I am BACK!!!!!

Wow! My last blog was written on December 20th, 2013! I disappeared for a very good reason, I promise. On November 7, 2013 we officially launched Sharks4Kids. This has been a passion project nearly five years in the making and I am so thrilled it has become a reality. Thanks to my amazing husband Duncan and my best friend Derek, Sharks4Kids is a live and spreading shark education around the world. If you have not checked out the site please do and please share with friends, parents, teachers, students and educators.

Our goal is to bring shark education into the classroom as well as offering outreach and adventure experiences for educators, families and students. We have created curriculum for grades K-6 as well as graphics, image galleries, videos, activities and crafts for kids of all ages. We also offer classroom visits both in person and via Skype Classroom. Skype has changed the way the world connects and has allowed us to reach over 5000 students in 17 countries since last October!

Skype Chat with Orphans in Uganda With CHAT to the Future ( http://chattothefuture.org/)

We have collaborated with some amazing photographers, videographers and scientists to create a unique product we are very proud to share with the world. Thanks for all your support and for taking the time to check out Sharks4Kids! You can also find us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram @Sharks4Kids.

Together we can make a difference and we can save sharks.

Meet Norman the Nurse Shark 

Sharklab Naturalist Course: Diving with Caribbean Reef Sharks

Exploring Shark Filled Oceans: Week 3

As I sit here and write this I am completely overwhelmed with the amazing week that has just passed. I did fifteen Skype Classroom visits from Northern France to California with students ranging in age from f1st grade to 7th. One teacher actually asked me to do a video message about why I do Skype visits. There are a lot of reasons why I love doing these visits, but I wanted to give her a concise answer. I have been visiting classrooms for about ten years, but physical visits are limited by time and location. Skype Classroom allows me to speak with students in France at 8:00 EST and then a school in Georgia at 9:00 EST and a school in California at 11:00 EST.

The current plight of sharks is devastating, but I honestly believe children offer hope not only for sharks, but also for our oceans and the planet. No matter where children live they need to understand that we are connected and their actions can make a difference around the world. I want them to feel empowered and able to speak up on behalf of the voiceless and I can only hope these talks inspire them to do so. Via Skype I was able to share my love of sharks and why they are so important with over 300 students this week alone. I was able to give them facts and tools to help spread the word for sharks!

I began the week with Mrs. Garland’s students in Boston, Massachusetts. This is by far one of the most incredible visits I have ever done. They had great questions and knew a lot about sharks already. Below is the note she sent me after the visit, which made me tear up. This is why I love my job. Connecting with people all around the world and sharing my passion with them.

“Thank you so much for Skyping with our class today. Not all students were visible to you (several chose to sit outside the viewing box). They have been waiting for this opportunity for weeks. These students have emotional and social needs that often get in the way of their abilities to function with a traditional class, but you touched them - I have NEVER seen them sit for such an extended period of time. Many thanks!”

I also visited with two great groups of 3^rd and 1^st graders. The 1^st graders in Illinois had a lot of questions and were really excited to know that things they were already doing (recycling) could help sharks.

The following day I started off in Georgia with some super excited 1^st and 2^nd graders followed by a group of 2^nd graders in California that were actually a little nervous about sharks. We talked a lot about how sharks are not monsters or man-eaters, but are actually in a lot of trouble and need our help. I could see the change as students looked at pictures and thought the sharks were cute.  It is amazing how just a short amount of time can change perceptions. It also shows how critical it is to educate children at a young age, so they do not carry those incorrect stereotypes into adulthood.

I finished off the day with Mrs. Thiessen’s students in Surrey, British Columbia and wow, they JAWSOME. They had a microphone and ipads going! It was such a fun visit! Absolutely blown away by the technology being used in the classroom. It has really changed education and opened up the world. Check out their Video Blog Here! 

FINS UP For Sharks: Group Photo 

The following day was another busy one with four visits to schools in Texas, North Carolina, New Mexico and Nebraska. I love visiting such a dynamic range of ages and locations in a single day because it really highlights the importance of ocean education for everyone. Just because students cannot be near the ocean does not mean they should not care. The fifth graders in Texas were really keen to help sharks and seem pleasantly surprised that some of the things they were already doing were in fact helping sharks and our oceans. 

Some feedback from that day :

From Mr. Horst in Nebraska on twitter:  This group of 80 students knew a lot about sharks even though they do not live near the ocean! 

“Want keep kids riveted for 45 minutes?  Have @SharkyJillian skype your school!  "

From Mrs. Pender:

“Thank you so much! My kiddos have done nothing but talked about this morning. They are so excited. In fact, they are even taking about how you said your husband dives, so now they want to Skype with him! Lol thank you so much! “   I think Duncan might have to make an appearance on the other side of the camera!

My final day start all the way in Northern France with Mrs. Silvert’s 7^th grade students. The students asked about La Reunion, a location recently made infamous by several shark attacks. I was impressed that they were concerned and wanted more information about the situation. We spoke a long time about efforts being made to protect beach goers and the sharks in the area. I was also thoroughly impressed with their English. My French is not even worth mentioning, save the content of this sentence.  Friday also took me to a group of very enthralled first graders in Canada followed up with some extremely well informed 4^th graders. They had each picked a shark to learn about and had some of the best questions a class has asked me.

This entire month of Exploring Oceans with Skype Classroom has been nothing short of remarkable. The smiles, laughs and excitement that each visit brings are priceless. I know these kids will make a difference. They will speak up and fight to save sharks. I know this in the way they listen, the questions they ask and follow up feedback I get from teachers and parents. I love the synchronized “WHOA,” I get when I show them an image of me filming a great hammerhead and the, “awww, it’s so cute,” reaction from an image of a baby nurse shark. They also seem to really understand the fact that sharks are in trouble and life for a shark can be pretty tough. I feel blessed and truly treasure these moments.

I even got a note from the principle this week! Luckily it was a good one! Thank you Mr. Schuyler for taking the time to send such a kind note.

“I want to thank Jillian for the great experience she provided our grade 1 students and teachers at Briardale School this morning.  They were very impressed and excited about the lesson.  The kids and teachers learned a lot!”

Thank you to Mrs. Brokaw, Mrs. Lachel, Mrs. Garland, Mrs. Harrison, Mrs. Smith, Mrs. Thiessen, Mr. Hernandez, Mrs. Mendoza, Mrs. Pender, Mr. Horst, Mrs. Brown, Mrs. Rios, Mme. Silvert, Mr. Hyman and Mme. Moccio for inviting me into your class and for sharing sharks with your students! 

Ending October with a Very Sharky Week

Another amazing week of Skype Classroom Visits has come and gone and I am still reveling in the unique, yet always inspirational experience of each visit. The Internet gods have been smiling on our little island and the connection has held for each visit. Writing that statement, though, will surely doom me for a Murphy’s Law moment of Internet failure in the near future. Fingers crossed for continued smooth sailing.

I kicked off the week speaking to 4th graders in Michigan followed by Kindergarteners in Wisconsin. I think Kindergarten and first grade might be my favorite age group to speak with. They have so much energy and excitement about the world around them and it is contagious. The way a child’s mind works at age 5, 6 or 7 is fascinating and I am always amazed at the statements and questions I get. Often times they are random, but I can usually find the logic that might have lead them to a certain conclusion and the journey is always a lot of fun.

Mrs. Harmann’s Kindergarten class wrote in their Skype journals after my visit and here are some of the JAWSOME things they had to say.

Sharks do not have bones-Jacob
Sharks lay eggs called a Mermaid’s purse –Cate
We should not be afraid of sharks –Adam
Sharks can smell their food before they see it –Bennett

This is continuously a learning process for me as well. The world is always changing and the interests often vary from class to class. I am constantly adding new elements and adjusting information to suit the needs of each classroom. They way kids interpret the information is also fascinating. What do they fixate on? What do they remember? What do they think is awesome? My lesson is about being a shark diver and underwater videographer, but is heavy on shark conservation as well. This is a lot of information and the direction each conversation goes depends entirely on questions the students have. I also ask the students a lot of questions because I want to know their ideas and thoughts about sharks. This is critical in providing information to them about sharks and shark conservation, while also making it fun. It is not about driving home the cruel reality of shark finning, it is about providing them with cool facts about sharks, debunking the man-eater myth and instilling the idea that they can make a difference. I want to encourage them to speak up and not be afraid to ask questions. They have a voice and it is important for them to gain confidence in using it.

I still get the, “have you ever been bitten by a shark question,” but not as frequently and I also get different versions including, “do I know someone who has been bitten,” and “has a shark ever tried to attack me when I am diving?” I (touch wood) have never been bitten, but I do know people who have and in each case it was the person’s fault. I am not going to say shark attacks do not happen, but I will always reiterate that we are NOT on the menu for sharks.

This week I was also asked by a few students whether I touch the animals I am filming, like sharks or dolphins. My answer is no. I ask them if they would want some stranger coming up to them and grabbing their shirt? No way, so why would an animal want someone to grab onto it? I talk about respect for wild animals and how important it is. I can see them processing the thought of a person grabbing their shirtsleeve and it not being okay and I know they understand this analogy in relation to wild animals. I do not grab sharks. I do not ride sharks or other wildlife. I don’t see the point and it is not something I support. Yes, sometimes we do swim sharks if they are not doing well and we need to get oxygen into their system, but it is not a joyride. “Sharks are NOT underwater scooters,” as a dear and respected friend in the industry, says.

After an awesome time in Wisconsin I spent 4 visits in North Carolina with Ms. Smith’s third and fifth graders. I finished up the week in New England speaking to fifth graders in Rhode Island. Always good to go home!
A lot of the students this week were very interested in goblin and cookie cutter sharks. I love when students ask about a more diverse range of species. Tigers, great whites and whale sharks are consistent, but goblin shark is rarely mentioned, but definitely deserves the attention for being such a cool animal. I think my favorite reactions came from discussions about tiger sharks being able to invert their stomachs and the fact that bull sharks pee more frequently in fresh and brackish water than they do in the ocean. The “ughhhh,” that is so gross, but so awesome reaction is one of the most fun parts of my classroom visits.

It has been another rewarding week and something I feel blessed to have the opportunity to do. Skype Classroom is celebrating Ocean Exploration during the month of November and I am honored to be a part of it. I have nine visits next week and I cannot wait to recruit more shark advocates around the world!

Thank you to Ms. Smith, Mrs. Naasko, Mrs. Harmann and Mrs. VanRossum for encouraging your students to care about sharks and our oceans.