Ayla Reguero Koch is a 10th grade student who actively enjoys circus performancing, dance and painting. She is passionate about nature, especially the ocean where she spends a great deal of her free time. Over the past two years, she's traveled to two youth conferences to combat plastic pollution in the world's oceans and has advocated for alternatives to single-use plastic in her community. For the future, she aspires to be an architect committed to sustainable building.
Woodworking, like many other trades, has stereotypically been practiced by men while women have historically been discouraged from the field by society. Statistics on the construction trades show that in 2020 only 3.2% of carpenters in the United States were women. What happens in schools is part of the problem. Industrial arts teacher Tim Zavacki says students have shared stories of guidance counselors pushing female students towards art classes versus shop, trade or engineering classes.
Most of us have experienced times when an ocean, river rapids, a waterfall or a very cold swimming pool has demanded our attention or inspired awe. Water is indeed a powerful force of nature. However, it’s not commonly thought of as part of the educator’s toolkit (unless perhaps you’re teaching Montessori or marine biology). This article may change your mind. Oceans and water in general can be used by educators to benefit student learning both as a mindfulness tool and a boost to brain functioning.
Good students stay focused on work and pay attention in class, right? What if we were to go against common logic that letting the mind drift in class distracts from learning and say that these focused students may actually be missing crucial aspects in their learning? Why teachers should allow a child's mind to wander and wonder is the topic of a recent article by Anders Schinkel, associate professor of philosophy of education at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam.
World Oceans Day is on for 2020! Although there are fewer beach cleanups and more virtual events scheduled than usual, you can still join forces with people around the globe to celebrate our amazing oceans on June 8 — and keep the momentum going year-round. For this article, I teamed up with my 15-year-old daughter Ayla who’s become an ocean expert and advocate over the past couple years. Her experience speaks to how life-changing, engaging and fun environmental education can be.