Educator Spotlight: Jamaal, Lead Teacher @Illahee

"The darkness has been creeping up on us all throughout November, the nights have been getting shorter and the days have been cloudy and wet and yet this is still my favorite time of the year. In our class we have been trying to focus on the things that make the forest magical, mushrooms, fairy houses, the whispering wind and how the forest itself is alive. My favorite thing that has come out of this is the kids asking for permission from the forest to use found items and thanking it for providing materials for making art and fairy houses.
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November’s topic was fungi and lichen and we used mushroom troops and the symbiosis between algae and fungus to talk about teamwork and inclusion. My favorite part of that lesson was tying small groups together and having to walk an obstacle course, encouraging them to communicate with one another and work together to move. I’m really looking forward to watching the kids continue to grow as a group and master the new skills I’m teaching them."

Photo by Jamaal's daughter, Mazzy Ali