Teachers & Forestry
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Chuck Denney
Teachers, school’s in session for you. Eye on your mark, and measure. Just how big is that dang tree?
Teacher
"I have no idea."
Chuck Denney
Here our would-be foresters get the diameter of a tall walnut, and calculate the number of logs it might produce.
Dr. David Mercker
"The stick has to be held 25 inches from your eye."
Chuck Denney
The woods become a classroom for those who will soon be instructing our kids. This is a teacher conservation workshop put together by UT Extension. Dr. David Mercker is one of their instructors.
Dr. David Mercker
“We’re trying to bring the classroom into the school, essentially, and give the teachers an opportunity to see firsthand how responsible forest and wildlife management is practiced.”
Chuck Denney
Among those here for extra credit, biology teacher Greg Elliot.
Greg Elliot
“Well, first of all it’s a wonderful experience. I’m having a great time. I’m tired. They work us from 7am to 7pm every night. I’m just learning about the local, natural history and ecology of forests in western Tennessee.”
Chuck Denney
This is the 9th year for the Conservation workshop, and to date nearly 500 teachers have been trained. The notion is pretty simple – learn things here and then go share them with your students. This day teachers saw the tall pines and oaks at the Richard Day tree farm near the Mississippi border in McNairy County.
Richard Day
“There’s 360 acres here that is a diverse timber stand. We’ve got some specified pine plantations that we converted from crop land.”
Nat Sound
“Dirt is what you get under your fingernails. This is soil.”
Chuck Denney
Teachers also learned about soils, wildlife, nature and the environment. All subjects they’ll be talking about soon to their kids. Preston Padgett helped organize the workshop.
Preston Padgett
“It’s been shown that if they take those kids out, show them nature, let kids be a part of nature – they concentrate better, they think better, they behave better, and they learn better.”
Chuck Denney
Before you can teach something, you have to learn it yourself. That’s how these teachers spent a week of their time off. They sweated and studied this summer, so their students will benefit this fall.
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NOTE: Teachers were also able to earn college and in-service credits through this program.
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