New teachers grow their skills at UFT Summer Series

Carefully mixing sand, loam and perlite, teachers (from left) Anne Marie Vargas of the Bronx Little School, Lyonel Previl of IS 218, Brooklyn, Magali Previl of PS/IS 150, Brooklyn and Gary Fox of PS 54, Queens, create terrariums at the Queens garden.

“Having fun while you learn; nothing beats that,” Gary Fox mused while touring the Queens Botanical Garden with an eye to using it as an extended classroom for his pre-K to 2nd-graders this school year.A cluster teacher at PS 254 in Richmond Hill, Fox was among the scores of new teachers who accepted the UFT’s invitation to its 2009 Summer Series, designed to bring teachers in their first three years on the job together and to introduce them to the city’s local treasures, in this case the four borough botanical gardens.At separate events that began in July and will stretch through early September, teachers are meeting with the education directors of each garden to learn about the resources available to enrich the curriculum with hands-on experiences beyond the classroom at all grade levels.The botanical gardens also provide materials geared to curriculum standards that help teachers make the most of their visits with pre- and post-visit activities. And they offer professional development courses that allow educators to earn P credits for salary differentials.

At the Brooklyn gardens, Antonia Fusco, a 2nd-grade teacher at PS 677, Brooklyn, discovers a colorful brochure of “Wicked Plants” based on a book she edited in her former career as a book editor.

Valerie Facciola of PS 59, Brooklyn, sniffs an herb on tour in the Queens garden.

The visiting teachers discovered that botanical gardens are not just about botany.Mina Roustayi of PS 303 in Forest Hills is concerned about the environment and hopes to raise her students’ awareness of the issues. She was delighted to learn that the Queens garden administration building is one of the most ecologically friendly buildings in the country and that she can bring her students to learn how it draws water from its wetland setting for heating and cooling and how the roof, itself a garden, insulates the building.Special education teacher Kemlye Challenger said her 1st- and 2nd-graders at PS 301 in Brooklyn love going to that borough’s botanical garden. Young children are enchanted by the Beatrix Potter-like children’s garden complete with a cottage and vegetable garden where you expect Mr. McGregor to give chase to Peter Rabbit at any moment. It’s a perfect setting for storytelling and vocabulary-building, in addition to learning about growing the things we eat, she said.Marnie Rackmill, Queens garden professional development coordinator, pointed out the garden resources for enriching curriculum in math, science and social studies, too. At the Staten Island Chinese Scholar’s Garden there are opportunities to explore Chinese history, heritage, horticulture and landscaping as well as activities to learn about calligraphy, dragons and celebrations.Not to be overlooked are the learning opportunities for middle and high school students, including career ideas they might get from talking to garden professionals. What city kid ever thought of becoming curator of orchids or tropical plants?

On Staten Island, new teachers gather to learn about and tour the Chinese Scholar’s Garden. Teachers don UFT rain ponchos on their way to explore the Brooklyn gardens.