Panama New York is in Chautauqua County at the very very bottom of the state that’s almost Pennsylvania. It has one of the highest rated public high schools in the US and the Senior English class got a special treat yesterday.
‘Eager’ Beaver
Panama Students Hear From Author In ‘Tech Den’
PANAMA — Rarely do high school students meet the author of the book their reading in class, but on Tuesday, Panama Central School seniors did just that.
Environmental journalist and author Ben Goldfarb wrote the book “Eager: The Surprising, Secret Life of Beavers and Why They Matter” that 12th grade students are reading in English teacher David Becker’s class. The course is a companion course with Jamestown Community College and offers college credits for students.
“We’re fortunate all the way around,” Becker said of talking with Goldfarb. “It’s just a good experience for us that we can even do this.”
Goldfarb video-called into the newly installed “Tech Den” in Panama where those students were gathered. The meeting served as the first event of its kind in the new room.
The high school room and the elementary Science Technology Engineering and Math (STEM) Lab were both introduced this year with a wider focus on collaborative work.
Hey I know that face! Imagine talking to the best and brightest high school students without leaving home. That must be a fairly surreal experience, but I’m sure Ben is up to the task. I hope they asked lots of questions about chapter 6 especially!
Goldfarb’s book details the impact of European settlers on the North American beaver population and how it affects the natural world today. Becker said drought, diversity of species and types of trees are all impacted by the decreased population of beavers. Goldfarb’s book also discusses the impact of reintroducing beavers into an area where they were hunted to endangered numbers. Becker said beavers can positively impact droughts in the west by raising the water table.
“People that do stuff outdoors, their activities are helped by beavers,” Becker said.
Becker said, as an English teacher, he prefers to incorporate “good fiction” into the curriculum, so when he stumbled upon Goldfarb’s book over the summer, he knew it would be well suited for the course.
“I am an English teacher, but I think nonfiction is important,” he said.
Well sure it is. And making non fiction imminently readable so that it gets described as a “Page-turner” is hard, hard work. Your students should be inspired to great heights.
During class on Tuesday, Goldfarb, who was digitally transported to Panama on the electronic flat-board in the technology room, detailed how he came to write the book they are reading for class. Becker guided the meeting by asking Goldfarb student-submitted questions that pertained to data gathering, duration of writing and the future of the beaver population.
That’s so cool. I wish I was in that class.
Cook emphasized the importance of the students being able to see the author and realize that the authors they read are normal people, too. She said the students benefit from learning how Goldfarb became an author as well.
Well, I’m not sure I would go that far… 🙂
That’s it folks. Be excellent to each other! If my voice sounds very relaxed tomorrow, it’s because I’ll be at the ocean, drinking in the end of Summer on the Albion Coast. Ta ta!
