Educator Spotlight: Michelle Fehlman

Michelle Fehlman recently completed the NC Environmental Education Certification. Michelle homeschooled her children until high school and is a small business owner of a soap company that specializes in making goat milk soaps and lotions. Michelle raises goats on a small farm in Union County. When not volunteering or working, Michelle likes to run, bike and has completed several competitive races.

Michelle hopes the Environmental Education Certification will help her find a job where she can impact young people's attitudes about the environment, whether through an agency like the 4-H program, or as an independent teacher hired to present environmental education to groups of young people.

When asked about her favorite part of the program, Michelle said it was learning more about wildlife, forestry and environmental education. “I liked the few week-long activities that I attended, such as Investigating Your Environment, Envirothon, and the Haw River Learning Celebration, because I was able to immerse myself in these topics.”

For her community partnership project, Michelle started a 4-H club called the Forestry, Wildlife, and Environmental Education club. “I have been conducting a related activity after each monthly meeting of the club. I selected these from the myriad of activity guides that I acquired during my certification, and from individual club member's input about topics. I have been able to reach and teach several Union County youth about wildlife and environmental education. If I am able to kindle some lifelong desires to make a difference with regards to the environment in these youth, I will have accomplished what I wanted to.”

Michelle says participating in the certification program gave her a greater understanding of the different ways in which children learn. “It gave me different tools to use depending on the age and the attention level of the youth involved. As I continue to reach more children, I now have a huge toolbox to pull from to give me ideas and different methods of teaching.”

She says the program changed the way she looks at environmental issues. “I am more aware of what I can do to lessen my individual impact on the environment. All ages need to be educated, but it is essential that we start raising our children to be prudent users of our natural resources. I learned so much about our environment and natural world and I also realized how much we take it for granted as always being there.”