ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES
52
Treasure Coast Education
John Wakeman, a 24-year teacher at the center. “I taught
science in middle school and the kids didn’t always want
to be there. It’s a much easier sell at the Environmental
Studies Center. Kids today get very few field trips, so it’s a
unique experience.”
VISUAL PROPS
Wakeman is at the top of his game whether he is mesmerizing
first-graders or seventh-graders. They hang on his
every word because he asks them questions to keep their
minds whirring. By the end of a typical session, almost
every student has either been called on for a question or has
come to the front of the class to help with visual props.
“Being a baby sea turtle is dangerous and hard work,”
Wakeman says as the first- graders from Pinewood Elementary
School guess at the top 10 killers of baby turtles.
While he loves his work and it shows, Wakeman says
there is one drawback to what many teachers would consider
a dream job. “It’s difficult having students for just one
day because you can’t develop long-term relationships,” he
says. But, he says, “Most days when they get on the bus, it’s
been a good day for both the teacher and the students who
have had fun learning together.”
“It’s my second time here,” says 7-year-old first-grader
Camryn Bowser. “It’s cool because I like all the animals
around this place. I like seeing the turtles. They are nice
to me.”
Abby Singh, a 9-year-old fourth-grader from The Pine
School, understands the center’s mission. “It’s really fun,”
she says. There’s lots of animals and they (ESC staff) are
John Wakeman, a 24-year teacher at the Environmental Studies Center, gets >>
assistance from a student to show just how big sea turtles are.