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.