Final Blog

Part 1:

Please DESCRIBE (this means MORE than list, you know...) at least five meaningful things you learned in this course and how these things have, or will, effect change(s) in your life (either personally or professionally).

Over the course of 5 days I learned many important lessons, for starters I learned how valuable the Adirondacks are to our world...I think I over heard Beth talking about how in the past there was about 100 lakes that are completely dead but over the last couple decades that number has grown to 500. That number astounds me...upon finding this out it stresses the importance of finding alternatives to natural resources. I plan on teaching the importance of the Adirondacks to my classroom.

Another valuable lesson that I learned was the general importance of trying to live a 'green' lifestyle, in class we discussed the importance of wind and solar power. As a nation and world we need to depend less on coal, oil, water, etc. and need to direct ourselves towards living a more sustainable lifestyles. If we don't we are headed for serious degradation of our earth.

A third lesson that I learned was how I personally pushed myself (on the ropes course and kayaking). Completing the high ropes course was very meaningful to me. At first glance of the course I immediately told myself that I wasn't going to do it. But after watching many of my peers finish the course I decided that I had to do it. For one I didn't know when I would get the opportunity again. Completing the high ropes course was a valuable lesson to me as a future teacher, when I find myself dealing with an obstacle I will think of this experience and push myself thru it like I did for the obstacle course.

Another valuable lesson I learned at Raquette Lake was the importance of history in general and specifically the Adirondacks. If we don't know how things came to be than we can never understand the importance or gain respect (i.e the Adirondacks). History is a very important topic when it comes to any subject. In my classroom I plan on stressing the significance of history and incorporating it into my lessons where applicable.

The last meaningful lesson that I learned was the importance of team building (through the high ropes course and discussions) in the classroom as well as the community and specifically the school. It is vital to have mutual respect, a sense of community, and collaboration.

Part 2:

Please DESCRIBE at least three things you have taken away from the course topics, activities, discussions, and/or readings that will affect what you do to in your classroom (or workplace) that will connect our week to what you do every day.

One aspect that I have taken away from the course is trying to live a green lifestyle, it is vital that the people on the earth harmonize with the environment, animals, and habitats. Every decision we make will affect our futures especially our children and grandchildren lives. I plan on teaching my students the importance of your environment and how they need to live in harmony with the world.
One topic that was discussed during the course was how much garbage our schools are outputting. We need to recycle in our communities especially schools and it needs to be taught as well. I cant remember the name of the organization that picks up recyclables from schools for a small fee. Id hope my school would use a resources like this and help eliminate pollution.

Another important topic that was discussed was solar and wind power. It is necessary that a as a nation we try to steer away from depleting our natural resources. When I finally buy my own house I plan on using wind/ and or solar power to generate electric. I feel that many people should look at alternatives like wind/solar power because any step towards living a more sustainable lifestyle will help improve our future.

All kinds of wRITING 

All kinds of wRITING 

Thursday-Discussion and High Ropes Course!!

Hmm....today was another day of learning in the Carlson classroom. But today instead of learning about the Adirondacks and it's history we focused on living "green"...we learned about what we ourselves can do as educators in the classroom. Along the lines of teaching our children how to live a sustainable lifestyle and how we ourselves can do the same. We were introduced to numerous resources including books and agencies that can help us incorporate green living into our daily lives and the classroom. In class today we also discussed our essays and a valid point that was brought up was how our children need more activities outside and how teachers should try to incorporate the environment into our curriculum. Today was a valuable lesson for me as were all of this past weeks discussions, it was great to hear input from numerous teachers about their students and their classrooms and problems they have dealt with. As a future teacher, I myself plan to take many of the discussions to heart and will probably be able to relate to them once I get out in the field.
For the second part of the day we headed out to the high ropes course. In the past I've done a low ropes course which was ultimately for team building not for pushing yourself. When I got on the high ropes course today I definitely tested and pushed myself out of my comfort zone. I was super proud of myself that I finished it because I was sure that about halfway through I was going to quit....but I didnt.....GO ME!!!:) I appreciated all of my peers enthusiasm, support and courage!

Wonderful Wednesday!!

Today we visited two museums the first being The Wild Center. The Wild Center had a great exhibit on fungus :-P as well as one with live otters. The otters were very entertaining to watch, also we went on a walk around the center. Another exhibit that I enjoyed was the one about wild flowers there was a huge 3D diagram of a pitcher plant which earlier in the week we saw at Ferd's bog. Overall it was a great museum to learn about our world and many species that live here.
The Second museum we visited today was the Adirondack Museum. The museum had so many buildings to visit and interesting exhibits on the history of the ADK. My favorite exhibit was Woods & Waters, where they had an exhibit about a hermit that used to live in a 'shack' for four seasons out of the year. We also went a a very short boat ride around the pond and visited the train exhibit were they had an old train cart which was quite extravagant. Overall I enjoyed going to both museums and learned a lot about the wilderness and history of the Adirondacks.
After visiting the museums us ladies did a little late shopping in the gift shop and then proceeded to Inlet and then to Raquette Lake to do more shopping!! :)

Tuesday's Adventure!!

Today we started off by watching a short movie about Raquette Lake. The film discussed the history of Long Point and how it became established. The man that started this first camp of the ADK was William W. Durant. In 1876 Durant had his first visit to the Adirondacks. Camp Pine Knot was the first of the famous great camps of the ADK. Then following were Camp Uncas, Sagamore and Kill Kare which wealthy families came to for leisure time and recreation. in 1882 the building now known as "Swiss Chalet" was completed and opened as the main building at Camp Pine Knot. Durant in 1895 sold the Camp and it's 200 acres of land to Collis P. Hunington. Archer M. Hunington, the step son of Collis P. Hunington inherited Camp Pine Knot in 1924. After the death of Collis P. Hunington, the family left and never returned, leaving the camp vacant for nearly 50 years. In 1947 Dr. Harlan Metcalf and Dr. Walter Thurber from Cortland State Teacher's College, discovered the empty camp during a canoe trip. Dr. Metcalf researched the property and eventually the camp became a part of Cortland's Outdoor Education Center.
After watching the video we went on a tour of the center and visited the numerous buildings. What I enjoyed most about the tour was looking at the detailed architecture and furniture. It was pretty fascinating that most of the buildings still had the original wood detailing. Overall the tour was very impressive and informative :-)
For the second part of our day we went kayaking by Kerby Camp and then onto Silver Beach. I definetly plan on kayaking more often when given the opportunity. Overall I was fairly impressed with myself considering that I've never done it before. I was sure that I was going to be the one that capsized but luckily I didn't!!Tomorrow we are off to a couple of museums which I;m looking forward to:-)

Ferd's Bog & Black Bear Mountain

Ferd's Bog was the first stop on our trip today. I learned about numerous plant and bird species from our ADK guide Ed Kanze. The bog was a good experience for me since I've never walked one before. Ed was very knowledgeable about the outdoors and knew almost anything about birds and plants. I hope that one day I can become just as informative about wildlife as he is.
The second stop on our trip was a 2 mile hike up Black Bear Mountain. I've always enjoyed hiking since I was a little girl, it felt great to be in the fresh air and wilderness again. On the hike I took almost 20 different pictures of fungii species. Which Im excited to do research on and hope to use in the following week for my Green Summer Program. Once we reached the top of the mountain the view was spectacular. It made you appreciate what a beautiful world we live in and how we should take the steps to protect it.

Pre-course Survey

• Why you are taking this course?

I decided to take this course for multiple reasons. For one, the course is offered in the Adirondacks, which is gorgeous and I figured this would be a good switch from taking 'regular' classes. We can learn how to incorporate our environment into the classroom while being active and learning at the same time. Also I decided to take this course because I'm missing several credits for my concentration and this will help me keep my goal of graduating on time.

• Why did/do you want to be a teacher? (If you are one of the students taking course who is not in education, change this answer to whatever your chosen field is)

I've wanted to be a teacher ever since I was a little girl. In my schooling, I myself had difficulty with a couple of subjects and struggled in the classroom setting. I feel that through my experience this will better equip me to be an excellent teacher. Ultimately I will be a better teacher through my struggles in school. I've always enjoyed working with children and love inspiring them to be the best that they can be.

• What are your professional goals in teaching?

My professional goals as a teacher would be to learn and grow through my experiences teaching. I'd like to learn how to become versatile in my teaching methods when it pertains to children with varying capabilities. At various points in my schooling I was told that I couldn't achieve certain tasks, sometimes before given the opportunity to try. Due to my experiences I value the teachers that saw my strengths and encouraged my learning. I hope as a teacher I can help students regardless of their learning styles and abilities to be successful in school.

• Do you think you will make a career in teaching?

Yes, I think I will make a career in teaching as long as I keep testing myself and learning about the world as I go.

• What are your goals for this course and this week with us in the ADKs?

My goals for this course are to learn more about our environment and how I can incorporate what I learn into my classroom.