Service-Learning Project

This past Friday and Saturday I completed my required service-learning hours for Colloquium, by volunteering to assist with a dinner and a field-trip.  Friday afternoon, several of us volunteers arrived at FGCU’s Vester Marine Lab to set up for an evening dinner on the water.  We set up tables, prepped food, and assisted anyone we could to get the event set up for dinner.  Although it was a little cool, it was a perfect setting for dinner by the water.  A couple from Gatorama, which is located in Palmdale, set up and cooked alligator ribs.  The ribs were unbelievable.  I’ve had gator tail many times, and honestly did not know that people ate gator ribs.  Along with the gator ribs, we served a variety of seafood for everyone to eat. 

Most of the people that attended were professors and professionals from across the country.  All of them seemed to have a very good time and were very friendly to all of us students.  After dinner, the couple from Gatorama brought out a live alligator and crocodile for people to hold and take pictures with if they liked.  It was pretty funny to watch many of the guests who had never seen, let alone touched an alligator or crocodile.  It was a great time for all us.  

On Saturday, I went along to assist on a field-trip to Crew Trust Preserve.  It was a great way to complete my service-learning requirement. Honestly, it felt more like a class field-trip, than anything else.  The preserve is beautiful and I really enjoyed going along.  Susan Cooper, a professor at FGCU, was very nice and was very knowledgeable about our local environment.  I really enjoyed spending time and speaking with her.  Our guide at the preserve was a white-haired lady named Brenda.  All of us on the trip really enjoyed the walk through the preserve, as Brenda educated us on a variety of things. 

One thing that I was surprised to learn was that the dahoon holly, which is native to Florida, is easily mistaken for the Brazilian pepper tree.  The dahoon hollies red berries are much larger than those of the Brazilian pepper tree.  My favorite spot along the trail was when we came upon a wooden stand that overlooked a wide open space of saw grass.  The wind was blowing from the north, and it was a peaceful site to watch the saw grass bending in what seemed to be waves of wind.  The boardwalk that followed was enjoyable as well.  I think that the preserve should definitely be on the list of field-trips for Colloquium.  In all, the two days of service-learning were a lot of fun and very enjoyable.

The Everglades

The assigned reading on the Everglades made me think back about a couple of things. Prior to coming back to school, I worked for a company that located underground buried electric cables for LCEC.  I covered all of Collier County and parts of Lee County.  Although I spent the majority of my time on Marco Island, I was also responsible for locating all lines within the Big Cypress National Preserve.  I traveled U.S. 41 from Naples to Everglades City, and then up State Road 29 into Immokalee.  I used to spend my lunch hour parked on the side of 41, watching the alligators in the canal on the north side of the road.  Over near Freeport, there is a waterway where every now and then you could see a couple of manatees playing, and there are some beautiful views out on Chokoloskee Island.  One afternoon while traveling north on SR 29 from Everglades City into Immokalee, I saw a black bear cross the highway, climb over a guard rail, and it jumped into a ditch full of water.  It looked like it was after something, but as I got closer; it scooted off into the woods.  During the rainy season, I even saw several otters playing in the ditches over in the Immokalee area. It was a great area to have to work in.  The second thing that the reading reminded me of was the only time that I have ever been camping in the Everglades.  It was in April of 1984 when I was seven years old.  I’m not sure where we actually were, but it was a spot that my step-father knew of.  We camped out for the weekend, fished, swam, and hiked all around.  I remember swimming in the water and seeing alligators.  I grew up on a canal with alligators, and we swam in the water all the time, so I didn’t really have a fear of it.  That’s funny though, because I would never do that now, and I probably wouldn’t let my children either.  Anyway, I spent most of my time there fishing and I know it’s hard to tell, but if you look closely at that picture of me holding up a bobber, there is a fish on the hook.  It’s really hard to tell, so take my word for it! The best part of the whole trip is that we went out there to celebrate Easter weekend.  My mom and my aunt’s had made sure to bring all the Easter baskets, candy, and of course, chocolate. By Sunday morning all of the chocolate had melted and left a mess in our baskets.  It’s funny now, but not so much when I was seven.

 

Nature-Deficit Disorder

After reading the assigned chapters from Gifts of Nature by Richard Louv, the chapter that stood out the most to me was titled Nature-Deficit Disorder and the Restorative Environment.  The chapter discusses how studies show that nature may be a useful therapy for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).  I wrote a paper about 11 years ago for a course at Edison Community College, where I felt then and still do now, that children are being incorrectly diagnosed with this disorder.  In my opinion, we are over medicating our children, so that parents can be lazy.  What we really have is a Parental Deficit Disorder.  Parents buy their children all these technologies and video games, and the kids rot inside their rooms all day.  It keeps the kids out of their way.  Then they go to school with all this wound up energy and they act up.  Immediately the school suggests medication and most parents follow through and put them on Ritalin or one of the other medications.  I personally feel that the problem is lack of parent interaction, and a lack of time spent playing outside.  My children have all the fun video games, computers, and whatever else they’ve talked me into; however, their time is limited and accounted for.  I make sure they play outside each day, and we do simple things like eat as a family and discuss our day.  Most families these days don’t even sit at the table and eat their dinner.  I even know a few that eat in separate rooms so that everyone can watch their own television shows.  I don’t think a lot of people realize how important of a connection you get with your children when you take the time to listen to them. 

We also take walks around the neighbor and talk about anything and everything you can imagine.  Two weeks ago we not only added a baby boy to the family, but we also added a 13 year old young man who has been diagnosed with bi-polar disorder.  I have known him his entire life, and he has gone through more terrible situations than good in his life.  He was about to go to foster care, and I just couldn’t let that happen to him. Adding him did make it five children in my household, but hey what’s one more.  Anyway, he was diagnosed with ADHD when he was around 7 or 8 years old.  I always disagreed with the diagnosis and have always fully thought it was a lack of parental guidance in his life. He is a kid with a lot of energy, but honestly, what kid isn’t.  He didn’t pay attention well in class and he misbehaved.  I think he misbehaved because he was acting out about his home life.  Now being that he is bi-polar makes his situation a little different, however I believe that positive adult interaction and some time spent with nature is a good way to help him fight his mental illness.  After two weeks of staying with us, the school has taken notice on his behavior and he told my sister he wants to stay with us because he feels loved for the first time in his life.  All the kid needs is someone to actually care and spend some time with him.  Last weekend we started building a fort in the woods behind the house, we are planning a family camping trip for next month, and tomorrow he is going hunting at Cecil Webb.  I think that if I keep him in a positive situation and expose him to the outside world, he can spend all that energy up, while enjoying the fresh air.