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Alphabet Soup
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The first time I visited America was when I was just out of high school and I spent the summer in Mt. Kisco, New York. Until then, I’d lived in two villages—Chirnside in the Scottish Borders and Rosedale Abbey in...
A Portal to the Wider World
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I have always loved kids. There is something about them that grounds me whenever I am around them. Sometimes we adults get caught up in the stress of life—we’ve got bills to pay, people to see and there is always...
Beginnings and Endings: One Teacher’s Reflection
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It’s January. The holidays are over. A new year has begun. It’s the time when people who love the cold or snow are relishing winter while folks like myself are pining for the light and warmth of spring. It’s no...
Should We Be Scared of Scaring You?
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My college roommate, a brilliant and utterly decent guy, became a top geologist for the petroleum industry. I became an environmental activist. We’re still friends. I’ll call him Rick. His job is to help clients make money by finding and...
Life Long Learning with Traditions and the Environment
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Learning is a life-long activity, and we want to instill that drive in all students. If you can engage students by making learning relevant and fun—as environment-based learning does—then they will not only perform better in school, but they will...
You, Me, and Us—The Layers of Happiness and How They Intertwine
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It’s that time of year. Thanksgiving is right around the corner, and hopefully you will be happily surrounded by family and friends, enjoying a delicious meal, participating in rich conversation and thinking about what you are most thankful for. As...
Kids these days…
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What do kids these days care about? Information, opportunity, seeking knowledge and truth are now literally at their fingertips. The Internet provides networks and connection like never seen before. Empowered youth have always played a role in the large movements...
Inside Out and Outside In
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I spent the third week of October with my 6th grade students in the Santa Cruz Mountains, learning about poison oak and banana slugs, compost and food waste, gardening and invasive plant species, and how ecosystems change as one moves...