Lincoln Middle School Teacher Brings Love Of Wetlands To Classroom

Edith Meints derives great personal joy from wetlands and she likes to share that joy with as many people as she possibly can.

"When I was growing up on the farm a lot of wetlands were being turned into cropland, but my father seemed to understand that they had a natural purpose in the greater scheme of things. We cared for ours and enjoyed their natural beauty," the Hazel G. Scott Middle School teacher said, "We never tired of watching the ducks and geese and the beautiful cattails and flowers."

Years later, her love of wetlands carried-over into the classroom, where she was teaching science to Lincoln elementary and junior high students.

"I always wanted to teach my students more about wetlands and so, when I got the chance I went for it," she said.

In 1990 and 1991, Meints worked with other teachers and wetland experts to develop a wetlands curriculum for Lincoln Public Schools (LPS) elementary students. When they developed the curriculum, Meints was teaching fifth and sixth grades and that's the level the new curriculum was aimed at.

"I can now say that every fifth grader in the Lincoln schools since 1992 has been exposed to our wetlands unit," she said proudly.

The wetlands unit she and others developed is designed to be taught one hour per day over a four to five week period, though individual teachers can tailor the unit to fit into short or longer time schedules.

"From the beginning, the wetlands unit was designed from an environmental point of view. We teach that preserving wetlands as an ecosystem fits into the natural order of things and that they are important elements in the hydrologic cycle and important to plants and wildlife," she said.

The unit also teaches how wetlands fit into watersheds and watershed management and where they fit into water use needs, both for people and for plants and wildlife.

Though Meints is now teaching on the middle school level, all fifth grade classes in LPS are still exposed to her original, and since revised, wetlands curriculum as part of their overall science curriculum.

The curriculum features a lot of hands-on and exploratory activities to help draw students into the lessons.

A field trip to the Earth Wellness Festival at Lincoln's Southeast Community College is one of the unit's culminating activities.

One person that Meints counted upon heavily in helping develop the original curriculum was Carl Wolfe, who coordinates 'Project Wild' and is the outdoor education specialist for the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission.

"Carl (Wolfe) has a great deal of experience with outdoor youth education and as such, was invaluable in coming-up with many of the activities that are now a part of the curriculum," said Meints.

Draft copies of the lessons were reviewed by educators and wetland experts, both from within and outside of LPS, before the curriculum was first presented to Lincoln fifth graders in 1992. The drafting and piloting process took about two years.

"We've made some modifications to it in the last five years, but the basic curriculum was a good one and has proven itself in the classroom," she said.

I think the lessons it teaches are something everyone can relate to and are important in helping to understand the natural history of our state, as well as how wetlands fit into the hydrologic cycle."