John Muir once said, "In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks". Teaching in the heart of Silicon Valley brings some unique challenges. I teach Biology to an incredible, wonderfully, diverse set of 9th graders. Many are tech-savvy, but few have had outdoor experiences. When given the opportunity to spend time outdoors, interact with nature, study and explore the habitats that are in and around our campus, you quickly see the students embrace the serenity that comes by being amongst nature. They start to think and wonder about things that they haven't thought about before, things they see every day.
If we want this generation to care for our environment, it is crucial that they are given outdoor experiences.
As the Lorax said, "Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better, It's not." The students must learn about the environment if we expect them to care for it!
My Project
One of my goals as a biology teacher is to foster environmental literacy for all of my students. We rely on our environment for virtually every aspect of our lives, and it is critical that we educate our students accordingly. To help develop a deep relationship between my students and our natural world, we will be doing field studies. We are fortunate to have Calabazas Creek running right through our campus. We also have a garden and a well-landscaped campus. The opportunity to explore nature is literally right in front of them every day and yet they don't see it.
As a teacher, I want to provide my students with opportunities to see the world around them and not just the phone in their hands.
Our department is creating field bags that the students can take with them when we explore the natural areas on and off-campus. The bags will contain necessary supplies to observe, study, collect and record data over time. One item that would be extremely beneficial is field binoculars that will allow the students to look at things up close, like they have never seen before, without disturbing the habitats. If we can teach them about the natural world, they are more likely to want to care for it.
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As a teacher-founded nonprofit, we're trusted by thousands of teachers and supporters across the country. This classroom request for funding was created by Ms. MP Slate and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
