Author and retired educator Terry Lee Marzell recommends exploring Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area near Las Vegas, Nevada. The area is a great place for teachers who are looking for ways to include environmental lessons in their curriculum. Photo credit: Hal Marzell

Teachers are often looking for ways to include environmental lessons in their curriculum. Given the fact that field trips, especially field trips to places far from home, are difficult anytime, but especially during a pandemic, teachers could help their students explore natural environments virtually. A place I recently visited that would make a good lesson for students was Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area near Las Vegas, Nevada.

Red Rock Canyon was designated as Nevada’s first National Conservation Area. The area is visited by more than two million people each year. Administered by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Red Rock is an area of international geologic interest. The area encompasses 195,819 acres within the Mojave Desert and features a diverse mix of plants and animals, from seasonal wildflowers and wildlife to year round plants and animals.

My husband and I visited the conservation area last month. We took the 13-mile scenic drive, with a couple of stops to take a little nature walk. We took a short hike down into a canyon to explore some rock formations. Rock climbing is also available for those who are interested. In fact, there are 26 different hikes, climbs, and trails of different degrees of difficulty that can be explored, from the deepest canyons to the highest points.

Of course, not everyone can visit the area in person. But you can find a variety of instructional resources online. You can view Teacher Resources, which provide teachers with information and resources about Red Rock Canyon and the surrounding area, and also offers general teaching aids. Also, you can browse these links: Red Rock Canyon A-Z, Wildlife Wednesday, and Flower Friday where you will find articles to learn more.

Author and retired educator Terry Lee Marzell recently visited several of California’s redwood forests. She is pictured here at Humboldt Redwoods State Park, located along the famous Avenue of the Giants in Humboldt County. Photo credit: Hal Marzell

Educators who are creating lessons about California’s rich botanical heritage will surely want to include information about the California’s redwood forests. The majestic trees found in these forests are among the tallest and oldest in the world. Groves of redwoods can be found in redwood state and national parks along the northern coast of California. In fact, the state boasts a total of 31 such parks. I had the good fortune to visit several of them on a road trip my husband, our little dog Kurby, and I recently enjoyed.

The average height of a mature redwood is between 200 to 240 feet. Some can even grow as large as 350 feet with a diameter of over 20 feet. These amazing trees can live up to 2,000 years!

If you visit in person, you can explore these forests by walking along  easy, relatively short, well-marked, and well-maintained nature trails. Touring these trails is like venturing into a magical fairyland, complete with towering timbers, lush ferns, colorful mushrooms, spongy floors, and filtered light. I’m sure these forests would be impressive at any time of the year, but in winter, the growth is more green and lush, and because of the frequent insulating fog and the ample rain, over 300 types of mushrooms sprout up.

You and your students can also explore California’s redwood forests online. Here is a link to a six minute educational about the forests, and also a live webcam that shows a river flowing through the forest: Virtual Redwoods. To learn more about the various redwood parks along the Avenue of the Giants in Humboldt County, click on this link. At this website you will find maps, photos, and information about visitor centers.

There are so many talented educators out there that, by myself, I cannot possibly find out about them all. How about some help?

Do you know a remarkable teacher?Someone everyone looks up to: students, parents, and administrators alike? Someone who serves as a model for the profession? A true Chalkboard Champion? This teacher could be someone who is already retired, or even someone from history that you admire.

You can nominate that educator to be the subject of a blog post on this web site. Simply use the contact form at right to send me the name and email information, if you have it, for the teacher you would like to nominate. I’ll do the rest!

Hope to hear from you soon!

This week, educators all around the state of California are celebrating Retired Teachers Week. The celebration will span the week of November 1-7. This year is the 22nd year that the celebration is being observed.

After years, and sometimes decades, of giving selflessly to their students, their schools, and their communities, California’s retired teaches continue to give back through their wallets and their passion for volunteer work. Though some people would say that retired teachers and their pensions are a drain on the economy, facts and figures show that the opposite is true. Retired teachers pay $1.5 billion in federal, state, and local taxes each year. In addition, they donate nearly 2 million hours in volunteer work which has been valued at nearly $61 million. Furthermore, members of the California Retired Teachers Association (CalRTA) have donated more than $600,000 in grants, scholarships, and donations to schools and current and future teachers last year.

CalRTA has had a long history of working on behalf of the state’s retired educators. The organization was founded in 1929, while the Great Depression was in full swing, when a small group of teachers organized to fight for retirement security for the state’s retired educators. “Our early leaders showed us what dedication, compassion, and determination can accomplish,” observed Dr. James Mahoney, CalRTA State President. “Today we’re trying to live up to their example as we continue our fight for retirement security while also giving back to our local communities and protecting public education.”

To learn more about the California Retired Teachers Association, follow this link to their website calrta.org.