Thursday, April 22, 2010

HAPPY EARTH DAY - HAPPY 40TH ANNIVERSARY

Hi all,  I hope everyone had a wonderful Earth Day, and I hope every person gave thought to what they can do to improve our mother earth.

It's Not Too Late - You Can Still See The Movie, Food, Inc.

I hope everyone watched Food, Inc.  Even though I already knew what was in it from my years of study, I must say, I thoroughly enjoyed it, and think Robert Kenner, the filmmaker, did a great job.  It was nice to hear from Chris, one of my readers, that he got a lot from the film and enjoyed it too.

I've learned, since yesterday, that you can still see the film as PBS will be having more showings of it until next week, so check your local schedules.  I also have some great news, you can view it online too, on the PBS website, until April 29th!  Here is the link.

Forty Years Ago Was The First Earth Day

The first Earth Day was founded by Senator Gaylord Nelson as an environmental teach-in.  Here is a link to a page on www.envirolink.org that was written by Senator Nelson about how the first Earth Day came about.  It is an interesting read, so I thought you would enjoy checking it out.  It is also a great website to peruse when you have a chance.

A Earth Day To Remember

When Earth Day was coming up, about a week ago, it brought to my mind a Earth Day about 20 years ago.  I was teaching 5th grade at the time, and I had a wonderful class that year, it was my favorite of all my classes.  Luckily, I was teaching in a private school, so I had a little bit of leeway in my lessons, and wanted to make an impression on the minds of my students.

I decided we would clean up our block for Earth Day.  I think I used my science lesson that day, and one of my student's father generously provided all of us with a plastic garbage bag and big, emphasis on big, lol, rubbers gloves.  After donning the gloves, and instructing my class not to touch anything sharp, but to call me, we started our sweep of our block.  The school property took up one small block so it was very convenient.  I know we looked funny as my sweet students tried to maneuver picking up garbage with those huge yellow gloves.  I think it was a lesson that many of these students never thought about before that day.  I often wonder if the lesson stuck, and if they are now the teachers of the importance of Earth Day.

That Earth Day twenty years ago, was a beautiful warm spring day, and a great day to be outside.  My students didn't think it was so great to be out, especially at first, they just looked at it as hard work.  What?!  Pick up trash?!  But they were soon laughing, and we could see other students at the windows watching us.

The next day I had reports from my students that the other students, many of the ones at the windows, were teasing them and throwing garbage on the ground to taunt them.  Of course that just lead to another teaching lesson about how they were just jealous of my students, since they were allowed to go outside.  In the minds of the other students they perceived them as getting special treatment, and us as having too good of a time.  It didn't occur to them that we were working hard and cleaning up by picking up some stuff we would rather not have to pick up. lol

I can't remember a lot of Earth Days, but what I do recall is that more and more people over the years are beginning to realize the importance of taking care of this earth, we call home.  I hope many of you, who are now caring for the children of today, will have a teaching moment as I did twenty years ago.  I know that the things children learn when they are young really stay with them.  They may fight you at the time, but many of the good things you teach them will grow with them like a seed that germinates and grows.  I can only wish that for you, because looking back I know the one who gained the most from that day wasn't my students.  I wish that for you too.

Good Health and Wealth,

Jeanne



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