Fire belly toads, pill bugs, trout and hamsters share their universe with curious third-graders in Laura Dax Honda's classroom at Manor School.
The Marin County elementary school teacher creates a world filled with nature-study projects so her students can learn "to step gently on the earth" and know why.
Honda, a graduate of Sonoma State University's Environmental Studies and Planning Department, who also earned her teaching credential here, was this year named a Distinguished Science Teacher by the California State Teachers Association for her innovative student-centered activities in the classroom. She was the only teacher in the state representing grades three through five to receive the honor.
Nominated by a Manor School parent impressed with her activities, Honda was cited for some of the following programs she conducts for her students:
* Special interest workshops involving students and teachers restoring a watershed
* A school-wide science fair including instruction and experience using the scientific method
* Involving classes in national and international environmental projects, including the Schoolyard Feederwatch Program and purchase of two acres of rainforest in Brazil through the Center for Ecosystem Survival, creek restoration at the school site, removal of non-native plants at Lake Lagunitas, and local water testing.
Honda first looked into Sonoma State because her parents, with four other children, couldn't help her with college tuition and so she had to find a college she could afford.
"I was pleasantly surprised to find the major in environmental studies," says the third-grade-teacher who has long had a passion for environmental science. "It was a great fit."
She worked days and attended Indian Valley College at night in Novato for nine years to further her education. Then she transferred to SSU and ended up working for the famous Marin naturalist Elizabeth Terwilliger as an intern through the ENSP program.
Laura lives in Fairfax, 6/10's of a fossil-fuel-free mile from work, with her husband Alan, 16-year-old son Harlan and 12-year-old daughter Melanie.
