Blogging & Topics of Interest
Today, being a Monday, I usually post about diet or food. We’ve been eating well lately, but have not come across any recipes I want to share or have photographed. Other topics have filled my mind this morning as possibilities for writing about on my blog.
Which of these would interest you, I wonder?
Mail delivery services
Over the years, we’ve been very pleased with our postal service as well as deliveries by other services such as Fed Ex or UPS. We use the post office a lot, as my son was running a new business out of the house until this past January and I have an Etsy shop that does fairly well. So, post office stops occur at least a few times a week. But this service seems to be slightly disorganized right now. And, don’t get me started on the UPS service……
Books
I have not done a recent book review of late. I have finished eleven of the 24 books I set as a goal to read this year. I ordered three more; they arrived over the weekend. Are you wondering what they are? Cheri, one of the local librarians told me years ago that she was always interested in what I was reading, as I have a varied and eclectic taste. I’ve enjoyed writing book reviews in the past, maybe it’s time for another.
Where does gifted education stand now?
Over the years, I’ve been heavily involved in the education or our gifted and talented youth. If there was one job I wanted to have that I did not perform, it was being the TAG teacher for our elementary students. If I had obtained a teaching license, I think I would have been successful as a TAG teacher. But, the requirements needed for me to obtain an elementary teaching license always seemed too steep. After all, at the time I looked into it, I already had both a bachelors in nursing and masters in child health. I also had teaching experience at the college level. However, I started off on a different path — that of providing enrichment groups for our local youth. This, in turn, led me to obtain a second master’s degree in environmental education. But, the gifted — children and adults — is still an area that very much interests me and one in which I continue to do professional reading. Believe me, the needs of these students are often overlooked. I am sure the pandemic and altered educational provisions this year did not change that. However, maybe I’ll look into this and be pleasantly surprised!
Environmental Education — What they don’t tell you.
Although I volunteered in this field for more than 17 years, I only held a formal position for nine months. There are several regrets I have about my time as the Outreach and Education Program Manager for the local land trust for which I worked. One of these regrets was accepting pay that I felt was subpar. (Read: I really wanted the job.) However, strangely enough, not being paid enough was NOT the reason I left the position. But, in hindsight I think it contributed to an overall feeling of lack of being valued.
Why are environmental educators paid so little? I don’t understand this at all. Of course, we are non-traditional educators, working in the outdoors, and making trips to present/teach on the land that so inspires us, trying to connect others. But, really, the profession is paid very poorly.
Another thing they don’t tell you in school for environmental education is that it is really a young person’s job (maybe, that is a reason for the low pay). One is expected to be a seasonal traveller, going to parks, camps, and nature centers for temporary work. Now, of course this does not include everyone in the profession. But, many of the job postings are for this type of employment. In my mid-fifties, I do not want to go and travel for three or four months to have a job. But, even locally, I find that low pay for environmental education is standard. I want to know why? Are we not valuing what we can learn about being stewards for the environment or connection our youth to their communities through nature? It makes me wonder how serious people are when it comes to saving our earth.
So, instead of writing about food or diet today, I wrote about these topics because they are what has been on my mind of late. Do any of them hold interest for you? If so, let me know in the comments! And, thanks!
Originally published at http://theapplesinmyorchard.com on May 24, 2021.
