Environmental Educator of the Year

We have the Howard Bell Award, which has been traditionally given as more of a “lifetime achievement” award, often to administrators, authors, and other leaders in the field. Now, here is an award for the “Naturalist on the trail.” For someone still teaching and loving it, who has contributed to the success of EE in the state and leads by example. George Stratman came up with the idea, we discussed it at board meetings and liked it, and decided to get the ball rolling by choosing the first people to receive the award. Both Southern and Northern California recipients are truly deserving of this honor, as folks who have helped keep AEOE going over the years while still teaching and retaining the joy inherent in our jobs. Next year it could be someone on YOUR staff!

Janice Smith, Environmental Educator of the Year for the Southern Section of AEOE

Biography by Kate Mahon

As you might expect from an environmental educator, Janice Smith had nature as her backyard for many of her formative years. An “air force brat,” Janice Smith lived on military bases in rural areas of Wisconsin, Michigan, Virginia, and Montana. She was not an indoor girl. When she wasn’t in school she was outdoors, in the winter, skiing and ice-skating and in the summer, hiking, building forts out in the woods, poking about in streams, or swimming in lakes. After college at Ohio University, where she majored in Community Health, Janice moved to California and worked in jobs like bank teller. But, she didn’t think banking was the career for her. She took a class to help her choose a career, and realized that what was missing in her life was nature. She thought she would like to teach people about nature. Then, a woman she knew said, “I know a place that does that.” The woman directed Janice to the Orange County Department of Education, and the next week Janice was a “Cabin Leader” at the Arbolado site of the Orange County Outdoor Science School. It was not long before Janice was saying, “I can’t believe I’m getting paid for this!” She had found her career.

Janice worked for OCOSS from spring of 1987 through December of 1989, at this point Janice went to Humboldt State University to earn a teaching credential and take some science courses, while her husband (whom she met when he was a fellow cabin leader at Arbolado) pursued a degree in art. During the summer breaks from her studies at Humboldt State, Janice substituted at OCOSS and worked as a nature specialist for the Boys and Girls Club at Camp Grace Valley, where she created a nature museum that is still in operation. After finishing her credential, Janice moved back to southern California in 1993 to work as the Program Director of a large Girl Scout Camp. During this time she learned about camp management and spent four fun summers there. That same year, 1993, Janice joined the staff at Cuyamaca Outdoor School, run by the San Diego County Office of Education, where she still teaches today.

Since being at Cuyamaca Janice has contributed to the program in many ways, influencing curriculum and teaching techniques. Janice’s former students know her as the “Rainbow Lady” because she uses a rainbow theme for teaching during the week. Now, all the teachers at Cuyamaca use a theme. She also started the “Idea sharing meetings” that are held each week by the staff. Her principal calls her “the idea person.”

I can’t believe I have written this much about Janice without mentioning one of her biggest assets. Janice has an incredible soprano voice, which has brought chills to me several times. Janice sings at campfire, talent show presentations and in the cabin with students. The girls always compliment her story telling and singing.

Janice uses her music to spread the word about environmental education. She formed the “Cuyamaca Players” who, for the last five years, have played environmentally themed music at the Earth Day celebration in Balboa Park in San Diego, where they are always well received.

You may have heard Janice sing at a campfire of an AEOE function. She has been a member of AEOE since 1987 when she attended her first statewide conference. I think she has attended every statewide conference since then. She even flew down to southern California while she was a student at Humboldt, so she could attend the conference held at Hi Hill Outdoor School in the San Gabriel Mountains. She has served on the Southern AEOE board in the positions of Activities Director, Chair Elect, Chair and Past Chair. Most recently, she has served as the Historian for AEOE, which is a state-wide position. As historian, Janice is organizing all the documents, photos and stories that comprise this organization’s forty-five year history. For the past two state conferences, she has created an AEOE history display and in spring 1999, presented a workshop on the history of AEOE.

Janice became a presenter at AEOE conferences for the first time in 1995, at the Southern fall conference where she first led her “Themagination” workshop. She has presented at least one workshop at every Southern and statewide conference since then, including topics on Environmental Music, Journey to the Center of the Heart (journaling), Environmental Ethical Positions, and soil. Last spring she presented two workshops, created the history display, and ran the photo contest for the statewide conference. And she still had energy to dance a hula and jam with Walkin’ Jim after his concert.

Working and participating in AEOE are not enough to keep Janice busy. She takes classes in science through the UC Riverside extension. She also is currently featured on a music CD titled “A Mountain Home Christmas, Julian Home Grown Music,” and, she has plans to cut a CD of her own music. She says she would also love to record a CD of children’s environmental music, so she can continue, through music, to spread ideas about how precious our environment is.

Lastly, Janice has had a famous role model in the area of nature inspired music, another air force brat. If you see her at an AEOE function, just ask her to play a John Denver song. I’m sure she will be happy to oblige.

A Thank You letter from the first Southern Section Environmental Educator of the Year recipient, Janice Smith

When I realized that I had been selected as Environmental Educator of the Year at the Southern Fall Conference, I found myself at a loss for words. I can’t express how humbling it feels to have been recognized by my peers for doing something that I love so much. I say this because over the years of being in outdoor education and AEOE, I have come to know so many committed environmental educators that share in my experience.

When I first discovered outdoor education 12 years ago, someone told me it would be “the hardest job you’ll ever love”. Well, they were right on. I was working harder than I had ever worked in my whole life, and yet, I couldn’t believe I was getting paid for being in the out-of-doors and sharing my love of nature with children. I cannot think of a more noble profession. It’s not to say that I don’t experience challenges now and again, all teachers do. But every time I start to think I’m not making a difference, something wonderful will happen...I’ll see a child’s eyes light up at seeing a deer in the wild for the first time...or the wind will blow its windsong through the trees and suddenly everyone stops to listen. These are the moments that make my heart beat a little faster. It’s times like these when everything seems to fall into place that I realize I’ve got the best job in the world. If I can pass that excitement on to my students, then I’ve shared the most important lesson of all. Anyone who knows me, or has attended one of my “Themagination” workshops, knows that I’m a big believer in teaching from the heart. I believe it is what connects us to the kids and gets us through the “difficult” times, and it is ultimately what will help them to connect with nature. I once heard a quote that helps to keep me grounded, “Kids don’t care how much you know, until they know how much you care.” The reality of those words still gets to me.

Before closing, I want to say a special thanks to my fellow AEOE board members for their dedication, enthusiasm and professionalism. It is a pleasure to work with you all. Also, thanks to the people in the AEOE family and beyond who, at conferences, have shared their ideas, teaching tools, music, games and their hearts in effort to be the best environmental and outdoor educators they can be. You have all been an inspiration to me and I am proud to be among you. Thank you for this wonderful gift. I celebrate with all of you.

Janice Smith