After a year and a half teaching high school biology, I’ve finally showed an entire episode of a David Attenborough documentary to my students–the first episode of Our Planet. I sat there with them and watched, not just the documentary but my students. Were they watching? Were they listening? Were they allowing themselves to be wrapped by wonder? Were they imagining how on earth all of this is possible? Or were they distracted, texting, snapping, DMing, playing games on their phone, looking at UFC videos?
I expected more of the later. I got more of the former.
Eyes glued to the projector screen, mask-covered mouths agape at birds diving for mackerel, flamingo chicks racing 30 miles for freshwater, wildebeest running from wild dogs, birds dancing for mates in choreographed splendor. 75% of the class was fully invested, more than in any other video shown so far. Most teachers would agree–that’s a resounding success in a pandemic classroom.
Sir David has captured the hearts and minds of tens of millions of people throughout the years, maybe more. I’ve been no exception. He’s showed me how beautiful the world’s complexity and power is, and made me want to help mitigate the disruption caused by mankind. Being able to share one of my greatest inspirations with my students was nothing shy of magical.
Thank you, Sir David, for never failing to help us see the beauty around us.