Nature's Heroes

Kenn and I receive a lot of requests for things. Some folks want us to come speak at their birding festival or meeting. Others want help identifying a bird or answering a bird-related question. We get a lot of requests for autographed books to be sent to friends, family, and/or loved ones. We're always honored that people turn to us for help, and we feel humbled when people see our work as something worthy of giving as a gift.  We've received requests from all over the world, from ornithologists, beginning birders, and Ace birders, from all corners of the globe and all walks of life - and we find joy in each one. But our favorite requests come from teachers.

In November, Kenn and I received a message from Jeremy Medina (a fellow BiF! Contributor).  A 1st grade teacher from Tucson, Jeremy wrote to tell us that one of his students had gotten very interested in birds, and he shared a link to a blog post he did about this young man and his family who'd had a great experience with a Red-tailed Hawk (subsequently named, "Hawkie!") ;-)

Hi Kimberly,

  As a first grade teacher and birder I appreciate all the great work you do with young birders. Recently one of my students has become very interested in birding. I think you’ll enjoy my blog post about him.
  After you read it, I was wondering if you and your wonderful husband might donate a copy of his field guide of birds to my student and/or school library? We’re a southside school without a lot of money. Maybe even sign one for him? He would be ecstatic! I would greatly appreciate anything you can offer to help spread the excitement about birds to my young students. Thanks!

So, off we went to read the blog post, and as they say in the texting world, "OMG!"  After reading about this great kid and this amazing teacher, Kenn and I were not only happy to send some books, we were thrilled to play even the tiniest role in nurturing this classroom's interest in birds and nature!

My response to Jeremy...

  Thank you for sharing the link to your story about Francisco and "Hawkie!" I love the photo of him with the bird on the screen in the background! Birds and kids are just a perfect match, don't you think? Kenn and I would be honored to donate a book for Francisco, and a set of all four of his field guides for your classroom / library. Would copies of Kenn's bird guide in Spanish be helpful as well?

Jeremy responded with an enthusiastic, "Yes!" to all the above, and off to Tucson went a box filled with books and hope for the future.

A few weeks went by and we hadn't heard anything from Jeremy.  We started to worry that the books hadn't arrived, and then we got a remarkable package in the mail.  The reason it had taken a while to get a response was that Jeremy's students were making this:

The cover alone is more precious to us than most things we'll ever own. But what's inside is a gift for anyone who cares about kids, or birds, or nature -- or all of the above.  Inside the booklet each student had written us the sweetest thank you message.  Beside their signature was a small photo, and on the back side of every the letter was a magnificent drawing!

As I flipped through the pages, over and over, a theme bubbled up to the surface.  More than just the consistent images of bugs and birds, there was a powerful message running deep and clear through every image.

Carla wanted us to know that her favorite book was the butterfly book. You draw lovely butterflies, Carla! Your picture is our new favorite picture of butterflies.

In his letter, Roman wanted us to know that his very favorite insect is a Lady Bug.(Good choice, Roman!)

Look very closely at Esteban's picture and you'll see his favorite bird, the Vermilion Flycatcher, sitting on his arm!

Cheyanne drew such a festival picture! She include many of her favorite things. Doesn't it make you want to go there for a visit?! 

Kyla likes butterflies and wolves.  What a great combination, Kyla! She drew some great looking ones for us in her picture!

Twenty-three kids.
Twenty-three images, ideas, dreams, and perceptions about nature.
And in every single image. Every single beautiful, delightful, imaginative, inspiring picture....

Happiness.

Every person in every drawing - all are wearing radiant smiles.
The butterflies, the birds, the wolves--even the sun itself--all smiling.

There's a powerful message here. Kids love nature. They associate it with happiness and fun and endless possibilities. They deserve the right to have it in their lives, and as adults, we should do all that we can to foster it, to facilitate it, to give every kid of any age and any color the chance to experience all that nature has to offer.

Heroes come in many forms. For some, they are NASCAR drivers, sports stars, movie stars, or the uber-rich. For me, some of the greatest heroes of all are teachers like Jeremy. Teachers who understand that every cell in our body that has the capacity to learn is nurtured by time spent in nature. The teachers who care enough to go the extra mile and give even more of themselves to bring the gift of the natural world to the lives of their students. Kenn and I feel blessed to know many heroes like Jeremy.  We need more.