At school today, we gathered outside, in the sun, to give
thanks to the earth! We stood, 9 teachers and 240 students, decked out in
clothes that we were ready to get dirty! After we sang (or in my case,
pretended to sing) the Guatemalan National anthem, we listened to elected students
talk about the environment and simple ways we can make a difference! I was
amazed at the level of engagement and excitement I saw from my students. They
seemed to cling onto every word and by the end, were SO ready to hit the
streets (dirt roads) of our community. Every student and teacher contributed by
picking up trash, bottles, and cans and dividing them up to be RECYCLED! For
most, recycling was a new concept, as the closest recycling drop is over an
hour away. Usually, the bottles end up in the river or being burned with the
rest of the trash (worst smell ever). As we walked through the community, picking up strewn cans and bottles, I asked my students what ways we could reuse all these bottles. Once I got them started brainstorming, they couldn’t
stop! We went from a bottle garden (brilliant!), to bird/animal feeders (also
pretty cool!), to a water park…? These kids rock and I’ll definitely be doing
some research on how to create flower planters and animal feeders from plastic
bottles! The water park might have to wait… 2 hours of picking up trash later, my students were amazed (and appalled) at the amount of trash we collected in just a couple of
hours. When we walked back, I admired the beautiful mountains that hug our small community, and saw some
of my students look back, admiring the newly cleaned roads behind them. It was an inspiring morning. I couldn't stop smiling as I watched my kids actively and enthusiastically work together to better our little
community and our world.
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