Caity Pietsch
As I learned about teaching strategies for outdoor education and project ideas to take back to my classroom, I realized I could make science come alive for my students and help them see and connect to their world in a new way.
What is your current job?
I am a fifth grade teacher at Naches Valley Middle School in Naches, Washington.
Please share a meaningful experience you had during the NOAA Bay Watershed Education and Training (B-WET) project you participated in.
The B-WET professional development I participated in was career-changing for me. It was this experience that got me excited about teaching science. As I learned about teaching strategies for outdoor education and project ideas to take back to my classroom, I realized I could make science come alive for my students and help them see and connect to their world in a new way.
How has the B-WET program helped you grow personally and/or professionally?
The new management strategies I learned for conducting outdoor education allowed me to feel more confident about taking my class outside, making science more hands-on than ever. I also have more connections to local groups and agencies to support what I do in the classroom and make things like our salmon project possible.
What are the challenges to meaningful education that B-WET has helped you to address?
One of the challenges to meaningful education is making it relevant and real to students. The B-WET project has helped me connect my students and the community to our local environment and bring awareness to the effects of climate change, human impact, and conservation efforts in our area. When kids visit local areas, or see their school grounds or their own houses in a new way, it makes the concepts much more relatable and real.
How has participating in Meaningful Watershed Educational Experiences (MWEEs) impacted your student participants or the community?
Students are always excited to get involved on a local level and feel like they can have an impact on their community. It is thrilling to see kids get excited about the world around them.
