Educator Spotlight: Julia Showalter

Julia Showalter, an instructor who teaches dendrology and environmental studies at Appalachian State University, recently completed her NC Environmental Education Certification. 

In addition to teaching, Julia also leads outreach for the university’s biology department at community and school events. She says her favorite part of earning her certification was the workshops. “I loved doing the workshops! I really gained a lot by meeting other teachers, learning more about pedagogy related to outdoor education, and I had some wonderful experiences that taught me a lot about different parts of North Carolina.”

When asked about an experience that stood out to her, Julia says it was the Sea Turtle Ecological Adventure for teachers at Fort Fisher Recreation Area led by Gail Lemiec, the Unique Experiences Coordinator at the NC Aquarium at Fort Fisher. “The workshop was an incredible experience that I will never forget. I feel so fortunate that I got to participate and learn so much about sea turtles -- shout out to Gail Lemiec! She was amazing!” 

For her community partnership project, Julia partnered with High Country Forest Wild, a forest school on 35 acres of forest near Jefferson NC, to create tree identification and programming for their students. “More kids from Forest Wild are now getting excited about tree ID.  There are several that have become very interested and are sharing their knowledge with their families and friends. They are now more confident with their trees and are sharing their knowledge as well.”

Julia says the program changed her approach to teaching others. “I am now much better at outreach. I do more hands-on activities, and I let the kids explore and come up with their own answers. I have also started nature journaling with our Costa Rica Tropical Forest Ecology course. This is a great way for students to have more time and a different and more meaningful interaction with different organisms and ecosystems that we see. For my dendrology class, I spend more time with them in groups and discussion and observation rather than lecturing to them. I really feel that it helped me grow in my outdoor teaching!”

She also says the program changed the way she thinks about environmental issues. “I learned a ton about forestry in the state. It was awesome to go to a plywood factory and to see various forest management practices, and I have directly incorporated some of the information into my course. I also learned more about sea turtles than I ever thought I could. The experiential learning really made the information stick too! The BEETLES course also really made an impression, and I have really tried to build that positive relationship between kids and the environment both with my own kids and with my students to improve connection to and stewardship of the environment.”