Wilderness Classroom

http://www.wildernessclassroom.com/home/our_mission/our_staff/index.htm

After hearing about "The Last Child in the Woods" I became more aware of how few children today enjoy nature. I know several children who would prefer sitting in front of a tv all day, instead of playing outside for an afternoon. This website offers a way to connect children to nature through the classroom.
There is a group of people who choose to go on expeditions based on the ideas of children. They will offer options for the children to vote on, such as "Climb a mountain" vs. "Raft down the river." The students in a classroom can then cast their vote and the explorers will do whichever event wins.
This is a great opporunity for teachers to follow the routes of the explorers, teach the students about the environment, and even promote a voting system. Check it out!

"First of the Class" (Movie review)

Tonight I watched the Hallmark Hall of Fame movie First of the Class. At first I was a bit skeptical, considering my mom and grandma are obsessed with Hallmark Hall of Fame movies. Within about five minutes in, however, I knew I was hooked. The main character struggled with Tourettes Syndrome as a young boy. He would often get harassed by classmates, scolded by teachers, and yelled at by his father. It was heartbreaking, to say the least. Even the doctors who saw him blamed it as a "parenting problem," not a disorder. It finally took the mom's persistence and belief in her son to figure out what was going on. She herself had to do research at the library to finally get the doctors to believe her son had Tourettes. 

As "Bobo" grew up, he took on the mindset that he would not let his disorder define him -- it would not win. He wanted to be a teacher and went to endless interviews. To his dismay, most of the principals never called him back once they discovered he had Tourettes. 

There was finally a school, however, that accepted him. The principal noted that "if they were going to talk the talk, they'd better walk the walk as well." In other words, if they are teaching their students they can do anything and nothing can hold them back, they had better show the students that this is true. 

Mr. Cohen thrived in the classroom. He was very open about his disability and allowed the students to ask any question they desired. It was very clear that he loved his job. I particularly liked a scene where he was helping the class trouble-maker read after class one day. The boy complained how he didn't like to read, and Mr. Cohen said he didn't like to read either. He then showed the boy how difficult it was to read with Tourettes Syndrome. This moment really opened the boy's eyes and they had a new relationship from them on.

In the end, Mr. Cohen won the award for being the best 1st year teacher. It was a huge honor, and it brought together the idea that you can do anything if you put your mind to it.

I must admit I had a couple tears stream down my face throughout the movie. It really inspired me to be the best teacher possible, and it even gave me some ideas in how to do so. I would watch this movie again any day.