Staff Focus is a series featuring HCPSS Staff Members. This video highlights Dan Blue, 7th & 8th Grade Science Teacher at Dunloggin Middle School.
Transcript
[Music]
(Dan Blue) Began my teaching career in Orlando, Florida where I taught elementary school for 8 years, and moved to Maryland in 95. Taught two years of elementary school at Waverly and then have been a Dunloggin for the past 21 years. I enjoy studying environmental science.
It’s important for these children to learn about the Chesapeake Bay and the valuable resource that is a half an hour away. Many of them recreate on the Chesapeake Bay on a regular basis. Crabs are obviously famous in Maryland. I want them to understand that they can make a difference and they can become active citizens in their regional community as well as in their local community.
[Speaking to Students] If you need to chip away out of here, put some goggles on, ok?
[Indiscernible sound of students responding and working.]
Earlier in the school year we made oyster balls for the oysters to latch on to, because oysters try to latch on to a solid-type thing to reproduce.
[Mr. Blue to Students, Laughing] Thank you. Thank you. Head back to your classes.
[Music Playing]
What we do later in the school year is we go out to the Chesapeake Bay and we drop our oysters into the bay so we can get the oyster population back up.
Every year we will take a trip to the Chesapeake Bay Foundation to the Merrill Education Center. A couple of years ago when we went there one of the captains on the boat was a former student of mine. We have another student who made a presentation with Governor O’Malley in Downtown Baltimore on the Oyster Gardening Program. Another former student has been working with us on the Oyster Gardening Program. She is now continuing her career in Marine Biology down at St. Mary’s on the Eastern Shore. So we like to think that these little things that we’re doing here are making a difference and are pushing kids towards these type of career fields. Seeing the children move on and achieve their dreams is the entire reason that I became a teacher. My goal is to turn that light bulb on for them and to allow them to achieve their dream and realize those dreams. And it feels good that you’ve made a difference.
[Music]