Congratulations, Juliann Shockley!Virginia’s most recent Certified Environmental Educator
Juliann Shockley, Virginia’s Environmental Education Certification Program’s sixth graduate completed her work in August. As a self-described lifelong learner, she is already taking on new professional development via a graduate course.
Juliann was driven to take part in this professional development opportunity because, in her words…
“I feel we are all a part of nature and our environment, so it is important to understand the interconnected relationship we have with our environment. Teaching students about the continually changing global and local environmental issues is key to building problem solving skills for solutions to these ever-changing problems. When I found out about this credential, I thought it would be a good fit and give a fresh perspective on topics I was already teaching in Environmental Science and hopefully learn some new ideas to incorporate into the classroom (and it did!)”
Her career path has given her an important perspective on environmental issues that she brings to her classroom.
“I am a career switcher and started my career as an environmental consultant where I wrote Environmental Impact Statements, conducted Phase I and Phase II Environmental Site Assessments (assessing potential environmental concerns on a site before new ownership takes place), and conducted environmental remediation and cleanup projects for both private and military installations. Those jobs provided me with real world applications that I could share with my students and provide ideas for multiple career paths in the STEM fields.”
Juliann only speaks to her prior experience here, but even while in the Certification Program and teaching her students, when she learned about the opportunity to visit Piney Grove via The Nature Conservancy’s special professional development opportunity just for enrolled Certification Candidates, she jumped at the chance. As soon as she saw that the calendar date might work, she had already begun to think about how to bring her learning to students at Heritage High School where she has taught Earth Science, Environmental Science, AP Environmental Science, and new this year, the IB Environmental Systems and Societies course.
Juliann’s Capstone Project brought together the Heritage High School and Town of Leesburg communities.
While in class, Juliann’s students were learning about the effects of urbanization and the loss of tree canopy, but learning stretched beyond the classroom as the project brought students, faculty, and community members together as active participants in a solution to the town’s environmental problem. Juliann explained that “Students were able to engage in discussions with the Mayor of Leesburg, members from the Town of Leesburg Tree Commission, the Town’s urban forester, and members of the Izaak Walton League about the problem and the solution for tree canopy in Leesburg. This allowed students to build knowledge and hands-on skills for sustainable development by learning how many stakeholders come together to collaborate on a solution to an environmental problem in our own community.”
The work of drawing together various parts of the community who could breathe reality into the issue and then providing opportunities for students to engage directly with problem solving made an impact:
“Over 90% of students reported an increased understanding of the importance of trees in urban ecosystems. Many students enjoyed being active participants in this project and expressed interest in future tree planting events. Some of our students even volunteered to help give away trees to town residents on their Saturday morning. Here students loaded up trees in residents’ cars, taught them how to properly plant a tree, and how to add their tree planting to the town’s GIS map that tracks tree canopy data throughout the Town of Leesburg (just as they had learned from our project). The feedback confirmed that the project helped to achieve the environmental goals of increasing tree canopy in the town and increasing knowledge of the importance of trees in our environment, but also created a sense of ownership and civic responsibility among many of the students.”
“Students learned that environmental issues are not just abstract problems that we talk about in the classroom, but they are real problems that we face right here in our very own community, and they require collective action to help solve them.”
“The work in this program has allowed me to assess and reflect on my own teaching methods and incorporate new topics and activities, as well as get to know new natural areas in Virginia to share with my students. Making new connections with local like-minded folks has been a bonus and I'm hoping it will continue to open up new opportunities for our students to volunteer and become involved in their local environment and community.”
