Mount Vernon resident presents at early childhood education workshop
Wartburg College Professor Mike Bechtel and senior Ella Brase recently presented “Into the Wild: Teaching Core Subjects Through an Environmental Lens” at the Early Learning Fall Institute in Des Moines.
Brase, of Mount Vernon, presented five hands-on lessons from Population Education’s Counting on People curriculum. Population Education is an organization that provides K-12 teachers with lesson plans and professional development to teach about human population growth and its effects on the environment.
“It’s important for students to understand not only the damage we are causing to the planet, but also that we are getting to the point where the damage is becoming irreversible,” she said. “I hope these discussions and lessons will make students aware of this huge issue and inspire the next generation to take action. The goal is not to scare students with this topic but to start small and help young people identify ways they can directly impact the world in a positive manner.”
Though Bechtel has worked with Population Education for about four years and was part of a group of educators who vetted lesson plans for the organization this summer, this was Brase’s first time presenting at a conference.
“The greatest benefit from presenting was the connections I made with other educators,” said Brase, who would like to teach in Iowa after graduation. “It was really moving to spend an entire morning with a group of people who were passionate about furthering their own education in order to create more engaging and thought-provoking lessons for their students. This also was a great way for me to see myself as a colleague to other educators rather than simply a college student, which is a big mental shift that will allow me to be more confident as I go into the field.”