Dearest Bixby Community,
A quick side note
On Tuesday this week, there was a small alumni reunion that nourished my soul so deeply. I was inspired by the efforts of many alumni to give back to this planet and the future generations. I was talking with one alumnus from two years before me and heard her stories of being a teacher at Fairview. She shared about how much her students trust her and value her as a friend and mentor. Another alumnus is spending her time consulting with businesses about how they can lower their carbon footprint. I have to imagine that Bixby laid the foundation for their desire to take responsibility, show empathy for people they encounter, and compassionately serve the health of our ecosystems and children.
Beautiful moments from the 1st grade Geography classroom
We are currently studying the development of life on earth. As we explore some of the earliest organisms on this planet, I’m excited by their insightful observations and interesting questions. Some of the “big questions” are really starting to show up. As they discover new organisms they had never heard of or seen before, they begin to ask where they went, where we came from, and how species change over time. These questions seem to bring their awareness to the grand scope of life on this planet in a new way. Their perspective begins to shift to recognize our tiny human existence within the scope of life on this planet. I shared with them that if this planet had only existed for ten minutes, life would only fill the final minute. And within that tenth minute, Homo sapiens would only exist in the end of the final second. This seemed to really expand their vision of our place within everything that’s happened on this planet.
Today, we completed our exploration into life in the Cambrian period. They colored some drawings of the earliest invertebrates and then made models of the animals. We will set up a model timeline of the Paleozoic, Mesozoic, and Cenozoic time periods to display the development of life on this planet. I find this to be one of the most interesting areas of study we do throughout the year because it’s a hands-on exploration of how life on this planet shifts and morphs. Check out these proud smiles of excited geographers. We will be adding colored pictures to the geologic time scale in the first grade cubby hallway for the rest of the year. Check them out as you pass through.
Love and Light,
Garrett the Carrot