AGFC Teacher Leader Council opening doors to conservation education

MOUNTAIN VIEW — Managing a classroom isn’t for the faint of heart. Educators have few openings to offer new programs to get their kids engaged in things like the outdoors while managing the increased requirements of standardized testing and core curriculum. That’s exactly why Mary Beth Hatch, Chief of Education for the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, formed the AGFC Teacher Leader Council, which was unveiled at last Wednesday’s committee meetings held at Ozark Folk Center State Park.

Hatch knows the struggle to incorporate outdoor education in schools better than most, having recently joined the AGFC after 18 years in public education, 13 of which were at the head of a classroom.

“We don’t just want to align what we’re offering to Arkansas standards, but to create opportunities for teachers to really integrate this into their current classroom work and curriculum,” Hatch said. “We don’t want to add one extra thing … [teachers] don’t have time for one extra thing. So for us a big thing is to figure out how to integrate what we offer, and what we can do with real-world experiences and learning into what they’re already doing.”

Hatch also knows it takes more than one person’s insight to create the right kinds of opportunities for teachers to take advantage of. She was successful in her role of incorporating outdoor learning into the curriculum at North Little Rock’s Center of Innovation, but many schools throughout the state face different challenges to make the idea a success.

“We didn’t want to just create this so that teachers can have opportunities to share what they’re doing. We actually want to collaborate with them, and that’s what we’re doing very closely,” Hatch said. “We also want a team of leaders who other teachers can turn to for help if they run across a roadblock. That’s why it’s critical to develop this group of advisers.”

Nine teachers were chosen for the council’s inaugural year, all of whom have already shown tremendous skill at bringing the outdoors to their students through innovative thinking: Michael L. Ankton, L.M. Goza Middle School in Arkadelphia; Lindsay Beaton, DeWitt Elementary; Jennifer Jackson, Ruth Barker Middle School in Bentonville; Justin Keen, Fayetteville School District; Nick McDaniel, Subiaco Academy; Iesha McDonnell, Dr. Marian G. Lacey Academy in Little Rock; Freddy Penka from Pinkston Middle School in Mountain Home; Hailey Robinson, Lincoln High School; and Nathan Windel, Deer High School.

One of the early projects the council is helping tackle is how to bring aspects of hunting safety and hunter education into elementary-level classrooms. According to Hatch, Hunter Education is written at a fifth-grade reading level, so the AGFC and Leadership Council are partnering with the International Hunter Education Association to develop an Introduction to Hunter Education to offer younger students more exposure to hunting safety and conservation.

“This is something that doesn’t exist anywhere,” Hatch said. “And so we’re not only developing it for our teachers and students in Arkansas, but it will be open source and available to teachers everywhere.”

Another initiative already being planned by the council includes revamping the current Outdoor Adventures curriculum into a new Outdoor Leadership curriculum to make it more accessible to teachers throughout the state.

“We’re also initiating a Conservation Education Conclave by next fall for teachers to gather and collaborate about how to bring more conservation awareness and outdoors-based education into their classrooms,” Hatch said.

Visit https://www.agfc.com/education/teacher-leader-council/ to learn more about the Teacher Leader Council and how to reach out to the AGFC to incorporate outdoor education in your classroom.

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CUTLINES:

IN CAVE
AGFC staff pose with six members of the new Teacher Leader Council during a tour of Blanchard Springs last Wednesday. AGFC photo by Mike Wintroath.

DISCUSSION
Members of the Teacher Leader Council collaborate with AGFC staff to develop curriculum and methods to deliver conservation education in packed school schedules. AGFC photo by Mary Beth Hatch.

COOKING CLASS
Cooking wild game is one activity teachers are exploring to introduce conservation to students. AGFC photo by Mary Beth Hatch.