized that we did not recycle and the boxes were thrown away each night full of glass bottles. When I started counting the amount of empty bottles in cases on busy nights, it made me sick.

So I proposed something to my boss and co-workers. I had started taking as many cases would fit into my Kia home with me each night, which was only about 6. I would take them and put them in my recycling bin or take them to our recycling center in town. I asked everyone else if they would be willing. Since it was Texas, and everyone drove trucks, they could take a good amount and wouldn't have to empty it each night. No one would do it! They just didn't understand the importance of recycling.

After I quit that job, I moved on to another bar in town. Everyone called it the "liberal arts" or "hippie love" bar. I knew most of the employees there because they were mostly Geography majors and I had taken some classes with them and we had been to some "green" events together. When I brought the recycling idea up to them, they said that it could happen there but they just needed a few more employees to help take recycling each night. We worked out a schedule and talked to our boss about it. He gave us a few rules about the recycling, but we got it working and it worked well. Then, we decided that since our boss wanted the bar to be a restaurant, but food sales sucked and we were throwing food away each night, that we needed to start composting. We convinced our boss of this as well and made sure the food went home each night with employees or customers who had gardens that needed it.

Now the reason why I mention THIS boss is because he is not the guy who would usually go for recycling of composting. I have heard him say many times that he "loves his gas-guzzlin F-250". Somehow though, after years of hiring all us "hippies", we had convinced him of doing something a little bit environmentally friendly. He even started helping with the recycling and would fill up the back of his truck once a week.

I don't know if he actually cared about it or just did it because we had been bugging him about it and it still got taken care of. I know he enjoyed the fact that there was much more room in our trash cans each night and we no longer had problems with raccoons getting in the trash because the tops wouldn't close.

"Old Dogs"

I can't think of one particular person that I remember changing their old impacting ways......however, I can think of a group of individuals. Last year for Earth Day (April 22), I thought it would be really awesome if Maple City Market (the co-op) would eliminate their plastic shopping bags. I brought this idea up to the store manager in January. He was very skeptical of this idea. He didn't tell me that it couldn't happen, just that it wouldn't happen by April 22- maybe the end of the year at the earliest. He said it would take a good year to educate our customers to bring in their own bags...and what about the new customers? Where would they put their groceries? Me, being optimistic about our customer's learning curve, I went forth with my idea nonetheless. I hung up signs around the store warning people of the upcoming change. We had it printed in the newsletter. I spread the word. Earth Day came, and there were no more plastic bags (I made sure to stop the order of them in time!), and you know what? It was just fine! Sure, there were (and still are) some complaints about the lack of plastic bags, but in general, we have received really good feedback for our decision. And it was a really quick fix for a really huge problem too! Moral of the story:sometimes, it pays to not listen to the authorities :)

Them old geezers

It's kind of hard to think of a person who has changed their habits but if I had to pick a someone it probably would have to be my parents.

I would say now they are environmentally aware as new ideas and findings come to their attention. My dad is defiantly the type of person that is up to date on all the current events and he never stops reading and with reading all that information, he somehow has the ability to absorb it and keep it in his brain forever! ok maybe that was a little bit exaggerated, so lets just say he is a book of knowledge. Also with having that knowledge my dad is able to change his ways if he sees fit. For example, my dad watched the documentary food inc and after that he decided to start buying organic milk because all the chemicals from the cows poo poo got into the water and the thought of that freaked him out.

My mom has also been able to change her ways. She only uses reusable bags when shopping and tries to by organic food as much as she can. She also recycles and there isn't a recycling center in my town, so when we go to Albuquerque which is 2 hours away she takes the recycling.

So yeah I would say my parents have been able to change their ways, even though they are over that hill

Oh and my score for the multiple intelligence test was
Kinesthetic: 20
Musical: 18
Linguistic: 17
Intrapersonal: 15
spacial: 14
interpersonal: 13
math: 12

I wasn't expecting those scores

Old Dogs that are young at heart?

My parents grew up in southern Manitoba around a lot of Russian Mennonites, I like to say they grew up in a box where they mostly knew there world and maybe the world of relatives in Saskatchewan. And although they are not that old they loved the modern conviences of life (fast food, packaged foods, cheap clothing), especially when my sisters and I were young. As us sisters grew up we surprisingly were soically aware of our actions (where are clothes were coming from, buying local, or fair trade, using our bodies for transportation), it has been interesting to see our parents adjust. Starting them on composting, they were so excited and were now cooler. (even though they often forgot and I emptied the pail 80% of the time.) They were more then open to it and were willing to put the effort in. They have also started talking about social issues that surround the environment, they have the knowledge and are slowly relating it and connecting it to their actions and are changing their actions. It is slow process and I know that my parents won't change some habits but they learn through work and us kids and make the changes that they feel they can make.

Literate/Illiterate

I grew up in the suburbs of Indianapolis during the '80s. During that time when the "more is best" mentality prevailed, my parents, being affected by the Mennonite traditions, decided to take a different approach. We had a large vegetable garden, in which they sectioned off plots for us kids to individually grow produce, no air conditioning, 1 car, giant chest freezer for putting up food, canned food in the basement, and a very tiny television that you had to turn on with a wrench. As a young child, these things didn't seem to bother me. I preferred to play outdoors- we had the best climbing trees in the neighborhood! It wasn't until I got older and realized how "uncool" not having cable was that i started to resent this lifestyle that I was part of. Thankfully, those years are long gone, and as now as a parent myself, I am very thankful for the "propaganda" that my parents so graciously instilled into my life so much that I am passing my "liberal" views down to my son. Thanks mom!

Iiterate....

I feel that a hyper-awareness of environment surrounded me, for a lot of reasons, I suppose. What sticks out is my background being first generation on turtle island, a daughter of parents who immigrated north, and wanting to know the stories that shape people, expanding that to stories of the land came afterwards.
My grandmother from my father side was at my side since I was a child and she was an herbalist of sorts, carrier of medicinal plant knowledge that I gravitated to. I feel that was an entry point into wanting to know about place. Of course, being able to visit my relatives and the land of Peru also opened up horizons and prompted questions in me. In general, being able to travel and spend time outside of my familiar "home base" has contributed to an eco-literacy. There is a lot that has yet to make it to my literacy bank, and I feel exposure is the first step to pursue on gaining vision.

Literate/Illiterate

We are creatures of habit, aren't we? I believe that's why so many teachers still stick with the old ways. They teach the way they were taught. I do see changes, but not as many as needed. Also, teaching more thoughtfully is way harder. I hate to say this, but there are a lot of lazy teachers out there. It's a lot easier to copy a lab out of a lab book rather than design your own experiment, and we all know how evil textbooks are.

Sami brought up a good point about age. The older I get the more literate I become. I used to fear getting older, but know I embrace it. I feel the need to spend more time preparing for my classes. I love reading current articles I can use. The older you get the less time you need to worry about the kids "liking" you, and your disciplinary methods seem to become more established.

What makes me illiterate:Fox News.

Below are some of the challenges that I believe have made me illiterate to the environment:
-Fear. As some of you know I am not the biggest fan of touching animals. Why? I can't really say, as a child and youth I had a number of bad experiences with animals (wild and tame) but over all my exposure was extermly limited so I never became comfortable with them.
-Science, Math, Economics. Not my stongest subjects in school and I have never really had the energy or interest to explore them outside of school.

Here are some things that have made me literate to the environment
-An understanding that my actions effect the environment on a local and global level, whether it is where I get my coffee, clothes, food, travel. This I mostly owe to my older sister who was/is a little activist.
-Opportunities. Working at summer camp and learning about the forests and land around us, working year round at camp and learning about different habitats for work so that I could teach them to kids, in Winnipegs inner city which inspite of the opstacles has done a lot of amazing work for the environment. Personal interest in the environment, learning more about composting, exploring.

I know that I have things to learn to become more environmentally literate, but as I stated in the last blog, I think that maybe too much education is put on environmental literacy and that sometimes experiences more then make up for education. I am more or less happy with whether I am. I view the importance of my community and how we as a group are literate, because they understand economics and science, explore the insides of a woodpecker, because like me they have a sense of their impact.

Literate or Illiterate?

I would like to think that most likely I am a mix of both.

My family is made up of some pretty environmentally literate people and I feel like this has been a part of my life. My grandfather was a naturalist. We used to go on walks in the woods and never get farther than 50 feet in an hour because he knew so much. Although, he primarily taught me about the physical environment. Some of this I retained, but not much. From him, I learned to be questioning about the environment and look around my surroundings for things that could be hiding.

My mother and father were also very active in the environment and many political movements throughout my life. My mother had taken macrobiotic cooking classes long before I was born and truly believed in this diet...that is until she had 3 children and a full time job. My dad has always been interested in the environment and the history of the land. He has tried to get to me remember bird calls for as long as I can remember. He has also engaged me in many conversations about global warming, overpopulation, water quality, the use of coal, and the importance of maintaining a garden close to home along with certain survival skills. My parents have also made sure that I thought politically about what has been done to the land in many ways and the reasons behind it.

I would also say that my church helped me as a child. I still remember a service where the "children's time" was all about water. I was most likely 6 or 7, but I will never forget being asked to put a jug of water on my head and trying to walk. I was then told that this is what so many people in other parts of the world have to do multiple times a day and all I have to do is turn on the tap. I think this has especially stayed with me throughout my life and made me want to learn more.

This knowledge was basically given to me by my family. The knowledge that I began searching for on my own came later in my college career when I met my mentor and took my first geography course. My eyes were opened to many different issues, not only with the physical environment but also in the way that humans interact with the natural world. It was here that I really learned about all sorts of environmental issues that are taking place globally and the thoughts that many different people have about them.

I will say that what has made me illiterate is fear. Fear to be totally different than the majority. I feel as though I may have been much more active in educating myself and taking part in the environment if I would not have felt so alone in doing so. I think most of this is about the place that you are at and how conducive that place is to learning and growing. I believe that there is potential in myself as well as many others, but it just takes finding the right place and the right people to help it flourish.

I also think that I am so young that there is no way that I could be totally literate about any subject, especially something as vast as the environment. I hope that with age my literate side will grow and my illiterate side with fade away, but I don't think I can ever be totally literate about any one subject as large as the environment.

Environmentally literate or illiterate?

Some ways I think that I am environmentally literate:

Science classes

Education classes

being outdoors

first fridays-- stands about the environment or community building

conversing with people about issues--- either environment, social, etc

reading articles

watching and reading the news

being up to dates of current events

recycling

buying local--trying

conserving electricity, water

not buying plastic water bottles

reusing plastic bags

riding my bike as much as I can

thrift shopping

environmental conventions

flea markets

farmers markets

natural food stores

Things that I need to work on, where I am illiterate would be that I'm not active enough by trying to get people aware. I need to spread the word and knowledge to friends and family and other people who don't necessarily care, and try to get them up to date on why they should care or at least know about the environment. Try to change my "natural behavior." Try to learn more, active methods ways of learning that will generate change for the better.

Human nature is very hard to change. From the readings it is clear that the human being is a very complicated being. And I think what I need to take into consideration is that there are ways to approach human nature and change but that just takes a lot of work. change is slow, nothing is easy.

Why are People Afraid?

The more I read these papers, and particularly the three additional ones highlighting our interviewer for the day, I felt myself getting more and more upset. I tried to understand their point of view, as I have in past when other conservatives have given me their views on the environment, but lately I am finding it harder and harder to listen. And that is a problem! We, as educators in the EE are sometimes accused of being liberal, agenda toting, fear mongering individuals. If I want people like Michael Sinera to listen to me, I need to do the same for him.

However, this level of educating children to be objective listeners is so frustrating! What about the current environmental issue at hand- the giant oil spill. What would happen if we all were just objective listeners....wait! That's why the spill happened in the first place! I believe that education should encompass teaching kids how to become active in their world- it was children who really brought the whole recycling movement in the U.S. to what is is today.

I guess the question I am asking myself is, am I forcing my liberal views about the earth when I ask my son to help me hold the groceries, instead of putting them in a plastic bag because mom forgot to bring her bags? Am I spreading my radical agenda when I am teaching city kids how to grow a "happy garden" (their exact words!) without the use of chemicals? Or, am I being a responsible human being- one created by a Higher Being who very early on in the Bible told human beings about our responsibility of being stewards of this beautiful earth, when I hang my laundry out to dry in full view of all of the neighborhood kids? I think the answer is pretty simple. Maybe Michael needs to watch Wall-E one more time.

EE has its issues but so do other people

A few thoughts
-While reading A questioning Framework I started thinking how narrow minded EE puts the operational aspest (in this particular tect). The text lists things like knowing the migration of human populations. This seems like a good thing to know but I don't think you need to know it to be environmentally literate. Native cultures around the world knew more about the earth then I do now or maybe ever will and they never had formal or informal education.

-What is wrong with political activism. I would have loved to learn more about how to make change in government effectively. I think that as citizens we need to be more involved in governments and it is apart of literacy not EE.

-Sanera, seems to be making the suggestion that teachers don't think for themselves and that they are all tree loving hippies. Most definatly not!! A question I have (maybe you can answer Jabin) even though EE is encouraged or law to be taight, is it included in any standardized testing? My impression is that is what controls teachers habits more then the environment.

Scared People...

About three years ago at a family reunion my Uncle asked me what I was majoring in and I replied Environmental Science. When my uncle heard this, he first smirked and then said "so you will just be cleaning up water pollution." I'm not sure why he said that particular comment but from the tone of his voice I could sense that he just thought I was some tree hugger and not getting a degree in something where I could get a real job and earn a distant amount of money.

I'm using this example to prove that many people judge "environmentalism" right off the bat and have those tree hugging stereotypes. This proves that people are environmentally illiterate and don't understand what environmental education is and most people don't care to understand.

Most people are just afraid of the unknown. And most people select a certain person to be categorized as an "environmentalist." There are all types and forms of people that can be considered "environmental."

What Makes People Scared of EE?

I believe the main reason people are scared of EE is because they don't understand what it is and the way that it is taught. Although EE will rely heavily on its teacher, like any other subject, it seems that critics of EE point the finger at educators that teach Environmental Advocacy INSTEAD of EE. In the "Question Categories" article they state the difference between EE and Environmental Advocacy. It says, "EE differs from Environmental Advocacy in empowering people with knowledge, skills, and attitudes needed to make informed choices RATHER THAN simply advocating specific choices." Isn't this what education is meant to do anyways? Educators should teach each side of everything and even if they do not, hopefully the student has been taught to take the information and make their own choice about a topic after researching it a bit more.

I thought the points brought up in "Defusing Environmental Education" were very good ones and made a great argument against the critics of EE. It seems as though critics like Sanera and Shaw do not understand what EE really is. Along with not understanding the definition of EE, they have never seen EE in action. Critics have made arguments against what is presented in certain texts, but have never seen HOW the texts are used within the classroom. I was amazed that Sanera and Shaw wanted EE to only contain science and economics. This is not EE. This is something else. I do not know if they have thought about that. They would not be changing EE, they would be eliminating it. If EE was taught more as a science, there would be less people interested in it. I know that if EE was based on science and economics, I would not be partaking in the program at Merry Lea.

I think instead of critics only looking at Texts, which are never perfect, they need to watch EE in action. Critics need to experience EE for themselves and not only from one group or individual, but multiple individuals who call themselves Environmental Educators.

Scared of EE

Whoa boy. Here come the crazy hippies wearing their PETA buttons and vegan shoes. You better look out. They might try to throw some red paint on you. Although I'm not a card carrying member of PETA, I do like several things they try to accomplish, but for some reason there are many people (especially in the Midwest) that think EE=PETA. I once had a student who wore a "PETA" shirt. The front said P.E.T.A. The back said People Eat Tasty Animals. He thought it would tick me off. I chose to use reverse psychology, and so I told him that I thought it was funny. Sometimes that reverse psychology stuff works. Luckily for me, this was one of those times. Science teachers get a bad wrap from conservatives. Supposedly we love Darwin, Earth, and Nature we somehow hate God. I believe there is a lot of misconception about EE. It's one of those ignorance fears...a preconceived notion about a concept many know nothing about. Have you ever prejudged someone, and then soon found out your judgement was unjustified? My friend Darby recently introduced me to his friend Jaime. I knew that Jaime was a card carrying NRA and promoted his redneck heritage. Darby was worried we would not get along. I wasn't so sure either. A surprising thing happened. I loved Jaime and he loved me. We got along perfectly. In the end I know we will never agree on everything, but I do know that I could easily hang out with that guy again. Maybe EE is like that. I wish we could all just get along.

What's makes people scared of EE....

...may stem from the seemingly uncomfortable place of having to both ask questions about and question what is business as usual, what makes up our "normal" lifestyle, our worldviews.
Granted, there are ways in which people (who are passionate and knowledgeable) can emphasize the urgency and calamity of the multiple "issues" surrounding our environment, so much so, that tension rather than inspiring hope is the end result. We don't want children to live in fear and in midst of the milieu of experiences that do incite fear/worry, we cannot evade assuming responsibility for approaching in an honest way our collective reality, along side our animal/plant relatives.
Sometimes I get the feeling that it's not so much fear that triggers peoples' response, but almost a sense of entitlement for simply not wanting to "deal" with things.
It doesn't help of course, that people who immediately politicize an issue are resistant to seeing beyond labeling (i.e. liberal/conservative). Hopefully, as the principle of interconnectedness becomes more evident and LIVE for folks in front of their t.v. sets, the supermarket cashier, and other places of commons, we'll be forced to come up with solutions that consider the impact of our attitudes, our decision-making.
I think of those who are intentional about putting a spin on the whole world food hunger discourse to the benefit of multinational corporations such as Monsanto, Cargill, etc.
This kind of opportunistic usage of "issues" is very problematic for motivating people to have a different point of entry into the conversation, which should be broadening (we hope, at this point in time!)

Thoughts on Environmental Education

My idea of what environmental education was a couple years ago was pretty simple- I thought of it as a field of work for those scientifically minded to educate us not so scientifically minded about how to be stewards of the earth. Obviously, my thoughts on this matter have changed, as I am here involved in the program as one of those not so scientific sort of folks. Perhaps science might not be my forte, however passion for the environment is. I look at all of us in the office right now, staring at our laptops as we finish up last minute homework, and smile because here we are in a field that is so beautifully diverse that it encompasses people from all walks and backgrounds of life. That's is incredible. And that is how we are going to make a difference in this life- different types of individuals, bringing with them their different gifts, all for the common goal of protecting the environment and educating kids for the future. Brilliant.

My thoughts on EE before coming to Merry Lea

I became interested in the environment due to an Interdisciplinary english class that lead me to my major. In the class we read a lot of nature writing that talked about a variety of issues and presented the environment in many different ways. To guide us in this, we also studied geography, ecology, biology, geology and history. Geography is what primarily caught my attention and according to many people in the field, I was a cultural geographer.

My mentor that I worked with is also a cultural geographer but with a background in biology. He is also a interpreter. I took classes with him in geography, nature and heritage tourism, and interpretation.

This background formed my thoughts on EE. I assumed that EE was kind of like Interpretation, but with an ecology and biology emphasis. I always view EE as including the environment as a whole. This included the cultures that surrounded it as well as the physical world. I guess this also meant that I looked at EE in more of a place-based education view.

While reading, I realized that I never really brought in the man-made things into my definition of the environment. I was only thinking the natural world. Anything man-made never crossed my mind. I always saw man-made things as a negative and thought there was no way that they could be included in the definition.

With my reading and thinking more about it, I am realizing that it plays a major part in the environment and in EE. How can we teach EE without including man-made structures and their effect on the natural world?

Definition of Environmental Education

At the beginning of the school year I always show my students a Venn diagram similar to this one. It always freaks them out. There's nothing like weeding out the kids who think we're going to take it easy that year. Ha! I hope they quickly realize EE isn't a 1+1=2 science. When we start discussing philosophy their heads really begin to spin. By the end of the class I hope they begin to see the true interconnectedness of environmental science. I can see a difference in those that can build connections and those that cannot. You can't study biomes without considering population. You can't talk about policy without discussing history. A species diversity lecture isn't complete without statistics. Though many wish it was.

My definition of EE

What is my definition of Environmental Education?

When I would tell people that I was going to get my master's degree in environmental education I would usually get asked two questions:

1. What is environmental education?

2. what are you going to do with environmental education?

If I felt up to the task of explaining what EE was and explaining my life goals for the future I would usually start by saying that EE is a very broad field and I can basically do anything I want with my master's. I can work in a small classroom or nature reserve or stand on the sidewalk handing out leaflets. Basically the ultimate goal I want to do is educate people to live in ways where they can take care of our mother. All people have different interests and tastes but we all live on the same planet so we have one comment interest: to value the environment we live in. And if I didn't feel like going into a big discussion with that person I would usually just reply by saying that I was going to save the Earth.

I think that EE is very broad and can be taught in many different ways but one thing that I think is key is to teach people about the environment outside so that way we can all explore what is around us. The human is a very powerful being, so I think it's important to educate people about the things that they do that is slowly destroying the earth. And if people at least have that information then they can decide what choices they what to make. what I have found by reading all those articles is that the curriculum for EE is constantly changing so we just have to be willing to change with it and make new and better improvements.

Tanya's EE definition pre-July 1 2010

A week ago my definition of environmental education was based on my experiences mostly as the educator. (I worked with kids 90% of the time) My definition includes

Getting the kids interested and excited for the topic at hand

Engaging the kids in the topic. Whether turning a compost bin, planting seeds, weeding etc.

Providing the materials and knowledge for continued action afterwards.

Other things that I considered were
Making sure that the activity is not turning the kids or adults off from the environment. If the weather, bugs or some other force is making the experience unpleasant, then it should be reconsidered.
Depending on who the audience is, it is important to provide the material for them to take action. When I led composting workshops, we would provide, maps, reading material, and a container for them to start composting. making it as easy as possible.

What is EE?

a means to an end...exploring our relationship(s) to the natural world from the place(s) that we belong to, call home -sometimes it's our backyard, sometimes it's global.
It's education that allows for more ways than one to approach this exploration with the intention of bridging connections between who we are, how we are living, and what makes for our realities. In that mix, the story of place informs and is mutually receiving from us. What we do with the knowingness of these complexities is the action element. Creativity to talk about the old, the new, and a vision for finding meaning in life, self-actualization on an individual & collective front. How do we learn that we are or aren't a part of nature?
I've seen it as an entry point to both bring exposure to youth about what ecological communities we belong to in the midst of living in an urban environment as well as a space to engage in some wholistic critical thinking about why things are set up the way they are. Why & how do we learn that there's an otherness to peoples, animals, plants.
Breaking down questions of identity in relationship to environment unfolds attitudes & behavior =culture.
I don't have a schooling reference of EE per se, but the image of mainstream EE operating from a western scientific worldview, affluent white-led, conservationist-orientated, outdoor recreation.

Thanks for a Great Class!

Some of the things we'll be talking about can be pretty big like corporate control and deepwater disasters - those things that we think our locus of control is pretty tiny. Well, having discussions like yesterday is what gives me hope. Knowing that there's thinking people in this world desiring to learn more to then go farther out into the world to be those super heroes that we are! Thanks for joining this cohort! I can tell it's going to be a great one!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2AAa0gd7ClM

woo hope

What gives me hope?
It's the simple things that really matter. The chirp of a bird, the wave of a person in a passing car, laughter, fresh water, people helping one another. When thinking about all the bad things that are happening in the world I rather look at the little things that help make the world a better place. It's a lot more enjoyable. Now don't get me wrong we should consider the bad things but we shouldn't focus on them all the time because that will just burn us out!
Last summer I had an amazing opportunity to go to Peru for 3 months with Goshen College. Goshen college has a program called Study Service Term (SST) where the students are required to go to a developing country for 3 months w a group to learn the culture, history, language, and serve. While in Peru it helped showed me a different perspective on life. With having communication barriers I was amazed about how easy I was able to connect with the people I met in Peru, they showed me so much compassion. This experience helped give me hope because I was able to see that valuing all types of people is the way to change for the better good. I think it's important to listen to all people's stories and hear where they are coming from so we can develop a system where all people feel that they are being heard and getting what they want. And it doesn't hurt to have some fun and laughter along the way to keep that happiest going...

Hope

This picture gives me hope. In March I took my AP Environmental Science students on a canoe trip. We explored Nine Mile Pond in Everglades National Park. The girl in the the picture is Marina. She is about 5ft away from a 13ft, 250lb American Crocodile. Look at her face. I see fear. I see excitement. I see an experience she'll never forget. This is also an experience I'll never forget. It's only the second time I've seen a crocodile in the Everglades. I know the picture doesn't do justice, but I guarantee Marina could describe every millisecond of this experience. Although kids get a bad rap for being too fat and playing too many video games (let's throw in that nasty hip-hop music as well), deep in their core they feel a connection to nature. They just need a chance to access it.

What gives me hope?
sunrise.
In part, it is us coming together as others are across the earth, circles of in the spirit of facing the magnitude of the problems and doing something. How and when we get up & move is a story within the larger story -that oneness one -that just unfolds. It's the root of love too. Mountains will stand, erupt, respond as they may, water will flow over tears of anger, and the sun will shine despite our collective human condition.
Death is a part of life & life a part of death. My last living grandparents both passed on to the spirit world last spring & summer & with their leaving, came the teaching of humility & living today. Gratitude and the sacredness of the web we are a part of speaks hope. Allowing myself to grieve too carries me to a place of being able to keep going. Because an irreversible shift has already spun and we are spinning on how to respond. Trauma passed down in lineage, across generation, injustices insist on being resolved.

If anyone is interested, The Eco-Pragmatist Manifesto by Stuart Brand, an apparent friend/collegue of Dr. LoveJoy mentioned in Human Race Will Be Extinct, refutes the fears of overpopulation with his findings. I have mixed feelings about his other arguments in the book, but it was informative...

what do you call a worm that creates music?

What gives me hope?

One of my first weeks that I worked at the Kids Garden in Winnipeg we were looking for beans and peas that the kids planted earlier in the season. One kid came running up to me with the biggest smile, to show the bean that he had found. I told him he could eat it and he bit down on the bean with a look of fascination and that it was the most amazing thing ever.

Experiencing nature with kids give me hope. Kids often don't know the extent of environmental damage on the earth and they continue to care and have energy for the natural environment around them.

Welcome to Principles of Environmental Education 2010 Blog site

Hey everyone!

This blog site is for people to answer those questions at the top of each day on the syllabus. You can post, you can comment, you can put pictures in it that fit the question, you can even write poetry! This is a place for you to put down your ideas, vents, questions that fit per question or discussion or articles that were part of the day - stuff that you found online, heard on the radio, or seen at a theater that pertains to environmental education and fits to the theme of the day.