Educator Spotlight: Leah Purvis

Leah Purvis, an environmental educator with Wake County Soil and Water Conservation District, recently completed her NC Environmental Education Certification. In her role, Leah manages educational contests including Envirothon and the Annual Conservation Poster Contest for Wake County students, visits schools to provide programs on soil and water conservation topics, and manages scholarship programs for high school and college students pursuing careers in conservation. She also provides educators with resources to teach about soil and water conservation."

When asked about her favorite part of the program Leah says it was networking. “I enjoyed visiting a variety of locations and meeting other educators working in different roles. I also really enjoyed my community partnership project, which has resulted in a long-term partnership that will last way beyond the project itself.”

The Investigating Your Environment workshop that lasted a week was the experience that stood out for Leah. “It was a great way to get to know other educators, learn about different methods of teaching environmental education, and spend time in a different part of the state as well! I enjoyed many other workshops too.”

For her community partnership project, Leah worked with an elementary school. “I designed and set-up two outdoor container ponds for Millbrook Environmental Connections Magnet Elementary school using local materials and native flora and fauna. The community that benefits from this project is the students, teachers, and supporting staff of the school. The ponds provide enriching experiences for students, where they can see first-hand what local native aquatic habitats look like, how to measure water quality, and practice skills like observation, data collection, art, communication and much more."

Leah says participating in the program changed her approach to teaching others. “Participating in the certification program inspired me to use a wider variety of tools to engage students in outdoor settings and in hands-on ways. It also inspired me to make my teaching more student-centered, collaborative, and accessible to a variety of learners using universal design principles.”

Leah also says the program changed the way she views environmental issues. “I think about environmental issues with more hope than before. Environmental education  doesn't seek to change people's minds or sway politics, but to simply increase awareness about what is going on and how to solve problems. It's about empowering people to make informed decisions rather than influence their decisions one way or another.”