By Michelle Hunter

Like a tree, my commitment to environmental education sprouted in a small way, but adds growth rings each year. My association with PLT began at a teacher training in-service at Shadeville Elementary School in 1999. Though not a formal member of the school’s PLT committee, I attended meetings and assisted with the organization of events.  Shadeville was certified as a Florida PLT School in 2000 and every year since, at least 80% of the faculty attend a PLT workshop and at least half participate in an annual PLT Week. 

In 2004, I embarked on a more intense environmental journey after volunteering to become the PLT committee chairperson. With these new responsibilities, it was necessary to become a trained PLT facilitator and I now help my fellow colleagues incorporate the PLT curriculum methods and techniques into their own classrooms throughout the year.

My tree is rooted in a school-wide commitment to environmental education. Each year I organize activities and work out the schedule of a week-long Project Learning Tree event that includes a science and literary fair, and community guest speaker presentations around a particular theme. Every child at Shadeville participates in multiple, interactive activities. Presenters from many of the valuable environmental resources in our state have been invited to Shadeville. This year, the week-long event “Wakulla Water Wonders” combined PLT activities and guest speakers from St. Marks Wildlife Refuge and Wakulla Springs State Park. Talquin Electric, Native Nurseries of Tallahassee, FSU Magnetic Lab, U.S. Forestry Service, Tallahassee Channel 27 meteorologists, Challenger Learning Center, Tallahassee Model Planes Club, Capital Health Plan nutritionist, and Hopkins Power Plant are examples of the many community groups involved in past PLT Weeks.

Other school-wide events and activities I organize include field trips, a regularly published PLT Leaflet, determining expenditures for the PLT budget, maintaining the school butterfly gardens, conducting professional development PLT workshops, and chairing monthly PLT meetings.

My more personal commitment to environmental education can be seen in my classroom. I incorporate PLT themed instruction throughout the year, as the methods and techniques taught in the PLT curriculum represent a multi-disciplinary approach to thinking and problem-solving that extends beyond science applications. It is simple to correlate PLT lesson objectives to our district’s curriculum, and thus to the Sunshine State Standards.  My students are encouraged to make real-world connections to environmental issues through engaging, fun, and yet meaningful lessons. PLT lessons have inspired my students to be independent, critical thinkers, which in turn inspires me to plan to continue to use PLT activities as part of my regular instruction.

My fellow colleagues have been touched by PLT. Motivated by our latest PLT workshop, our Guidance Counselor was inspired to use PLT activities during classroom guidance lessons. Another teacher converted her entire classroom into a campsite complete with pitched tents and a fire circle in order to celebrate our “Friends of the Forests” theme.

But probably the most rewarding part of encouraging PLT activity use around our school is hearing of the other teachers’ success stories, of hearing praise from colleagues, and above all from seeing the excitement on the children’s faces while they take part in PLT activities. I cherish every “This is cool!” and “I wish we could do this all the time!” comment from the kids.

PLT is a quality program that I am committed to promoting and expanding.

Michelle Hunter teaches all subjects to fourth grade at Shadeville Elementary School in Crawfordville, Florida.  She was named a Project Learning Tree National Outstanding Educator in 2007.  Read more about the outdoor opportunities offered to kids and teachers by Michelle at Shadeville on PLT’s Every Student Learns Outside website.