Writing About Nature

Introduction

N. Scott Momaday can be quoted as saying, "…Will I give my children an inheritance of the earth? Or will I give them less than I was given?"¹ As a former student of Hearne High School, there is not a time that I can recall engaging with or being out in nature, and to that end, I aim to give my students more than what I was given. Biology professor Paul Turner mentioned how a sense of humbleness comes over him when he stares out into the vast ocean as he realizes that he is just one small cog in what makes up our world's biodiversity. Students of Hearne High, too, can come to that realization when they engage with this unit and intentionally pay attention to the world around them and become one with nature.

The emotional baggage that my students bring to school daily is tantamount to emotional torture. Who has time to appreciate the nature of their backyard when clear and present dangers force an abundance of time to be devoted to work? And not just schoolwork but work work. Most of my high school students have part-time paying jobs or odd jobs where compensation is given through tips. I asked them if they ever noticed the world around them and saw beauty in nature, and they did not. Kimberley L. Meidenbauer et al. postulate, "Brief walks in natural settings have been shown to increase positive affect and decrease negative affect compared to urban walks, and the effects have been found in healthy and clinical populations."² The article suggests a link between nature exposure and emotional well-being. 

Upon reading that, I thought of incorporating that newfound information into my classroom with my students. How can I get students outside, but also, how can I get them to write about outside, nature, and their families? The way students and their families connect with nature is vital to this curriculum unit, as nature will be the tree from which the fruit of storytelling will be born. 

Questions to be considered as I get students outside and in nature come from Rachel Carson and should be at the forefront of student’s minds as they visit and revisit their sit-spots: 1. What if I had never seen this before? 2. What if I knew I would never see it again? Our seminar leader, Jill Campbell, said something that truly resonated with me and how much access my students have to technology: kids will not remember their best day on TikTok or YouTube. According to Rachel Carson, "For most of us, knowledge of our world comes largely through sight, yet we look about with such unseeing eyes that we are partially blind."³ Getting students outside and in nature will be the first step in curing their blindness to the world around them. 

I chose this topic because while the choice to come to America may not have been given to all my students, where they come from matters, their heritage matters, their culture matters, they matter. When asked whether nature as a subject matter belongs to some people and not to others, that question struck a chord with me for my students. Is having time to notice nature and stop and metaphorically smell the roses a gift that only people of certain socioeconomic statuses have the privilege or luxury of having?

I hope that my curriculum unit will be used not only to enhance my students’ writing but also to serve as a tenet of self-worth and intentionally embracing our heritages and cultures by going to shared public spaces in our metaphorical backyards to disrupt the notion of normal and squash any stereotypes associated with people of specific backgrounds. Invite students to embrace the nuances that may embarrass them, but make them who they are by using nature, painting, and storytelling elements to preserve their life stories forever.

Ballard and Ballard quote Goodall by saying, "The stories of those who came before us in our families provide a framework for understanding our identity through theirs.”⁴ I agree wholeheartedly as I recall with wide-eyed amazement recounting the stories my grandmother told me, or how my children always wanted to hear the story of their birth on every birthday, as part of our traditions now. As a teacher, I imagine the narrative inheritance my students will get from their families, the inheritance of stories, experiences, and identities. Adding nature to that complexity of familial dynamics is the beginning of understanding one's family tree. This curriculum unit will provide that to my students and their families.