Thursday, August 19, 2010
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
America the Beautiful
Dear Editor,
Today I was lucky enough to participate directly in the political process, testifying in the State Capitol on behalf of the Gore Range Natural Science School. I work for GRNSS as an educator, teaching field science courses for all the K-12 schools from Gypsum to Leadville. I love my job; I see a new group of kids almost every day, and my goal is to help them learn about the world around them.
As you know Mr. Editor, most of our kids in this valley speak English as their second language. Our valley is rich in the cultures of Mexico, Central, and South America. That’s why they hired me at GRNSS; I’ve spent a great part of the past 7 years in Spanish-speaking places, from Argentina to Cuba to Brooklyn, NY, and GRNSS is dedicated to providing top-quality programming for all kids, by offering programming in their first language whenever possible.
Last week I was teaching a Spanish language program up Buck Creek called “Animales en Invierno,” with a group of second graders. Many of them told me that it was their first time hiking in nature. As we turned up the canyon, one of the kids gasped, shouting, “¡Mira, una águila!” We looked into the cottonwoods, and sure enough, these kids who had never been on a hike were being stared down by a massive bird. “Black body… white head… yellow beak…” the kids described. At the end of the day, nearly every kid said that his/her favorite animal was a bald eagle.
I told that story to members of congress today, in order to illustrate the importance of environmental education. Our kids spend unprecedented amounts of time in front of TVs and computers, and for the first time ever, the younger generation has a lower projected life expectancy than their parents.
This is not the fault of the school system, but because the schools are filled with passionate professionals who care for the wellbeing of our children, they are picking up the slack. Non-profit entities like SOS Outreach, and Gore Range Natural Science School are creating programs to get kids out of doors and into their bodies, in ways that are proven to increase health and test scores.
Now the Colorado Congress is poised to support these organizations. With the passage of House Bill 1131, Congress creates a state environmental education plan, and an advisory committee to assess and support environmental education organizations.
Yes, the government process is painfully filled with motions and seconds and overlapping committees with various interests. Yes, I did yawn multiple times in the meeting today. But I also walked away feeling proud to live in Colorado, and proud of the work that I do for GRNSS, and hopeful for the future of Colorado’s children.
Sincerely,
Roddy Beall
Today I was lucky enough to participate directly in the political process, testifying in the State Capitol on behalf of the Gore Range Natural Science School. I work for GRNSS as an educator, teaching field science courses for all the K-12 schools from Gypsum to Leadville. I love my job; I see a new group of kids almost every day, and my goal is to help them learn about the world around them.
As you know Mr. Editor, most of our kids in this valley speak English as their second language. Our valley is rich in the cultures of Mexico, Central, and South America. That’s why they hired me at GRNSS; I’ve spent a great part of the past 7 years in Spanish-speaking places, from Argentina to Cuba to Brooklyn, NY, and GRNSS is dedicated to providing top-quality programming for all kids, by offering programming in their first language whenever possible.
Last week I was teaching a Spanish language program up Buck Creek called “Animales en Invierno,” with a group of second graders. Many of them told me that it was their first time hiking in nature. As we turned up the canyon, one of the kids gasped, shouting, “¡Mira, una águila!” We looked into the cottonwoods, and sure enough, these kids who had never been on a hike were being stared down by a massive bird. “Black body… white head… yellow beak…” the kids described. At the end of the day, nearly every kid said that his/her favorite animal was a bald eagle.
I told that story to members of congress today, in order to illustrate the importance of environmental education. Our kids spend unprecedented amounts of time in front of TVs and computers, and for the first time ever, the younger generation has a lower projected life expectancy than their parents.
This is not the fault of the school system, but because the schools are filled with passionate professionals who care for the wellbeing of our children, they are picking up the slack. Non-profit entities like SOS Outreach, and Gore Range Natural Science School are creating programs to get kids out of doors and into their bodies, in ways that are proven to increase health and test scores.
Now the Colorado Congress is poised to support these organizations. With the passage of House Bill 1131, Congress creates a state environmental education plan, and an advisory committee to assess and support environmental education organizations.
Yes, the government process is painfully filled with motions and seconds and overlapping committees with various interests. Yes, I did yawn multiple times in the meeting today. But I also walked away feeling proud to live in Colorado, and proud of the work that I do for GRNSS, and hopeful for the future of Colorado’s children.
Sincerely,
Roddy Beall
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Friday, January 29, 2010
The Bet (a thought from last fall)
I sit here this morning, the sliding door open, cottonwood leaves blowing into living room off of the porch. The wind cools my toes, because my slippers are somewhere else. There is music on the computer- piano and guitar- and the poetry puts me into my head, makes me want to stay in all day. Cornbread is fresh out of the oven, with corn kernels and onion dices and cilantro.... all things to remind me of mom and home. And i'm 25, and i'm living my life as well as I can, (i hope) working hard at a job that seems valuable and enjoyable.... isn't this what we dreamt about all along? Success without money- cause money is the root of evil, right?- and true success is friends, working as a servent, working to effect positive change, and living by values and with love in the heart.
Yeah, i think this is what we dreamt about.
Last week I hitched up to Steamboat again, catching rides with people from every slice of the social pie. They had one thing in common: they were caring and selfless enough to pick up a kid on the side of the road. In Steamboat, Pete gave me a car. Nicole cooked dinner and I did handstands with her kids. There is a big cycle of love- of giving and recieving, karma maybe, life points maybe- and I feel that I'm part of it. Ebb and flow. Love and be loved.
And yesterday, in Oslo, the Nobel committee gave a global prize for peace to the American people- for our action in rallying behind hope and voting for love,caring, and communication. I think Barack Obama would pick up hitchhikers. I think he believes in giving, and recieving, and living with the success of servitude and values and love and working for positive change.
I think he dreamt about that too.
And at the same time that this wonderful quid pro quot systems lives out its rolling existence, the clocks and bank accounts of the world march to a different beat. And I do understand, at least in theory, that this world is no less important or meaningful. The clocks already show "2009." The bank accounts prove inextricably connected to health and welfare of the human AND natural worlds.
But as of yet, I haven't really thought about the life's bet, in the sense of perhaps investing my money in international currencies or betting on the shift in monetary strength from the dollar to another. I have some money... tucked in a CD... but i haven't spent any time thinking seriously about where and how to invest it. The smart move would be to play the inevitable shift of economic power that will move out of the US. In response to this years global recession, everyone sees the flaw in relying on the US to be the world's economic engine, and the shift in focus from the G8 to the G20 is significant in signaling the importance of emerging nations. I certainly can logically foresee the change in relative values, but i don't have a clue of where to start in the gamble, where to march in this parade.
I'm 25, and I'm living the best I can, and I want to do handstands with kids, and teach them that they can smile, lay down their sword and shield, and dream of success in love, and in service.
Yeah, i think this is what we dreamt about.
Last week I hitched up to Steamboat again, catching rides with people from every slice of the social pie. They had one thing in common: they were caring and selfless enough to pick up a kid on the side of the road. In Steamboat, Pete gave me a car. Nicole cooked dinner and I did handstands with her kids. There is a big cycle of love- of giving and recieving, karma maybe, life points maybe- and I feel that I'm part of it. Ebb and flow. Love and be loved.
And yesterday, in Oslo, the Nobel committee gave a global prize for peace to the American people- for our action in rallying behind hope and voting for love,caring, and communication. I think Barack Obama would pick up hitchhikers. I think he believes in giving, and recieving, and living with the success of servitude and values and love and working for positive change.
I think he dreamt about that too.
And at the same time that this wonderful quid pro quot systems lives out its rolling existence, the clocks and bank accounts of the world march to a different beat. And I do understand, at least in theory, that this world is no less important or meaningful. The clocks already show "2009." The bank accounts prove inextricably connected to health and welfare of the human AND natural worlds.
But as of yet, I haven't really thought about the life's bet, in the sense of perhaps investing my money in international currencies or betting on the shift in monetary strength from the dollar to another. I have some money... tucked in a CD... but i haven't spent any time thinking seriously about where and how to invest it. The smart move would be to play the inevitable shift of economic power that will move out of the US. In response to this years global recession, everyone sees the flaw in relying on the US to be the world's economic engine, and the shift in focus from the G8 to the G20 is significant in signaling the importance of emerging nations. I certainly can logically foresee the change in relative values, but i don't have a clue of where to start in the gamble, where to march in this parade.
I'm 25, and I'm living the best I can, and I want to do handstands with kids, and teach them that they can smile, lay down their sword and shield, and dream of success in love, and in service.
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