Project Learning Tree

Source

Yesterday my cohort had the opportunity for environmental studies professional development through a Project Learning Tree workshop. It was a great, eye-opening experience into both environmental issues and incredible ways in which to incorporate environmental sudies into all school subjects.
I think the most impactful thing I learned, however, was the "pyramid" approach to environmental education. Our instructor introduced us to the concept of creating a base for student knowledge not through fear and guilt, but through connection to and love of the environment.

So many environmental programs go for the upfront "wow" factor by showing pictures of damage world climate change has caused to the earth or showing videos of the giant trash spot in the Pacific Ocean. While these photos and videos may frighten or guilt kids in to turning off a couple lights at home or recycling when it's convenient, it's not going to get lifetime complete buy-in to saving the earth.

However, if we were to start by getting kids to love the environment through outdoor education and direct connection, they would have a reason to want to help save what they have grown to love. For example, if a student were to become interested in birds and when they arrive back to a specific area each year, that student would be more interested in making the environment around where he/she lives livable for birds. That student might move on to studying birds in other ways. If he/she then discovered that human water conservation also impacted bird or other animal populations, the student would then have a personal, deep connection and drive to conserve water. This connection would remain part of this student much more than fear and guilt would. They would have personal investment in environmental concerns.

Although I still plan on teaching middle school math once I'm done with this program, I'm looking forward to using the resource book I bought at the workshop to try to implement some environmental activities in to math lessons. Thanks for the great workshop PLT!

Pacing

During my first week back at my student teaching placement, I had the opportunity to take over teaching quite a few lessons. For some reason, I found pacing my lessons to be much more difficult than I had found in the past. I'm wondering if this is because I've learned more about teaching and all the different ways students can and should be taught. I've learned so many new strategies and techniques, and I'm trying to use them all in my teaching. However, now that I'm using all of these strategies, my lessons have become too long and the students haven't been getting enough work time. What's better: to make sure every student learns during every lesson but have decreased work time, or make sure the students get enough work time and seek out those that didn't get it during the lesson individually? It's another part of the balancing act.

Pendulum part 2

Near the end of last quarter, I wrote about my constant struggle to decide between teaching middle school math or an upper elementary classroom in Pendulum. At the time that I wrote that post, my heart pendulum had begun to swing more toward being a classroom teacher; however, I am once again beginning to swing back the other way.

In one of my classes, we are reading A Sustainable Start: A Realistic Look at the First Year of Teaching by John Spencer, and I am also reading with a group Teach Like Your Hair's on Fire by Rafe Esquith. Reading these two books side-by-side has been helping me decide what kind of teacher I want to be. Spencer has been talking about teaching sustainably in the sense of not getting burnt out as a teacher. One should teach not like a firework, flaming in brilliance for a moment, but like a campfire, burning steadily for a long time. Esquith has been giving me aspirations to be a great teacher, but he has also been giving me things that would transform my career into a firework rather than a campfire.

In the way the Spencer and Esquith books are in conversation about teaching, so too are my thoughts about who and how I want to teach. I have become worried that my wanting to be a classroom teacher is more for the firework reason than the campfire sustainability. If I were a classroom teacher, I would aspire to be Rafe Esquith doing incredible things and changing kids for the rest of their lives. I would want greatness and aspire to teach 5th graders everything they need to know about life. While aspiring to be this amazing of a teacher is just fine for some, I think I would burn out within the first couple years as suggested by Spencer.

If I were to go the route of being a middle school teacher, I think I would be more likely to create a sustainable career for myself yet still aspire to great things later. I can still be a great teacher without changing the world in my first year. I will be able to teach the subject I love, math, without trying to force myself to teach subjects I am not as comfortable with. Don't get me wrong, I am not swinging back toward teaching middle school math simply because it would be easier. I am swinging back toward teaching a subject I love, toward a sustainable start to my career, and the ability to be a great teacher without forcing myself to be what I'm not.

Starting a bit behind

It has been amazingly difficult for me to get back into the swing of things this quarter. Taking a full two week break from everything not on my personal want agenda made it almost impossible to light a fire under my butt to follow other agendas. I'm finally getting to the point where I can't ignore my school assignments and deadlines anymore if I want to be successful this quarter.

Having seen what this long break did to me this year, I'm wondering what long breaks will do to me once I have my own classroom. The breaks feel needed, but do the long breaks actually cause more stress on the tail end than what is relieved during the break? I think that many short breaks may be better for stress in this way than extra long breaks. I'm wondering how the school year could be altered to still have a couple longer breaks but still maintain connection to school and fluidity of productivity. Year-round school is starting to sound like a good idea to me, but how could it be seen as beneficial to all?