My new job

I have a new job. I have had it since September, so I guess it's not that new...but it still feels that way. I am the eco-literacy coordinator for Alderwood house School in Richmond. Here is our blog. Over the next while I will be working to create a food garden, beautify the school grounds and basically get the kids in touch with the local ecology, which includes many surrounding farms as well as forest. I am hoping that together we will better understand how it all fits together. So far, the commute is long, but I am learning to enjoy it, burning through audiobooks and aspiring to become a transit knitter. The kids are pretty amazing. The other teachers are dedicated and I am surrounded by wonderful and supportive friends and colleagues who are helping me to figure out how I will do all this. Much more to come.

Green Porno

Recently I helped teach "family life" a pseudonym for sex ed in the grade 5 class where I did my practicum. The students were pretty embarrased about the whole thing but were full of insightful anonymously asked questions like "does sex feel good?", "does it hurt to get my period?", "can animals be gay" and "when do men catch up to women in maturity". I found the last question particularly amusing. Unfortunately due to time constraints I was unable to answer all these questions. It is important to give students age appropriate family and sex education, it can be tricky though, for me I have sometimes thought using plants as a metaphor can be a safe gateway for talking about reproduction.

Fortunately the world has Isabella Rosellini who has managed to combine my newfound interest in quality sex ed with my obvious love for the environment. Not only that but she does it with videos which emply amazing art direction and humour. Check them out. They are hilarious, and deal quite well with the little know reproductive techniques of various insects and marine life. Enjoy!

http://www.sundancechannel.com/greenporno/

Robert Bateman rants a good rant!

Just went to "authorfest" at UBC and saw Robert Bateman among others. The interesting thing is, Robert didn't talk about his books, and he didn't even talk that much about his paintings (the nature paintings many love to hate). Mostly he spoke about his experience as a teacher (he taught highschool geography and then art for 20 years) and what his nearly 80 years on this planet have taught him (he looks great for his age BTW, must be all the fresh air). He spoke about how we need to get kids outside interacting with nature and learning to find their sense of place in it. I was so surprised to hear someone I had no particular expectations for saying all the things I have been wanting to hear someone say. Things like "Either we limit economic growth or it will limit us", "we have to save children from nature deficit disorder", with reference to video games he stated "violence should never be fun. It should elicit horror and pity". He called our culture "instant pudding world because it's slick, smooth, sweet, convenient and comes in a variety of artificial flavours...", he quoted Chief Seattle who reportedly said in 1854 that "Man did not weave the web of life - he is merely a strand in it, Whatever he does to the web, he does to himself." He quoted Magaret Mead who said "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has." he spoke of Rachel Carson, art history, and the nature school in the Bahamas where his son worked for some time.
In short Robert Bateman is the ranting environmental Grandfather I never had. le sigh.
to watch a video he made about the dangers of oil spills click here.
To check out Robert's "get to know program" click here.
To go staight to the teacher resources he provides on his site, click here.
He's an exceptional painter and an inspirational naturalist and a beacon for me, and I am so glad that my entire cohort, hundreds of future teachers just got an earful of his kind of learning. It's about time.

Free Environmental resources tailored to BC curiculum!

Visit the David Suzuki Foundation website, or click here to register and download your FREE comprehensive teacher package for teaching "the nature challenge" in your classroom! In the words of the Doc:

As educators, you are in a unique position to effect real change on how we treat the earth. Teach students that small, simple steps can help protect nature, and you ground them in the awareness of that every individual – no matter how small or young – can make a big difference.

David Suzuki’s Nature Challenge Teacher’s Guide contains 20 lessons that use discovery-based learning to explore the key concepts of David Suzuki’s Nature Challenge. The introductory lessons are focused on how everything is connected to nature. Core lessons explore how choices about our homes, food, and transportation affect the environment.

Here are the 10 things David would like you to do:
1 Reduce home energy use by ten per cent.
2 Choose an energy-efficient home & appliances.
3 Don’t use pesticides.
4 Eat meat-free meals one day a week.
5 Buy locally grown and produced food.
6 Choose a fuel-efficient vehicle.
7 Walk, bike, carpool or take transit.
8 Choose a home close to work or school.
9 Support alternative transportation.
10 Learn more and share with others.