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A Day in the Life of an Education Program Specialist

As the newby in the office, it's hard to say what a typical day is like for me. I jumped right into working on a few projects, but I am still learning the ropes.

Lately, I start off by caring for the sweet potato slips I have been growing for our George Washington Carver program. Everyone has heard of Carver’s role inventing all those uses of the peanut. Not everyone knows why he was such a peanut fanatic. Carver actually focused on practices like crop rotation that would improve the soils and by extension the lives of formerly enslaved black farmers. Sweet potatoes were another plant in his crop rotation toolbox. That is how I came to find myself as the adoptive parent of a small jungle of sweet potato slips. Taking care of my babies gives me a moment to center myself and take a deep breath before the rest of my day.

Next, I check my email. Not the most glamorous part of anyone’s day, but I want to see if I have any new inquiries from teachers, scout leaders or parents about our school programming. We have a range of programs about healthy soils and watersheds for many ages. Check out our flier, and maybe I can answer your email tomorrow morning!

From there on out, every day is different. Recently I have been tying up loose ends from our Conservation Career Expo. One fun piece of follow up was delivering raffle prizes from the Expo to the winners. It gave me a chance to visit many local high schools and check in with the teachers and students who attended the Expo.

I am also planning for the teacher training offered through the First Rings First Fellowship this summer. It is an exciting opportunity for teachers to learn about watersheds through immersive experiences some of which they can then share with their students in the following school year.

As the day winds down, I may take some time to continue my own learning by watching an online seminar or trying out an experiment I am hoping to add to next year's programming.

Blog Author: Tim Becker, Education Program Specialist

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