The World Is Your Oyster: Marylanders Grow Oysters Program

There's a saying that goes like this: "The world is your oyster." 

It means you can go anywhere and do anything, you've got opportunity galore ahead.

It's interesting, because oysters do just that for the Chesapeake Bay. They are pretty remarkable and powerhouses on their own accord. This infographic gives a quick visual overview:

About a week and a half ago, I got to be a part of some oyster opportunity in the making. As one of the Board of Directors of Maryland Yacht Club Maritime Foundation (MYCMF), I got to see some environmental stewardship in action. The vision of MYCMF is to "inspire and motivate communities to connect with waterways through interactive life experiences." Our mission:

"The Maryland Yacht Club Maritime Foundation Inc. DBA as MYC Maritime Foundation dedicates itself to advancing education, preservation, restoration and investigation efforts through collaborative maritime programs and projects. These efforts benefit a wide and diverse range of individuals, community members and groups. The groups we serve include schools, environmental organizations, at risk youth and engaged curious individuals. The various facets of STEAM, ( Science, Technology, Education, Arts and Mathematics) are incorporated to provide the greatest benefit and impact to all involved parties."

Taking part in the Marylanders Grow Oysters Program, Maryland Yacht Club was the staging center on Thursday, September 17th for a giant drop off of nearly 100 bags of oysters, with MYCMF members keeping it running like a well-oiled ship. With the help of a local school and their battalion of 5th graders, these bags of oysters were deposited into the waters of Rock Creek off the Patapsco River, which flows into the Chesapeake Bay. I was not there that day, but it stirred up memories as a delightful throwback to my days at Eagle Cove School when we got to see the kid-side of our oyster crew, with them in action.

Two days later on Saturday, the oysters were again "on the move" on a sunny, windy, feeling-like-fall kind of day. These baby oysters were destined to exchange their 2-day home in the creek at Maryland Yacht Club for their home for the year ahead. Marylanders who wish to donate their time, effort, and their docks sign up to be part of the Marylanders Grow Oysters Program. Currently, over 1,500 volunteers who own water-front property hang oyster cages from their docks to help grow these baby oysters. This protected aquatic environment is vital for their first year of life. In June, these oysters will be relocated to oyster sanctuaries.

We were the oyster pick-up point for folks who live on Stoney Creek, Nabbs Creek, and Rock Creek who signed up to harvest the baby oysters. Really, a small cog in the wheel of the whole program for the entire state of Maryland. For about an hour and a half during the 4 hour Saturday pick-up block, I was there to lend a helping hand if needed. However, I must say, it was a pretty smooth process, already underway! 

Fun Facts from the day:

• Baby oysters are called spat once the oyster larvae has attached to empty, cleaned reclaimed oyster shells. Several oyster spat can attach to the same shell.

• One bag of oysters is the equivalent of 3 oyster cages.

• One cage holds approximately 150 oyster spat.

• Once they have been harvested for the year, the spat will be approximately 1 inch in diameter. They will be planted in local oyster sanctuaries (often called oyster beds or reefs) where they will go to work filtering the tributaries and becoming home to many marine species. 

• Oysters can filter up to 50 gallons of water per day.

• Numbers from the day:
• Stoney & Nabbs Creek had 26 oyster growers with 82 cages hanging from their piers.
• Rock Creek had 71 oyster growers with 197 pier-hanging cages.
• Come June, that means we will plant approximately 42,000 oysters on the Ft. Carroll reef (the "forever home" of these li'l guys.)

• Speaking of guys, oysters begin as males, but can change their gender as needed over their lifetime.

• The Marylanders Grow Oysters Program is a part of the Oyster Recovery Partnership. Check out their website to learn more.

   

May the world be your oyster... and thanks to the 97 area folks who are helping to grow oysters locally, taking that opportunity to be part of something bigger than themselves. Such gratitude for these environmental stewards who are raising oysters which will filter the bay. By volunteering like this to do something bigger than themselves, they have made it possible for all of us to go forward and enjoy the beauty and benefits of the Chesapeake Bay.

The world is our oyster, indeed!

Oyster infographic from https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/infographic/infographic-value-chesapeake-bay-oyster-habitat, photos from my camera.

Climate Change, Coronavirus, & Katherine Hayhoe

There's a line from the 1996 movie "Jerry Maguire" where Renée Zellweger's character says, "You had me at hello."

Much in that same way, climate scientist Katherine Hayhoe (who I've written about before) had me at "Global Weirding." Truly, what could be better terminology than that for both global warming and climate change.

Here are two pieces she did at the end of March 2020 when the pandemic started growing exponentially five months ago.  In the first video, she shows how climate change is not a causation of Coronavirus but but certainly a contributing factor connecting the two as a threat multiplier.

Her second video shows how the pandemic is affecting carbon emissions and air pollution. 

Video from https://youtu.be/ruOl1R5cpnw and https://youtu.be/62IzyebP1_o

Global Weirding logo from http://www.rewire.org/pbs/not-sure-global-warming-try-global-weirding/

Honoring Ruth Bader Ginsburg

Ruth Bader Ginsburg has been heavy on my heart and mind since her passing last Friday night. She really has become such an American icon over her 87 years. It's been inspiring seeing the tributes to her on both social and mainstream media. 

A friend of mine went to lay flowers at the Supreme Court to honor both RBG and to dedicate a flower to special women in her life. I was touched to be one of the women she chose to include in that. 

When I think of the powerhouse that RBG was, I am a bit in awe. Another friend posted this list on social media, along with the comment that no matter which side of politics you are on, all women owe a lot to the trailblazer we call Justice Ginsburg. 

Looking at this list, I'm reminded of the many times, even now in 2020, women still struggle for true equality, despite how far we have come. What comes to mind are the number of times I've called about some account for our family, however the account happens to be in my husband's name. On those calls, I can't tell you the number of times I've heard "Since the account is in his name, can you put him on the phone so we have him verify that we can speak to you?" I get the idea of account verification and appreciate it to a degree, but it frustrates me and makes me feel like a second class citizen every time... especially since they seem to have no problem cashing the checks when I write and send them in! 

I grew up in the '70s & '80s and saw my own mom as a trailblazing working mom, ahead of her time. I recall times she talked about getting criticized for that and the rise in her position which she worked hard to achieve. 

I remember when I just had my first born and was looking for a "mommy and me" group, and some chastising I heard from stay at home moms about being a working mom myself. I remember thinking, "Parenting is hard, shouldn't we all just be on the same team?"

Ruth Bader Ginsburg fought for all of that. And much much more. We thank her for her many years of service to our country and all of us for her time on the Supreme Court and every fight that she fought to allow us our human rights and privileges!

For my teacher friends out there, here are some digital resources if you are wanting to honor the legacy of RBG in your classroom.

• Ruth Bader Ginsburg: Supreme Court Justice Mini Bio video (3 minutes) created by Biography.com
• Myhero.com's Multimedia Resources & Lesson Plans on Ruth Bader Ginsburg
• Newseum's "Women Who Shaped the Supreme Court" lesson plans
• There are many RBG links & lesson plans at Resources for History Teachers  
• Bookroo's list of "14 Kids Books About Ruth Bader Ginsburg"

A final word: It's been overwhelming and disheartening to see how quickly our loss of "The Notorious RBG" has become a political conversation given her passing & ultimate replacement so close to the election. To that, I say the best way to honor her is this:

RBG quote created by @Eco With Em at https://www.facebook.com/ecowithem/posts/3598148363580564--she has a very poignant and insightful post about the loss of RBG on her Facebook page from September 20th, equating the current times with the Australian wildfires from January and how perhaps we all have the seeds of change inside us that take so much upset to have them come to grow. It was a powerful nature metaphor for dealing with difficult times & can be found at https://www.facebook.com/ecowithem, Screenshot list from unknown, Letter block photo credit @Ann Mooradian

Blue Mind Days & Hours Outside, Summer 2020

This is my 3rd summer counting up hours outside, and my 2nd summer monitoring my "Blue Mind Days."  

The former is pretty straight forward, and it stems from a website promoting 1000 hours outside during the course of the year--so 250 seemed like a reasonable goal with a straight seasonal division by 4. 

My "blue mind" days are days I've purposefully spent by or in water. Sitting just next to my backyard pool doesn't count--I have to be in with that. Bathtubs and kitchen sinks also don't count. 

Summer seems optimum for this little personal experiment because time opens up in different ways during the teaching days of the school year.

Both numbers for me were down this summer, due in large part to orchestrating a lot of tech PD and set up for this Covid-centric school year that we're embarking on. Many weeks were 9-20 hour work weeks during my "summer off." (Already a misnomer for teachers!) Add in, it was pretty steamy midsummer, making my outdoor work habits an indoor activity. But, I was surprised to see how respectable they were in comparison to the last two years (check out the two links above). 

I know for me (as I was outside almost the entirety of the 3 days of Labor Day weekend just last week) are the great equalizers for me. The breeze in the air, the vibrancy of color, the scampering and fluttering of wildlife, and the buoyancy and reflectiveness of the water do all the things that physiologically, emotionally, spiritually, and mentally they are supposed to do. It's always a sad goodbye when temperatures start to drop because I haven't transitioned the magic of all of that into the mindset of winter quite yet. But lucky for me, we've got a lovely fall days ahead. With these Covid classroom teaching days, I plan to be outside as much as possible!

Photo compilation created with my photos of my calendar tallies & the PicCollage app.

Wildfires & Hurricanes: Two Devastating Side Effects of A Warming Planet

Wildfires are burning everywhere it seems right now--especially everywhere west of the Rockies. At least that's how it feels when you go to the U.S. Wildfire Map or the Global Forest Watch Map. Glowing orange skies in California and reports for friends in Colorado and Oregon are not comforting. I'd imagine their air quality isn't comforting to them either! As if we don't have enough reasons to wear masks with Covid 19!

The wildfires in the West Coast with overly-dry land is about as comforting as hitting the peak of hurricane season on September 10th when there were there were 7 active systems in the Atlantic Ocean. Only 2 were named at the time, though the other 5 had potential of moving beyond "tropical disturbances." Thus far for the 2020 Hurricane system, at this writing we had hit 17 named storms. Annual average is 11-12 storms. There's even a potential (if we keep going this year) of hitting Hurricane or Tropical Storm Vicky (yours truly, though spelled differently). Of course, if we judge 2020 by memes, we're of course destined to get lucky and land there! There's some other speculation that we will use up the 21 storm-slated names, causing us to have to use the Greek alphabet. The only other time we had to do that was in 2005.

Hurricanes & wildfires are two of the major effects of climate change and warming global temperatures. 

For fires, the problem is visible in this visual (from the Union of Concerned Scientist "Infographic: Wilfires & Climate Change: Visualizing the Connection in 5 Sets of Photos & Charts"):

The Union of Concerned Scientists also have some thoughts on hurricanes in their "Hurricanes & Climate Change" report published July 16, 2008 and updated June 25, 2019. Factors that have intensified hurricanes with time include:

• rising ocean temperatures
• rising sea levels
• increased melting of ice-coverage over land

All of which create greater coastal storm surges, causing water to go further inland. Greater population density over time in coastal areas doesn't help.... especially with approx. 40% of the U.S. population living in these coastal areas. 

When you look at the United States map under the layer of impact of both wildfires and hurricanes, we're at a great environmental impact. With our bandwidth not only stretched but maxed right now in 2020 with the pandemic, environmental issues seem to slip to the bottom of the list. One could argue that is really doing us a large disservice--especially as Covid 19, wildfires, and hurricanes may potentially all be vying for FEMA money (Federal Emergency Management Agency) down the line.

If 2020 has shown us anything, it's that you never know what lies ahead. Here's hoping that we have already seen the worst!

Fire infographic from https://www.ucsusa.org/resources/infographic-wildfires-and-climate-change

Video from https://youtu.be/IkmPQ3Ke2as and https://youtu.be/-J26puUEQ18

September 12th

The "Memories" piece of Facebook is always interesting. It is a 1/365 daily slice of what you did last year, or 4 years ago, or sometimes even 10 or 11 years ago is really an interesting little time capsule. (Sometimes it surprises me just how long I have been on Facebook!) It's touching to see those endearing pictures of my kids when they were far smaller than they are now, the witticisms that I posted solely to make myself laugh, or the wise words I needed that one day 5 years ago that really still resonate today.

Facebook memories can be poignant as well. Take yesterday, September 11th. We all know the horrific tragedy that took place 19 years ago in New York City, the Pentagon, and in Pennsylvania when terrorists weaponized our airplanes without thought to the lives onboard. We all can instantly go back to "where we were" that day, and feel those same emotions on a guttural level. 

My Facebook memories yesterday shared with me my thoughts and comments from 8 years ago:

Think most of us today will be thinking about the date, of exactly where we were 11 years ago (as if it were yesterday), and looking to the skies with trepidation as well as gratitude. May a circle of unity and cohesiveness embrace us all today, just like it did in the aftermath of 9-11 back in 2001.

To which, I wrote this yesterday, while I shared those same sentiments from 8 years prior:

8 years ago and yet still rings so true here at Year 19. We came together then as a country, united in collective mourning and resilience. Standing up together in love and support, as one nation. Sadly it took that immense tragedy to get us there. Looking back at those moments and our solidarity against the common enemy, let’s use some of that same fortitude and conviction of the heart as we look at all the turmoil we have been wrestling with this year: the incredible loss of life & normalcy due to Covid, the devastation of California’s wildfires, and the racial injustice that has caused a tsunami across our country. Now, like then, is the time to come together with love, strength, & support of each other, our fellow Americans. 

I remember in 2001, my folks were traveling throughout New England, Canada, and Newfoundland shortly after 9-11 on a five week "Follow the Fall Foliage" adventure. They have story after story of the amazing people they met along the way, especially when in Canada, who were wholeheartedly supportive of them, my parents, as Americans, and for what we endured as a country. The world was so giving and so genuine with each other. Americans were so giving and genuine with each other in the aftermath. 

These stories of my folks, and my own experiences from September and the Fall of 2001 when I was living in Tampa, stay with me. 

Maybe too, it's because of those, I was particularly struck by this article a good friend of mine shared, written by Scott Saxe just yesterday entitled "Spare Me the Hypocrisy, America." It mirrors my morning thoughts as I shared my Facebook memory.  We are all part of the collective American family. We are enduring some hard times right now. We need to be there for each other. We need every day to be "September 12th" in every way.

THAT is the true meaning of #NeverForget.

Facebook Memory, screenshot from my Facebook Memory feed. Photo from my camera, and my GTG 9-11-2019 post, detailing how this 9-11 monument was constructed of steel beams from the original World Trade Center site from September 11th, 2001. https://www.greenteamgazette.com/2019/09/remembering-911.html

Backyard Butterflies

This is our second summer of harvest of Asclepias syriaca...that's common milkweed to you and me. My husband doubled our plot this summer. Despite the fact that we're about 3-4 weeks later in seeing any visitors than we did last year, we finally have been recognized on the monarch mapping system as a safe place to land. We are now reaping the bounty of that harvest with the whole variety of life stages of Danaus plexippus: The Monarch butterfly.

  

Yesterday's count showed me 35 chrysalis at various places in our back yard & 5 caterpillars on a very stripped patch of milkweed. Those little 5 are going to have a hard go of it as there are no milkweeds left! Seriously, my photo dates show fully blossomed and leafy milkweed from just two weeks ago! Amazing how much they chowed down in that two week time period!

What also has really struck me is the great distance some of them have gone to set up their chrysalis shop. A couple even scurried quite a ways to create their chrysalis on the netting of our backyard lacrosse goal. Not your safest spot, li'l guys!!

 

It all struck me by Barbara Kingsolver's book Flight Behavior, which I read earlier in the summer. It's the fictional tale all about monarchs and their surprisingly northern migration resting spot due to the warming result of climate change. 

 

Along the way, I ran across this Native Pollinator lesson plan from National Wildlife Federation. It has more than just monarchs, but is a great resource. 

I have a feeling, next year our Milkweed & Monarch plot will be even bigger. It's been wonderful being a part of putting beauty into the yard by way of my backyard.

photos & video from my backyard.

Back to School Stats

School, hybrid style, started on Wednesday. 

Stats felt like the way to start reflecting back over the week: 

• 28,218 step, mostly at school, 2 days of which were over 10K (and this is from a girl who wrestled with a raging new case of sciatica this August, on top of 2 bad knees)

• Wednesday I taught sixteen 15-minute tech lessons to 8 classes (8 in the morning to the hybrid half that came, 8 in the afternoon to the other half) covering how to find our "hybrid home-day" zoom links (which for us are on Bitmoji Boards) and also how to login to Clever (a single sign on platform that allows for "1 stop shopping").

• Thursday, I taught ten 35-minute tech lessons to our 1st-- 5th graders with computers so they could practice logging into Clever, their Zoom links, and either Seesaw or our learning management system which we are newly using for upper elementary. Add in wiping 5-9 computers between each session to thoroughly disinfect.

• Friday, I repeated my Thursday schedule for the other half of the children in this hybrid situation.

• Total number of lessons taught in 3 days: 36

• Parent Zooms for new remote-only parents: 1 (approx. 1 hour in length)

• Number of emails to the tech help desk (which I am a part of): Too many to count

• Number of days it took me to completely lose my voice: 3 (although, by the end of 2, it already was on the major decline toward being highly hoarse)

• Add in, our Swivls have just arrived on campus. (Goodness, at least 25 or so.) These will help bring our at home remote learners into our class alongside with the half of the class that is on campus every other day--so there's teacher training ahead too. 

In this Covid-new-reality world, sometimes it feels like a race against the clock. We are working like the dickens to try to get our students fully acclimated to all the portals and platforms so they know what they are doing for the "if/when we go remote." Hopefully it's at least after we all know which end is up and what we are doing. (Kids & teachers alike!!)

This certainly is a school year like no other. I'm certainly glad I have the 3-day weekend ahead to physically, mentally, emotionally, and vocally recover. Especially since more tech training days for students are ahead and scheduled for next week. Luckily not quite so progressively packed, but it'll make for another full week again. The joys of being a technology teacher (which I do really love, but I do sorely miss the good ole days prior to 2020 teaching)!

For all the teachers and students out there (and the parents who are navigating their children's learning as well).... Give yourself some grace this fall, and just know, we all know how hard each and everyone of you are working to do this all with masks on, with the aroma of soap and hand sanitizer in the air, trying to socially distance while also helping yourself, your students, and your colleagues in this new time of learning. 

I'm ending with an image I made for my homeroom teachers and shared with them the night before school started--was that only 4 days ago?

Images: Back to School Statistics created at www.canva.com using the graph from https://www.cleanpng.com/png-united-states-bar-chart-progress-chart-carter-comm-3903623/preview.html. First Day of School Bitmoji Board created using the Bitmoji app and Google Slides.

Let the Games Begin

Today (Wednesday, September 2nd, 2020) this week is when we "let the games begin."

All systems go.

Ready or not, here it comes.

Wednesday (today!) is the day I officially go back to school, starting my 28th year of teaching. (Man, that's a longggg time! I can still remember that first year of teaching, 28 years ago, in great detail!)

The start of school look so different to everyone this year. For us, we are going back partially--in a hybrid fashion (aka: every-other day). We will be full on "in" for our first graders and younger. We will go alternating days for our 2nd through 12th graders. Teachers will be in-house 5 days a week. All divisions have a 5-day remote learning option, if parents opt in for that. All divisions have someone (or 5+ someones) taking advantage of that remote option.

It goes without saying that this will be by far the most different--and perhaps difficult--year of teaching ever. 

In the age of Covid, we send our 18 year olds out to college, hoping that the school stays safe and healthy, responsible, and in session. We hope they can miraculously sustain the entire semester.

Yet as elementary teachers, we are uncertain when it comes times to receiving our wards via the school/school system. We see it as a tough situations with germs abounding, with the littlest ones wrestling with keeping their masks on their face and knowing what 6 weeks of social distancing even looks like. Schools are a little scary right now. But as educators, we go forth. Hoping and praying that we all stay healthy, and we all can do our best for our students.

As I head back to school, knowing teachers are uncertain of their future, we embrace hope. Sometimes, hope is all we have. It certainly beats embracing fear factor or burying our heads in the sand. As educators, what we do is take care of others. We love our students, and would do anything for them. We miss them and our classrooms--and it's been a long time (since March) for most of us  Let's hope we can get back to the business of teaching, staying sane, safe, and healthy. It certainly will be "Mr. Toad's Wild Ride" ahead this school year.

In the immortal words of Moira, Johnny, David, & Alexis Rose, I found this tribute from the cast of "Schitt's Creek" (which was created for our 2020 spring graduates) highly fitting as a tribute to all teachers out there. [Schitt's Creek was my go-to binge show this summer. I "Loved me those 6 seasons" (which I maybe watched in a whopping 2 weeks)!!] The Roses make me smile every time!

Teachers, regardless of your format as you re-enter school, be strong, be tough, and be downright awesome. It's going to be a year that you won't ever forget...and a year of patience, creativity, fortitude, grit, work, compassion, innovation, intensity, and empathy. Mask up, sanitize, and don't ever forget to breathe. You can do this--we can do this--and we all will rock it!

Video from https://youtu.be/wMyK0ANuxiU,image from https://www.marketsmuse.com/equity-crowdfunding-us-gets-mojo/

World's Largest Lesson: Global Goals For Sustainable Development

While researching the late Sir Ken Robinson, I ran across this video series about the World's Largest Lesson. Created a few years ago, this ties in the with United Nations Global Goals for Sustainable Development, with their target date of making "our planet fair, healthy, and sustainable by 2030." Both were written by Sir Ken Robinson. And... with the second one narrated by Emma Watson, and the first narrated by Malala Yousafzai, how can it be anything but amazing?!

On The World's Largest Lesson website, there are a wealth of free resources (including lesson plans) and ideas for taking action as students. 2030 is a mere ten years away. 

With every year, it becomes more daunting, but we can certainly do the important work, if we put our minds to it! These videos certainly serve as inspiration!

The World's Largest Lesson pt 2 - with thanks to Sir Ken Robinson and Emma Watson from World's Largest Lesson on Vimeo.Videos from https://vimeo.com/worldslargestlesson/english-malala and Part 2:  https://vimeo.com/178464378, Part 3: https://vimeo.com/266852848

Honoring Sir Ken Robinson

 
For a more decade, Sir Ken Robinson has been known as a rock star--at least with teachers and when it comes to his viral social media. His infamous 2006 TED talk "Do Schools Kill Creativity?" still is one of the most-viewed TED Talks of all times. For that reason combined with his push for innovation, imagination, & creativity in education, it is with great sadness too learn of his passing at the age of 70 last Friday (August 21st, 2020).

It got me thinking about how his philosophy is sort of the heart of this blog: GTG. Creativity is the foundation of innovation, which is the key to solving many of the problems of our world. Additionally, he was an avid environmental activist. For that reason, it is fitting to honor him. 

In looking into Sir Ken's history, I ran across his New York Times bestseller The Element: How Finding Your Passion Changes Everything, a New York Times bestseller he co-wrote with Lou Aronica. It seemed only right to read. In it, he discusses the importance of marrying your personal talents, natural attitudes, and your own passions to reach your "Element" in order to achieve a future in which you thrive. It ties with those "21st century skills" especially given the global & technological change growing exponentially this last decade--and beyond into the future!  

It really causes you to think about it all in the wake of the pandemic and the necessary changes we had to make for spring remote learning... and hybrid learning (for me) this fall. In fact, he has a thoughts on this subject, just this past May.

He also spoke of imagination and empathy in part of his longer 2011 speech at the Dalai Lama Center for Peace & Education. Empathy seems to be a common theme these days in many places.

For more on Sir Ken Robinson and his brilliance and inspiration--or simply to pay tribute yourself to an amazing man who left this planet far too early, check out the following:

• His official website
• Sir Ken Robinson's YouTube Channel
• Sir Ken Robinson's Speaker page on TED.com where it features
• "Do Schools Kill Creativity" (June 2006)
• "Bring on the Learning Revolution (May 2010)
• "Changing Education Paradigms" (Dec. 2010)
• "How to Escape Education's Death Valley" (May 2013)

Image from https://www.facebook.com/SirKenRobinson/photos/a.1794274873930602/3582940128397392/, videos from https://youtu.be/QU4Q17t4muY and https://youtu.be/Yu2zcmb3yAQ , quote from https://theartofeducation.edu/podcasts/interview-sir-ken-robinson-ep-068/

The Benefit of Trees

I ran across this infographic about the benefits of trees--urban trees in particular. It reminds me of the concept of "forest bathing" (which also reminds me of our get-away trip to the New River Gorges area of West Virginia and all the tree greenery that surrounded us.

Visuals like this help keep us centered, especially this year when everything seems constantly up-in-the-air with the uncertainties of living in a pandemic.

Glancing back at the infographic... maybe there's benefits in treehugging too!

Image from https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Benefits-of-urban-trees_fig1_322785015 and uploaded by Maibritt Pedersen Zari

Our Oyster Graduates

A friend of mine posted this video on Facebook recently. It is a video montage of an early fall day ten years ago at one of my favorite places: my former school where I was the 3rd grade teacher. I've often said it was perhaps the greenest school in America!

Oyster Day became an annual tradition at Eagle Cove School. Typically our eldest, the 5th graders, won the right and privilege to put on the hip-waders and be the ones to get in the water to put the oyster spat cages and bags in the water. In this video of a decade ago, though, the 4th & 5th graders were both on their annual team building outdoor trip, based on the way the calendar dates fell. So this special year, our 3rd graders, as the oldest on campus that day, earned this surprising privilege. As their 3rd grade teacher, I can guarantee, I had a lot of ecstatic kids in my class that day who got to do the really cool, big kid, important stuff.

I think it's fitting this year (AND at this time of the year) because my 2010 third graders are heading to college this fall. They are the ones that experienced their senior year spring in the middle of a pandemic and remote learning. They are the ones who had a topsy turvy, unique, & unexpected graduation. Our seniors at my current school had a socially-distanced graduation on the school campus lawn, with paper-faced faculty posters stuck to chairs so the students could have an audience there supporting them. Our seniors received their diplomas in a special, almost militarily-scheduled, individualized Diploma Ceremony, crossing the stage... all the while being video-taped, and this footage was sewn together to create a Zoom-style graduation that no one ever expected. The school did it right, and the faculty, staff, and parents were proud. As I watched our 2020 graduation (where many of my former 3rd graders were graduating), I was touched, and often thought of those environmentally-active third graders of a decade ago.

Now, as we have hit this point at the end of summer, these once-third graders are heading to college. Some heading to campus while others are readying for a semester online at their own homes. For that reason, this video seemed more than just memories to me, but a tribute to all of those former students of mine as they head off into their next adventure. Masks in hand, ready to put on when they get to campus... maybe getting a Covid test along with all their text books... and ready to dive into this next chapter. May we wish them well as they pack the car, deck out their dorms, and find new passions and pals. They will rock it! Of this I know!

Video created by Carl Treff, from https://youtu.be/XQtRmi3VjME, Image from https://theamericanonews.com/2020/03/24/college-bound-in-the-time-of-coronavirus-heres-what-class-2020-can-do-to-succeed/ and https://www.okaloosaschools.com/programs/hs/college-bound

Environmental Education Resources for Remote Learning

The best way to learn about the great outdoors is to get right out there. But, for those of us who are educators facing an uncertain fall of hybrid or remote learning, it could happen that outdoors is not really a place we get to with our students. Even if we are hybrid or fully "brick and mortar," teaching, there may be new parameters in place where field trips or bus transportation is limited due to physical distancing or trying to keep our "bubbles" small.

Here are 5 places to go to with a wealth of resources to help bring some virtual learning opportunities into your classroom, especially by way of computer, back yards, or school grounds.

• National Wildlife Federation's Virtual Classroom Resources

• The National Environmental Education Foundation's Environmental Education At Home Portal

• National Education Association's Environmental Education Activities & Resources

• Pennsylvania Association of Environmental Educators' Teaching EE At Home Portal

• Maryland Association of Environmental & Outdoor Education Resources (as written about in my July 8, 2020 GTG post)

Image created at Canva.com

When Less Is More

I've just finished reading"The Year of Less: How I Stopped Shopping, Gave Away My Belongings, and Discovered Life is Worth More Than Anything You Can Buy in a Store" by Cait Flanders. In it, she details a life of minimalism and how she arrived there in one year with by imposing her own "shopping ban." In truth, it also details her several-year "journey of less" in all aspects of her life. Less shopping, less clutter, less debt, less food & snacking, less weight, less mindless TV watching, less social media, less drinking, less work, and much more.

Minimalism has always piqued my interest--as evident on my bookshelf (filled, ironically, way too many books) but in titles such as "Simplify Your Life" and "Inner Simplicity" (both by Elaine St. James), "Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less" (by Greg McKeown), and "Simple Abundance" (by Sarah Ban Breathnach). I've watched  "Minimalism: A Documentary About Important Things." But it sometimes is hard to be a true minimalist when you have teenagers and a husband and a dog, all of whom have differing opinions.

It wasn't intentional, but I ended up reading Cait Flanders book right after spending 30 man-hours this summer with all of the above participants (minus the dog) overhauling the basement. When you have teenagers,  you don't necessarily need the "Magic Treehouse" books, or Lincoln Logs, or Playmobile guys, or dress-up costumes, or stuffed animals anymore. It was a process that was probably at least 5 years overdue. I tend to be very organized, so I can organize a lot of stuff and not look like a hoarder. However, we had certainly surpassed that point in the basement. It was a big job. And it stunned me a little bit thinking of all the money over the years that had gone to all of this stuff we were getting rid of. But, as my husband reminded me, it served a purpose at the time, and that time had passed. This certainly was a strong tie in to Cait's own realizations and her journey as well.

I tackled the lion share of the job, but I couldn't even start the project on my own due to overwhelm. As a family, we created 4 blocks of time where all four of us worked for only one hour at a time, cranking through as much as we could in that hour. Those blocks of simultaneous 4-man-hours helped accomplish a lot in a concentrated time. They cut through my sentimental "maybe we should keep it" moments. They were far more cut-throat! Multiple truck-loads of stuff were donated--bags of books included. Old crafting items went to school to be up for grabs. Several bookshelves were grabbed from the curb by our neighbor. We still have a pile of stuff that we're considering selling (or it may come to donating) as I'm really just ready to offload those items.

The memorabilia was my hardest part, with boxes of never-scrapbooked items, but I organized those into one tub per child of keepsakes. Apparently I thought it'd be a good idea to save every kindergarten handwriting page my daughter ever wrote, so we had a lot of recycling as well.


The room is still a work in progress as we have some odds and ends to fix (one of which may involve a handy man), but it is a world of improvement. It's not overstuffed and cluttered. It's actually spacious and inviting. It goes with Cait's concept of "Whenever you let go of something negative in your life, you make room for something positive."

Likewise, as I was wrapping up Cait Flanders' book last night, I reflected on some of her broader thoughts. The basement overhaul has been tied also to my daily treks on the exercise bike (also in the basement) to improve my overall health and stamina--which in turn has started helping to shed a few pounds. This, in turn, has also led to more veggies on my plate. Cait's quote "Every small change you make pays compound interest. It helps you make another change, another mind-set shift, another decision to live in a new way" seemed to be whispering right to me. Ironically too, it's cropped up as I'm simultaneously reading James Clear's "Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits and Break Bad Ones."

Having never been much of a shop-a-holic, both Cait's book and my basement have led me even further away. I don't need more. We have enough. Along those lines, I'm trying to read more books on Kindle (including Cait's) as books are my shopping downfall! I'm grateful for what we do have, and I know that some of our stuff will be the same stuff we will later be getting rid of. The landfills truly don't need more, and I wonder how much I'm greenwashing myself with all my donations simply to avoid seeing someone else throw them away! In reading Cait's journey and taking my own, it makes you look at your priorities through a fine-toothed comb... and that was only my basement!

You can learn more about Cait Flanders on her website or by following #TheYearOfLess in social media. Maybe it, or my basement story, will inspire you to make the best out of "less" in your life.


Cait Flanders' book cover from https://www.amazon.com/Year-Less-Shopping-Belongings-Discovered/dp/9386832933 & all other photos from my phone & basement.

Great American Outdoors Act

Things that are important are worth doing, doing well, and spending valuable time on.

Since 1964, 5+ decades worth of time has been spent by members of Congress, environmental activists, businesses, and more to do just that to support the Land & Water Conservation Fund in order to bring the Great American Outdoors Act to fruition. I happen to know one of the key players who was working hard for at least the last eleven years to push through this Act and get it to the President's desk. I know she was doing a lot of celebrating this spring as the bill passed each of the following:

• Introduced in the House of Representatives on March 28, 2019 by the late John Lewis;
• Passed the Senate on June 17th, 2020 by a vote of 73-25;
• Passed the House of Representatives by a huge bipartisan vote of 310-107 on July 23rd, 2020;
• Signed as a bill on August 4th by our current president.

What will the Great American Outdoors Act ensure? It sets aside major funds to safeguard & protect parks, forests, and trails on the local, state, and national level, without a 50 year time restriction (as has been done in the past). For the next five years, $1.9 billion per year will come from energy development revenues to provide facility maintenance and infrastructure assistance for "national parks, forests, wildlife refuges, recreation areas, and American Indian Schools. It will also use royalties from offshore oil and natural gas to permanently fund the Land and Water Conservation Fund to the tune of $900 million a year to invest in conservation and recreation opportunities across the country."With over 325 annual visitors to the national parks, repairs are backlogged (to the tune of $12 billion), and this money will go far for improvements.

For some it may be a bit of a surprise given Trump's environmental track record, especially when his administration worked in the past to shrink protections from national monuments such as the Bears Ears National Monument, the Grand Staircase-Escalante National monument and the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument. According to The Hill, Trumps' reversal stems from the fall re-election of Senators Cory Gardner (R-Colorado) and Steve Daines (R-Montana) and hoping to hold those seats in the Senate.

To celebrate, this year all public land fees were waived on August 5th, and going forward the same will hold true for all future August 4ths to commemorate this environmental win.

To learn more:

• Go to the Land & Water Conservation Fund Press Release
• See the Bill at Congress.gov
• Visit the Legislative & Congressional Affairs Page on the Great American Outdoors Act at National Park Service

Images: https://affta.org/news/518590/Great-American-Outdoors-Act-Passes-the-House.htm and https://twitter.com/TWWPioneer/status/1290672923238260736/photo/1

Change & Growth-Notes from Nature

I have some posts doing some brain-brewing, but based on my bandwidth (as mentioned in my last post), they haven't made it to either paper or computer.

But as I sit outside writing this today, on a pretty pristine, low humidity day, I'm struck by this poem from 1000 Hours Outside's Facebook page. I've been a fan of the concept of 1000 hours outdoors for awhile, and have monitored my summer "outside" hours both last year and the year before.... This year too I'm making my tallies once again. I'll have more to follow as we get to the start of September.

The pandemic time has certainly been a time for reflection--because "time" is the one thing we do readily & easily have! That gift of time! Change is on the horizon for educators as they continue to grow their tools to use them in new ways of teaching. Teachers have the change of getting to know new students and creating that new community of "our" learners. We have an election ahead this fall, which potentially could bring about change. We have the annual, cyclical rotation of change in our own homes, which bring about transitions and new milestones, new grade levels for our kids, new experiences. This poem equates growth and change together, two peas-in-a-pod, if you will. These words make for a thoughtful outdoor-centric reflection and meditation on all of the above.

May we all find and truly see the undercurrent of new possibilities, growth, and change. We can always thrive, and sometimes do the most, when we are in a season of change.

Poem image from 100 Hours Outside's Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/1000hoursoutside/photos/a.184030321780374/1478797325636994/ ; butterfly pic from https://www.pxfuel.com/en/free-photo-ejake

Bandwidth

There's irony in the fact that "bandwidth" relates to both technology and mental capacity.... which means it is also ultimately tied to nature and the outdoors (for we all know that the latter is the cure for the former).

In this world that's already highly tech-i-fied, after a season of remote learning and multiple Zooms a day, computers make the world go 'round. Especially as coronavirus cases continue to rise in the United States. Social media, news, the TV, and more tell us that now as August arrives, we in the United States did a rather abysmal job of curtailing the Covid as our curve continues to crawl the wrong way.

From a teacher's perspective, summer is always my season to regroup, relax, and rejuvenate. It's that time we teachers soak up, tackling those home tasks we maybe haven't gotten to over the past several months. (Mine right now is overhauling the basement!) Likewise it's time to read books (for business and pleasure), search out new ideas, percolate over our classrooms and curriculum, and even have a few adventures so that we can be ready to dive into the fall school year.

School is not now, nor has it ever been, a 9 to 5 job.

Summer 2020 ... much like the rest of 2020 ... is an beast unto itself, and the normal "summer things" just aren't the same. For me, I've noticed a direct hit on my bandwidth. Literally (technologically by way of my wifi) and physically/mentally/emotionally/spiritually.

It's summer, and yet I've spent approximately 12-15 hours both this week and last doing school work. Teaching professional development (PD) classes, taking other PD classes, reading, researching, wrestling with wifi, orchestrating, and organizing some real needs for my school, my teachers, and myself. Will we be in school, out of school, or somewhere in between with a hybrid model--and will it be safe? I know teachers who love their jobs who have resigned rather than go back into a classroom they do not deem safe due to their local Covid numbers. Likewise, I know others that are making sure their affairs are in order by making sure their wills are written. Just in case.

As my zoom meetings have moved from spring teaching to summer learning, it all heightens awareness. Perhaps only if we can prepare for everything! Typically, summer is a time to relax the reliance on calendars... yet this year I am religiously keeping a calendar so I can make sure to show up at the proper Zoom times. My calendar is peppered with white sticky labels as events get rescheduled or canceled due to quarantine restrictions. I've got layers and layers of labels covering up canceled commitments.

My brain feels much like that layered calendar, trying to keep track of what is and is not happening. I can't shake the feeling that the ground beneath seems to be constantly shifting. We're trying to be flexible, but there is so much uncertainty in the unknown. It makes it difficult to plan. (Teachers are big planners by the way!) Case & point: we're working on the 4th iteration of move-in days for my daughter's college. The lacrosse tournament we went to (masked) last weekend for my son was on it's 2nd or 3rd calendar date, having shifted a month or two later month than originally intended. In our house, my family is putting forth dedicated effort to follow the restrictive orders of "safer at home;"yet, after months of this it leaves us wondering why we are trying so hard to stay healthy when it's clear that others are not. Meanwhile, numbers of Covid cases and deaths grow exponentially. (Yes, there is increased testing, but the positivity rate in some states is downright scary.)

It all leaves a layer of frustration under the surface--much like my calendar sticky labels. It all piles on top, dismantling motivation along the way. Plus, social media and nightly news show us continued signs of racial injustice, peaceful protesting, reports of rioting, and stories of military-style secret police in major metropolitan areas. All the while, we carry our own concern for our own children, our own parents (some of whom we haven't seen in awhile due to all the regional restrictions), our own wallets and how the economy is affecting it....also on top of conundrums of "what's for dinner," "do we have clean laundry to wear," and a myriad of other mental calisthenics that keep us awake at night.

There's an overload in my brain.... all related to a lack of bandwidth!

The oft-used quote "what doesn't kill you makes you stronger" comes to mind. But, the pile-on sometimes does more than just build character. The overload can weaken your immunity because there just are way too many things to think about. In the age of coronavirus, a weakened immune system is the last thing we need!

Now more than ever, as we enter August, teachers and students need to make sure to take the time to relax our brain. Parents and kids and the community as a whole does too. We need to schedule in more than zooms and work and planning. We need to take time breathe. To unwind. To unplug. To get outside. To get some sleep. To focus on healthy approaches like sleep and exercise. To slow down if have yet to do so. We need time to watch campy TV shows just to laugh! We need time in or near water to decompress and to soak up #bluemind to counter the non-stop, active, anxious, "red mind."

Without doing a combination of all of the above, we certainly aren't going to have the bandwidth as teachers (and parents) to make it through the upcoming school year. By all means, no matter whether we are remote, in class, or in the in-between, I sense that this will be the most memorable school year of our lives. It'll take grit and work to reconfigure the art of teaching school. Teachers are some of the hardest working people I know, and I have no doubt we will accomplish that goal. My hope is that it doesn't come at an incredible expense or loss--of our spirit, of our creativity, of our clarity, of our health, or even our lives. We love our students and give them our all... but we want everyone in our midst to be safe and stay healthy.

A wish I have for all of you!


Definition from dictionary.com; Images from https://www.lifewire.com/what-is-bandwidth-2625809, https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/570709/yes-you-have-too-many-tabs-open-your-computer-and-your-brain-probably-blame, and https://psmag.com/magazine/this-is-your-brain-on-poverty