Two weeks was Earth Day; and although it would have been great for me to list some resources for teachers to utilize, I felt like taking a different approach. This time I wanted to share how I received Earth Day lessons from my students and others around me; thereby creating true and genuine ‘teachable moments.’
When I was a long-term substitute teacher, I was also involved in a program called AmeriCorps. Through this program I learned valuable skills that enabled me to be a stronger and more cognizant teacher.
One such experience was that of Earth Day. I prepared several tools and little mini lessons that I was going to integrate throughout the day. But my students had another idea in mind.
Before school even started, a student of mine ‘Juan’ came running up to me with some trash he had found around the school. He proceeded to tell me that the trash made the school ugly and sometimes he was embarrassed to come here. Well, that changed my whole view. During our P.E. time and some of our recess time, the majority of my students helped me pick up trash from all around our school. We were even an inspiration to other classes, who wanted to help out.
For me, the real lesson was the one my students gave me. It didn’t matter to them that I had spent the better part of my weekend preparing, what mattered to them, was having a “not ugly school.”
On this past Earth Day, I was watching a television program (Oprah). As I watched the program, I was thinking of all the good things I do already to take care of the environment; how I definitely do my part. Yet, I was reminded of my students and how important it was to them to have a clean place to go to school. Each week since watching that Earth Day program I have gone around my neighborhood to pick up the trash – because I want a pretty place to live.
In both of these situations, I had preconceived notions of what should be done and what part I had to play in both. However, by taking the time to listen to the ideas that others had – I learned more myself and found new ways to be the student, not just the teacher.
Recent Comments