The Best Part of the Job
Week of November 2, 2025 – November 8, 2025
by Kaylen Iorio, Environmental Educator
As an environmental educator much of my time is spent outside, whether that is guiding school groups through different ecosystems or even maneuvering through each of the 14 trails with public program participants like we did two Saturdays ago! Each day spent outside brings new experiences and being able to share them with others who are overjoyed to discover natural wonders makes me feel incredibly grateful to work in this field.
There’s always that one person in your life that is so excited for you when you share a success, an accomplishment, or even just an interesting fact with them. Having someone like that makes discovery and growth so worthwhile. And I’m sure we all know a person in our life who makes us feel silly for being excited about something and says “so what”. As an environmental educator, I’m not a fan of the “so what” people. It’s my job to match excitement, encourage it and it’s my favorite part of the job.
This fall, I’ve gotten the chance to spend quite a few days out on the preserve with fifth grade classes and encouraging excitement has never been more important than on these field trips. I like to bring classes into the newer part of the preserve where the Meadow and Bluebird Trails wind through aisles of goldenrod and aster plants. Here is where I see so much joy ripple through classes who were initially wary of what was to come today. Grasshoppers and crickets are the star of this ecosystem and some students are eager to meet them while others keep a “safe” distance from the creatures. As students spread out in the clover field enclosed in the Meadow and Bluebird Trails there are shrieks of joy as students rush over to carefully show me who is in their cupped hands. My smile could not be bigger as they excitedly reveal they’ve caught a grasshopper! “Who wants to see?!” they say, and a batch of fearless students hurriedly scamper over to steal a peek. After congratulating a proud student on their first grasshopper capture, my focus shifts to the students who aren’t so eager to be close to a grasshopper. While the rest of the cohort is confidently catching bugs and exploring, I can take the time to settle any nerves other students may have about critters. Together we can overcome feelings of uneasiness and even begin to feel fascinated by these little insects. Soon, our hesitant friends join their class in anticipation for what other animals can be seen here at Baltimore Woods.
Even though I visit these trails with each field trip, each individual class is special. And you may think going to the same place over and over would be redundant and mundane, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. Being able to be a part of a student’s excitement over the discovery of something in the natural world could not be more wondrous and remarkable.
We invite our members to enjoy a weekly blog written by our naturalists. Every blog will be uniquely different but always inspired by nature. We may share a memory from a recent hike at The Woods or teach you about an animal or plant that lives on the preserve. No matter the topic, we will be sharing with you our passion for nature and celebrating the connections we all have to the natural world. Each blog will be connected to a weekly set of activities and ideas to help you put nature in your hands, even if you’re at home!