Diary of a Colloquium Instructor #3

August 27th was our first of five class field trips. The trips in this course are designed to enhance the students' sense of place while living in the Southwest Florida community. They are introduced to natural and historical landmarks. This semester the field trip schedule, which I had no control over, worked out just the way I like it. Our first field trip was an on campus field trip. We would meet up with a student naturalist who would take us to the campus nature trail and then on a guided sustainability walk around campus.

We met bright and early on Saturday at 8:00 am, a time not well received by most undergrads. Nonetheless, our day and time were set for us, and all but one student showed up. I could see right away some of them ignored my advice to wear long pants even when it was hot, but at least they all wore closed shoes. Many of them had water bottles and hopefully they all wore sunscreen, both necessities in the August heat and humidity on Florida.

I enjoy the first field trip of the semester because it's the first chance I have to interact informally with my students. We strolled our way to the campus trail and I learned that two of my students who seemed to be in their late twenties or early thirties, ( I'll call them M and F) welcomed this trip as a chance to get outside and away from their studies and work. Both were clearly balancing busy lives even without school. M is also a mom. In fact, through conversation we realized her daughter attended the school I used to work at, when I was there. F works a lot and takes early morning classes so he can work more hours. I knew their names would stick because they offered conversation immediately.

Students shuffled a little as they walked, and I got to talking with a few others about whether they were locals or if they came to SW Florida specifically to attend school here. Two of them moved here with their parents in recent years- one lives in Naples, the other close by in Fort Myers. I got their names too (M and C). I also learned that J is a biology major and a member of the university chamber choir. He smooth talked me into leaving early to go to a rehearsal he was missing. I obliged but I've got his number.

Among the younger crowd there is D and N, most certainly a couple. She doesn't leave his side at all, in class or on the field trip. Maybe they think I don't know, but it's really a no-brainer. Today we were standing by the entrance to the nature trail when our naturalist and a biology professor/wildlife specialist were discussing what he saw as he exited. He told us there was a ton of wildlife living on campus and around the trail, most notably several snakes that he was tracking for research. As everyone descended into the trail, D stood up on the hill looking down at the rest of the class. N smiled and waited for her to build up enough courage to join us. She stayed right by N's side.

The eldest and probably the most enthusiastic of all the students, D, was jotting away in her journal and snapping photos, in between asking questions and talking with the naturalist. She later told me how much she was enjoying the day, exclaiming, "This is the kind of tour people pay money for!"

The hike into the trail was limited. There had been heavy rains from a tropical system out in the Gulf and much of the trail was underwater. The trip was not planned as a wet walk, so no one was prepared for one. The naturalist spoke quiet a bit about the trees and plant species, and we saw a couple of different types of birds. Then we did an about face and started back toward the entrance. She pointed out poison ivy and cautioned the students to take note of its appearance so they can avoid any itchy encounters. We walked gingerly taking care not to get our shoes stuck in the mud, or to step in any deep water spots...

Remember the video game kid from my last diary entry? You know, the kid with the beard and a chip on his shoulder? He was walking ahead of me, climbing up the edges of the trail walking heel to toe like he was on a balance beam. He looked back at me and I smiled.
"You okay?" I asked.
"I'm just not very comfortable in nature," he said. No shit, I thought to myself. But you know, that's what this course is all about.
"Hopefully as we move through the semester, you'll start to feel differently, get a little more comfortable." He didn't respond, just turned back around and did his best Simone Biles beam walk out to the exit. Nothing impressive about his dismount.

Once off the trail, we walked back toward the main part of campus. I had more time to chat with other students, learn some more names. Two young women (S and T) and I talked about eating delicious healthy salads with leafy greens and homemade citrus salad dressing. We share a love of arugula! Two more names I learned.

We continued on our sustainability walk. I love it when students learn for the first time about all the great stuff going on at their university. Some of them admitted to hearing bits and pieces about it during pre-enrollment and freshman orientation sessions. Learning about the buildings on campus with LEED certification was an eye opener for all of them, as were the on-campus bike repair stations and public showers in some of the main buildings on campus. Both of these conveniences are provided to encourage students, faculty, and staff to bike to campus rather than drive. Other stops on the walk included the edible fruit plants available for picking in between classes, and the cooling system that dumps ice into vats that then pump ice water through tubes into the a/c systems throughout campus.
It's great for students to understand the design and structures from trash cans and recycle bins to the building rooftops and campus plant life, were all choices made with the environment, the university community, and sustainability in mind. It was the perfect start to our field trip calendar, and by the end of the day I knew the name of every student in my class.