(no subject)
First week of zoo training, check. Place to live for the rest of AmeriCorps, no check. So that's about where I stand in my life right. I have yet to find a place to live for the remaining six months I'm in Rhode Island, but I have moved out of the place I was in originally, and thankfully, the director of my program has given me a room for as long as it takes to find a new place. My first week of zoo training was interesting, but I'm really looking forward to this week. My boss has decided to throw us into the programs this week, so tomorrow I am shadowing and participating in two programs. The first is a zoomobile, my first foray into an inner city classroom with our education animals. I'm really excited, because many, if not all of these children, will never have been exposed to these kinds of animals (wallaby, armadillo, owl). Also, they probably haven't been exposed to the idea of environmentalism. While I know I won't reach every kid I ever teach, I am looking forward to reaching some of them, hopefully giving them a new perspective on life to consider.
The second program I will be participating in tomorrow is called Pets & Vets. This is a program that teaches middle schoolers about how to properly treat a pet. This includes lectures and field trips. Last week we visited a veterinary hospital, where the children learned about pet dentistry, giving heartworm medicine, and Lyme disease. This week I think we will be dissecting a sheep's eyeball together. This program is so fantastic because it teaches these kids that animals have feelings too. In these households, perhaps the brother goes to dog fights or the father kicks the cat or the cousin in a gang owns a python, and we teach them that mistreating animals is wrong, that wild animals don't make good pets, and that they can strive to become vets or involved with animals in other ways.
The director of my program, Lisa, is really great. So is her family, including husband Alex, daughter Maddie, and Corgies Tabitha and Cinder. Although I want to find my own place, actually unpack, and settle down, I'm really glad I'm living with these kind people in the interim.
The second program I will be participating in tomorrow is called Pets & Vets. This is a program that teaches middle schoolers about how to properly treat a pet. This includes lectures and field trips. Last week we visited a veterinary hospital, where the children learned about pet dentistry, giving heartworm medicine, and Lyme disease. This week I think we will be dissecting a sheep's eyeball together. This program is so fantastic because it teaches these kids that animals have feelings too. In these households, perhaps the brother goes to dog fights or the father kicks the cat or the cousin in a gang owns a python, and we teach them that mistreating animals is wrong, that wild animals don't make good pets, and that they can strive to become vets or involved with animals in other ways.
The director of my program, Lisa, is really great. So is her family, including husband Alex, daughter Maddie, and Corgies Tabitha and Cinder. Although I want to find my own place, actually unpack, and settle down, I'm really glad I'm living with these kind people in the interim.