Heidi Lent is a teacher overflowing with creativity. For starters, she teaches a class called Math, Art and Nature, where she combines all three topics to enrich her students’ learning experience. “For me, my philosophy is integration of subjects, getting them to write, draw and read,” Lent says. After attending a WISE workshop last year, she used her triple-threat teaching strategy when introducing invasive species to her students.
“Everything I know about invasives, I learned there,” Lent says of her workshop experience. She shared her newfound knowledge by helping her students create clay sculptures of invasive insects. The end result? A magnificent tree of invasives, illustrating the bounty of invasive species on the West Coast and how they need to be managed. As for Lent’s students, they clearly got the message.
One of Lent’s eighth graders told her, “I have realized what an impact invasive species has on people’s day-to-day lives, and how if we don’t change or add some rules/laws, we are going to have, if not already, a very serious problem.”
The invasives tree is only one example of Lent’s creativity in the classroom. To read more, go here, where you can find Lent’s interview and more teacher features.
Wonderful work, Heidi! Still would like to connect with you when we come down to the coast. What are you up to this summer? Didn’t I take that photo of THE TREE? It looks great! What’s on the agenda for next year (and do you have the same position with the school/district)?
Great job Heidi! I am glad to see that the word is spreading on what a fabulous job you are doing teaching this new class! I hope it inspires teachers elsewhere or builds a network of resources.