The night before my first of five frog exploration programs I had a nightmare. In this nightmare I had woken up early enough to catch a few frogs, had loaded them into my car, my ukulele was tuned and I had the story ready, but when I arrived at the Freedom Public Library I was turned away. The librarian and staff told me catching frogs and driving them around was illegal! I sadly went back to my car and drove home to return the frogs to the pond. When I woke up from the nightmare, it took me a moment to remember catching frogs wasn’t illegal and I had plenty of time to prepare for the program. Relieved my restless night was over, I headed to the office to wrangle some frogs from the pond for the worthy cause of nature education.
Although I got more adept at catching frogs as July flew by, I never truly banished my anxiety about not having control over that one factor. I could make sure enough frog legs were cut out of construction paper. I would double check I had the story, the ukulele, the frog laminates and the speaker for the frog calls, but I never could be totally sure I would catch frogs. I had opted to catch and release for each program because I didn’t want the pressure of keeping frogs safe and healthy in a tank for a month, and I knew that wouldn’t be their ideal environment. Better to let them feed themselves in the pond. Each time I set out, net in hand, to scoop up some green and bullfrogs, I wondered, will they all get away? But each time, I nabbed one, and I felt a weight fall off my shoulders. The kids will get to see live frogs today.
By the time I was catching frogs for the last program at the Jackson Public Library, I felt pretty confident in my technique. I knew where to look, how to catch them, and how to keep them from escaping on the way to the tank. I had caught a massive bullfrog, the biggest I’d seen, and managed to get it into the tank. My supervisor Jill was also helping me, and together we added a few tadpoles, a froglet, and a small green frog to the tank. After a few moments I peered in the tank and realized the froglet was missing. There was a brick and the water was murky so I assumed it was hiding somewhere. That is, until I watched the green frog swim in front of the bullfrog who was sitting on the brick. In the blink of an eye it leaned over and swallowed the green frog whole. I gasped and yelled to Jill who was heading back to the pond. Together we watched the sides of the bullfrog’s stomach bulge as the green frog wiggled inside of it. Horrified, we quickly relocated the tadpoles to a new tank and caught a few more small frogs to replace the lost individuals. We mentioned that thankfully, this hadn’t happened in front of the children.
Over the course of the program I went from initial anxiety to relative confidence. But in a flash I realized I could be thrown back into new territory. Despite feeling like I knew every facet of the program, I discovered a grave error on the final day. Education is messy and even seasoned educators still have to contend with new scenarios. I’m about to start a full-time position as an educator and if my trials and tribulations with this program have taught me anything, it’s be prepared but expect the unexpected. Being able to handle unplanned moments is more valuable than any lesson plan. I’ve enjoyed spending time getting muddy and catching frogs this summer, but I’m excited to let my future students do the catching themselves.
EB is excited to begin a position as a co-teacher and lead-naturalist at the Gale River Cooperative Preschool in Bethlehem, NH. She has loved her experience as the Education and Outreach Assistant at GMCG and can’t wait to build on what she has learned. Learn more about EB here!