Beautiful Weather, Inside Work

Man, what a week it has been! It's been fun, but I really am glad it's Friday.

I haven't gotten to do much (well, any, really) biology this week. I haven't seen any wildlife.

Well. I take that back. I've seen lots of wildlife (emphasis on the wild) this week. They are an energetic species. Competitive and not given to sharing. The alliances they make with each other are not strong and have usually broken down within a day. This species is an extremely noisy one as well. Given my time studying them, I can safely say at this point, they are not calling for mates. My best hypothesis as to why they are so noisy is that, in such close confines with others of their kind, they are merely exhausting themselves staking out their territory. Also, I have noticed, much like birds on a telephone wire, they are constantly juggling for position and the best territory available.

Sure it sounds like a headache observing this wild, noisy species. However, they also show a surprising amount of warmth and a genuine eagerness to achieve and to earn approval. Their affection is given without reserve and with energy (just like everything else they take on in their lives) and they have not yet learned the definition of suspicion and mistrust. All in all, a very tiring species, but also a completely captivating and charming species.

Look at that - Jane Goodall for elementary school children. :)

Tuesday, as previously mentioned, was kindergarten and 1st grade. They were both a lot of fun. The kindergarten class, even though there were around 20, were on the whole better behaved than the 9 kindergarten children I worked with before. The 1st graders, while a bit more unruly, were also a lot of fun.

In fact, all the classes were. For the 3rd, 4th, and 6th grade classes, we played games outside. This meant lots of running and screaming and generally hysterical, hyperactive children. I had to use the voice I used at high school football games when I was captain of our dance squad. By yesterday afternoon, I didn't have much voice left. And I've picked up a few things that happen in every class.

For one, they love telling stories. It's their favorite. I have heard some of the most outrageous stories about 10 bobcats hanging out in a tree together, deer and car collisions, hunting and fishing (tall tales!), and about things that aren't even related to wildlife. It appears to be a wonderful way to show off where you've been, what you've done, how cool your life is, etc.

For two, they love stories so much that when the teacher says "time for her to go class, no more stories" they will leave their desks to come up to me so they can tell me more stories. This works really well for them, because at that point, they no longer have to raise their hand. Doesn't work so well for me, though...

For three, and this goes especially for the younger kids, it's not actually like they're picking up actual sentences I'm saying, more like keywords. Example. I was talking about habitat, specifically what they thought their habitat was. I asked them if they thought their habitat included their grandparent's house. One little girl raised her hand and said "I'm going to see them this weekend! They're really fun, and... (and so on and so forth)"

For four. I only saw this with the younger children, but they seem to have a hard time grasping concepts of inanimate things. Again, I was talking about habitat (this was with the first graders), and I asked them what they thought were some ways habitat could be destroyed. One little boy raised his hand and said "They could chop its head off!" haha. Other answers were also along the lines of killing it - one girl answered "shoot it?"

And along that line, while I am introducing myself I talk about what the refuge is and what kind of wildlife is on it. I show them pictures of said wildlife, telling them that everything they see can be found on the refuge. I showed a class of 4th graders a picture of a wood duck. It looked a little like this:

I asked them what kind of duck they thought this was. More than one student said "A Chinese Duck!" I laughed, nervously, and said no - it was actually a wood duck. Another girl raised her hand and said "It should be called a Chinese Duck - it really looks Chinese!" What can I say? I really don't see it!

So, normally when I show them the pictures, I emphasize that these animals are found on the refuge. Then I get to the picture of the bobcat:I ask them what they think it is. "A cheetah!" "Lion!" "Leopard!" "Tiger!!" Haha. They don't even give me mountain lion!

The funnest thing about this week though, was while I was walking around the school, the students remembered me. Actually called me by name. Talk about validation!

Anyway, next on the "school program" agenda is working with a group of 5th graders next Friday. I may have some other projects in the works as well.

Back at the refuge, I've been working with Curtis and Shelby on moving some offices around. The ORP office (formerly Emily's job) is being moved from HQ to the visitor's center. While we're doing this, we're also de-cluttering and trying to use our space better. Curtis mentioned that HGTV would have a fit if they saw how we organized everything. Haha. Maybe we should apply to one of their shows and let them do all the work. Shelby said he killed a whole colony of fiddlebacks yesterday. He said this while I was in his office, under his desk, setting up his computer, in flip flops. Good sense of timing, no?

I have some other things to write down here, but for the moment, I need to get back to it.