Profile Award Remarks

By Bo Hoppin, Antioch New England Institute

May 3, 2006

On behalf of New Hampshire Project Learning Tree’s past and present board members, staff and financial supporters we would like to thank the Old Man of the Mountain Legacy Fund for this award.  It is a great honor to this organization and a wonderful recognition for environmental education in New Hampshire.  The New Hampshire Project Learning Tree’s Board prides itself for representing a broad constituency of New Hampshire community members including k-12 teachers, school administrators, timber industry professionals, state and federal conservation organizations, environmental non-profits and higher education.  Together we have worked to develop New Hampshire Project Learning tree to be an organization that teaches students how to be stewards of New Hampshire’s precious natural resources and to understand the important role these resources play in New Hampshire’s economy.

I was thinking just the other day about what the Old Man of the Mountain must be thinking as he casts a watchful eye over this exquisite state and the children we raise.  And yes, his spirit does still watch over us from high up on the cliffs of Franconia Notch!!!  He must have a stone faced grin and a tear in his eye as he watches us interact with the place where we live.  He surely notices that our land is more forested now than it was 100 years ago, but that fewer children are running through those forests.  He must see that our rivers run clearer but that fewer parents encourage their kids to play in those rivers.  And he must watch that we have a lot more TV programs about our environment, but schools find it harder and harder to use our environment to teach.  It is this tension between hope for New Hampshire’s natural resources and the challenge to teach our students about New Hampshire’s environment that create the need for education organizations such as New Hampshire Project Learning Tree. It is recognitions such as this award that are critical to sustaining and expanding environmental education opportunities throughout New Hampshire so the old man will see children touched by the smell of the pine, feel the chatter of the river and understand how what they learn in school connects to New Hampshire’s land.

In education, we work hard to articulate the enduring understandings we want students to learn from any given lesson.  Receiving this award prompted me to think of the enduring understandings we have learned from the Old Man of the Mountain:

• The power of resilience and stick-to-it-iveness
• The large impact of what looks small to the observer
• Watching over the world, seeing the “big picture”
• The absolute wonder of nature
• Stewardship, caring for what sets us apart and makes us more complete
• The fragility … of even the most treasured and seemingly permanent symbols

When I think of the Old Man in these ways, it is easy for me to draw a parallel between these characteristics and Project Learning Tree.  You see, Project Learning Tree is a small, yet resilient organization.  We have existed for just over 25 years with a staff of only one or two.  Quietly, deliberately, steadfastly, we have trained over 4,000 teachers and reached an estimated half a million students in that time!

We also strive to see the big picture, just as the Old Man watches up, down, and across New Hampshire. Our board of directors has emphasized bringing diverse opinions onto the board and diverse funding resources to the organization.  The result has been an ever-growing philosophy to expose New Hampshire’s children to a range of opinions and interests about the environment.  Our mantra is to teach kids how to think, not what to think.  We feel that if we can provide New Hampshire’s students with the tools to think critically, they will in turn grow up to make responsible stewardship decisions for New Hampshire’s precious natural resources.

But perhaps the way I best see parallels between the Old Man and Project Learning Tree is how having them both here in New Hampshire makes our lives richer and more meaningful.  When the Old Man’s face was a little easier to distinguish, was there anyone in this room who didn’t look up every time they drove by?  I’ll bet we all still look up too.  Seeing and remembering the Old Man reassures us that we live in a world bigger than us, that has great mystery and meaning when you pause to look for it.  Project Learning Tree has this effect on children’s lives as well.  We help our youth to pause, see the wonder and complexity of the natural world around them. In a world that is technologically fast-paced and plugged in, PLT offers children a chance to unplug and see the amazing process the natural world goes through to provide enjoyment.  We can all certainly live without the Old Man—or Project Learning Tree, but think of the richness and meaning that is missing when we do.

Allow me to close with a story to illustrate this point.  Recently, a group of first graders in southern New Hampshire explored the woods behind their school with their teacher and our Executive Director.  During the trip, Esther pointed out deer scat on the trail and a bit later, the claw marks of a bear that climbed a beech tree.  Then they came into an opening with lots of small trees with their bark rubbed off by moose scraping their antlers.  One boy, who is very energetic, eager to talk, and a bit unfocused, was becoming bored with the trip and wanted to go back.  That is, until he was prompted to try one more time to look a little closer and see what he could find that was interesting.  There, in the leaf litter at his feet, Tommy found a pile of old moose scat!  It was a great find and for several minutes this pile captured the classes attention.  Ah, they realized, there is a lot to see, to uncover and to learn from this place. If you slow down and take the time to really look.

I am sure, that up there in Franconia Notch, as the old man’s spirit watched this class wonder, think, and get excited about a pile of moose scat, that he had both a stoned face smile and a tear in his eye.

Thank you once again for this terrific recognition that supports New Hampshire’s children to learn, enjoy and care for Old Man’s enduring spirit.