Month: December 2020

I feel like I did pretty well in this class, I showed up on time for every class, I did most of the readings and other activities that I was asked to partake in, I believe I only missed about 3 readings and these were during the weeks that I had the most assignments due so I had to focus on them more than anything. I tried to engage in the class as much as I could, but sadly with it all being over zoom, it was challenging to try and get a word in since I didn’t want to interrupt the professor or any other students. During the class, I was always respectful of what others had to say and gave them my full attention when presenting. overall I would give myself an 8/10, I say this because of the couple of readings I missed and not being able to participate in class discussions to the full amount that I wanted; I also tried my best to do the most I could outside of class and bring the teachings to my everyday life.

today was our last class! while I did enjoy this class I am happy to have a bit of a break from all this school work!

It’s been hard trying to find time to go to my special place but I did manage to get a couple of minutes there and drink my hot chocolate. I sat and reflected over all the past weeks and how much the environment has changed. It’s surprising when you get so busy you don’t really realize how much time has passed. So it’s nice to look back and reflect on the time that has passed

Today we broke out and talked about People of the Seventh Fire. This was an interesting read and to me, it resembled the people of maple town reading we did awhile back. it’s about realizing the mark that you’re living on the land, it can be destructive or one who wants to preserve the land. I of course want to try my best and preserve the land, we only have one planet and its slowly dying. that being said I truly don’t think we will be able to save it, massive corporations have sunk their roots deep and will be near impossible to topple over. We would need systemic reform and I just don’t see that happing in my life without some kind of revolt. It was interesting to see the different ways that they view fire, for example, a fire for a ceremony would be different than one used to roast marshmallows

I believe I will be a lifelong environmental advocate; I will always try my best, and do what I can to help the environment.

To start off my week I went to visit my special place, however, they seemed to have had a pipeline break so I instead walked around the neighbourhood again, it was very quiet and peaceful with a fresh layer of snow covering everything, I always enjoy the crunching of the snow as I walk to it was very soothing

This week I have been very busy trying to make sure everything is handed in with all my classes, I have 4 final assignments which were all papers one after the other so I didn’t have much time to read all the readings, however, I did listen to the ted talk and want to talk about what I think the “One bowl, one spoon,” I believe what he’s getting at is that we should really limit ourselves to the things we actually need. in his example we don’t need to have multiple bowls all the time, we only need our bowl and once we use it we wash it and put it away. But we don’t do this, I myself have more than 10 bowls and when I use one I put it in the dishwasher. If I were to just clean the bowl when I’m done I would have no need for multiple, this would, in turn, reduce waste. using this idea on other things such as clothes, TVs, computers, laptops, etc could really reduce the amount of harm that one person has on the environment. but sadly like myself, I don’t want to give up what I have since I feel like I earned and deserve to have this stuff. I feel like this idea is good on paper but would not work for many different people and households

Once my assignments have been finished I will go on reading People of the Seventh Fire. I’m also looking for other ways that I can reduce my global footprint, I have started walking to nearby restaurants and stores instead of driving, it is very difficult in the winter since I don’t have the proper attire, but I feel its worth it to help do my part

“The story of stuff”

This was a fun little animated video that explained the life span of different products, it follows their creation, their transportation, the use and then their disposal, its interesting because it also talks about how people think something is obsolete when there is a new version or colour introduced. This definitely makes me think of phones. every two years I get a new phone because I am told by my contract that my phone is outdated and its time for an upgrade, when in actuality my phone works fine and I don’t really need the new minimum features 

I think this video is good for all ages and really should be something that everyone has watched. it would also be fun to do a little assignment about a product that we have, look into the process behind its manufacturing, and see why we may dispose of it even if it’s in working condition

It’s a resource that make someone more aware of their habits and their impact on the planet, many people will throw something out and then it will be gone from their mind, but after watching this I always think about where my garbage is going.

“Citizenship in maple nation”

It’s a short story that talks about a small community of first nations people and their strong connection to the maple trees that surround them, they talk about the importance of preserving the forests as well as how much the trees give to the world and how important they are to protect them and care for them.

I feel like it does a good job of making students understand the importance of nature and how much they help us survive. so for younger grades, it would be good to focus on that. for older grades, you could look at the more political side of trying to preserve this land and how big corporations are often to blame for these places being cut and destroyed.

Depending on the class I would like to make this a more personal activity. I would have the student pick out someplace that is important to them and talk about all the ways it can supply themself with food, air clothing etc. and how it supplies other creatures such as birds, bugs, small mammals, etc. this will help my students understand more about how nature connects to different aspects of our life and the lives or other living creatures.

I was unable to do both readings this week since I have many finals coming up but I did read some of the people of the seventh fire, its interesting to see their connection to fire, its a sort of tradition and cultural activity, its more than just making fire and has deep spiritual connection to them and the land