How I Designed Activities to Build Eco-friendly Mindset in my Students
At our home, we have enough free space. We have garden with flowers and fruits both in front of our house as well as on the back. In the backyard we grow seasonal vegetables along with crops like potato, maize, onion and garlic. Since my childhood I have seen my family members involved in such types of activities. My interest in environment grew. I like planting trees and gardening. During my free time from studies, I used to water the plants. Each time I saw a new type of flower anywhere, I used to bring that flower to my own garden. I also used to buy vegetable saplings from the market and used to plant them. We used to grow variety of fruits. It amazed me when I saw people buying lemons, papaya, mangoes, and guava among others. I thought everyone has this at their homes. While my friends preferred urban setting with cafes, cars and shops, I preferred quiet places with farms and greenery. I loved environment since my childhood and wanted to contribute my part to protect the environment.
Before being placed as a Teach for Nepal fellow 2018 in a rural school in Parsa for two years, I had no idea I would help to build eco-friendly mindset in my students. My main aim was to teach effectively so that students will excel in their academics. I still remember the first day, I went to school. The school building was nice and had adequate open space. But the open space was empty covered with unwanted grass filled with waste. No single flower or plant was inside the school, apart from one Peepal (Ficus religiosa) tree in the middle of the school. However, there were some trees outside the school which provided shade during the summer. It provided a lot of relief. After some informal talks with the students, it was found that students were not either interested in activities related to environment. We waited, continued our conversations with teachers, stakeholders and community. During our conversations, we tried to understand the mindset of the community. We were searching for a pattern and we found out.
It was the Republic Day 2018 of Nepal. We decided to celebrate it but it was going to be different this time. Earlier they used to hold a rally, some speakers would express their views and everyone went home. This time we planned a series of events. Before the republic day we cleaned not only our classrooms but also whole playground. Not a single piece of waste was found on the ground. Before this, only the school helpers used to do this task. But this time students along with teachers were involved in the process of cleaning. This helped students to become aware about how the clean environment looks. Dustbins were made available on the ground. On the next day, we held plantation program. The plantation program was attended by local representatives, distinguished local personalities and parents. Each of the participant planted tree in the school ground. Students brought flowers from their home to plant in the school. It was a beautiful day. We did hold a rally and short speech. The school looked beautiful.
What we did on the republic day did not just stop there. From the next day, students started bringing flowers from their homes on a daily basis. The craze of plantation grew so much that students started to care for their plants themselves. They even brought manure from their homes. Each class maintained a dustbin by themselves with local materials. Each class was assigned a day in a week under the supervision of the class teacher to carry out cleanliness activity around the school. School was so clean, green and beautiful. Students started loving plants and flowers. The clean environment of the school with all the greenery built confidence in the students. It lured them to school every day. Each student was given a tree to care for as One Tree My Responsibility. The students provided with the responsibility were excited and even competed against their friends, about whose tree is grow best. Students began taking pride about the flowers they brought from their homes.
Being a Science teacher, as part of the curriculum, I had to include chapters related to environment. It was a blessing for me. I designed activities that helped students to observe the environment, feel the environment and care for the environment. During my leisure, I used to take students from primary level to the garden and simply give them tasks like counting trees, find out the different types of flowers in the school garden and their homes, observe the variety of colors of flowers and types of leaves. The whole school was an environmental lab. They enjoyed such types of activities. But my underlying intention was to aware them about environment since their formative years. For students from lower secondary level, I used to take them to forest side, river side and in their community. I used to design a worksheet that they had to fill in a team. This also helped students to become involved in activities where they could witness the process around them and care the environment. I also used to show them documentaries about the environment issues around the world and we used to hold discussion about the environment.
After the establishment of hostel, we started to grow vegetables in one corner of the school. Students were divided with responsibility of growing vegetables. I bought seeds when I visited the town. During their free time, students would care the vegetable garden that provided them vegetables. Some students used to cook food themselves, and such vegetables came to rescue. Even teachers could pick fresh vegetables from the garden. Staying in hostel helped me to make aware students about the waste and issues of the environment. We not only kept the school premises clean but also cleaned school outside the compound. The waste that students had thrown in other’s private property. We even cleaned that. The plants and flowers inside the school compound received more care as we stayed in the school round the clock. I was very happy the day when I took students for a walk and while we were having rest, students started collecting local plants from the area so that they could grow those in their homes as well as school. I saw myself in them.
Climate change is not a secret. If we don’t prepare the upcoming generation to tackle the issues, it would not be long before the world will be suffering. The students were earlier hesitant to carry broom and clean their classroom or play with the soil. But we led by example and after students became aware about the environment, no convincing was required. I believe it is very much necessary to build eco-friendly mindset in our students to save our world and make this world a better place.
