Earth Day 2010

With every day that passes I’m reminded that this time next year I will no longer be here.  Time to make the most of the last remaining days.  Since last year’s Earth Day was one of my first “successes” so to speak (and I’m being rather generous when I say success-at the time I considered any participation a success,) I figured I’d follow up with something else this year. 

Figuring I could use Earth Day to instill some education while simultaneously making some school activities for the too many bored youth around town.  Have you noticed yet that there’s pretty much nothing to do around here?

I created a simple art poster contest for all the students to participate in.  Through lessons I see how much the younger students enjoy any coloring and drawing related activities.  Any color and creativity leaves much to be desired in comparison to US schooling.  I like to give them every and any reason to express and think for themselves and again, used Earth Day as the excuse.  The contest was to create a poster with a drawing of the environment and description of what you do to keep the earth healthy and clean.  Not wanting to get my hopes up, I wasn’t sure how many submissions I expected but decided just a few would satisfy me. I was delightfully surprised when I arrived in the teachers’ room to more than several posters. 

While conversing with two other teachers over the winners, I noticed a hurdle of 5^th graders hovering outside the doorway eager to see our reactions and hear the winner.  I had to disappoint them by saying I wouldn’t announce the winner until the following day, but secretly I was jumping up and down at their obvious interest.  It was difficult to narrow down winner because some of them were quite impressive given such few opportunities. We gladly displayed all the submissions to laud each student and I created certificates for the top three.  I’m not sure if they like receiving their name on a certificate or having their picture taken more; despite their lack of smile (part of the culture) I think most of them feel it’s quite official to have their picture taken, just as they do in receiving a piece of paper I colored.  The prize for the first place also received a puzzle with the animals of the world (sent to me by a dear friend back at home J) 

Borrowing an idea used in a camp last summer, I decided that besides just a trash pick-up, we’d use the trash to create something fun and make a “trash monster.”  Luckily I didn’t have to really instruct them on what exactly to do as they remembered from last year and they ran frenetically through the streets surrounding school gathering litter and explaining to the local men standing around [staring] with question marks on their face. 

Dividing among two groups they competed for the best monster, got creative using plastic bottles, cookie and sunflower seed wrappers and other odds and ends that included a banana peel.  All in all it was a simple after school activity that let them be creative, use some energy and work in groups.  

A small but simple thing that anyone could have really organized but I have a suspicion none of the other teachers would have on their own.  Still, after two years here I like to hope that next year in my absence maybe one of the students will step up and make something happen.