Volunteer Louisiana

This is from an 8th grade student who has participated in an LA Serve-funded service-learning project for three years through Hurst Middle School in St. Charles Parish:

The Journey of a Wetland Watcher
By Katie P
Harry Hurst 8th Grader

You ask me to go back
And remember what I've learned
On all the years of Wetland Watching
And the new perspective I've learned.

You must return to remember my 5th grade year,
Already so far away.
The first time I experienced these bayous
Was on a hot and humid day.

The big kids would look down at me,
But never did they tease
Instead they smiled and shared their knowledge
Of strange creatures, waters and trees.

In the blink of an eye I'm in middle school
Doing things I never had before.
Never did I know how my life would change
When I walked through Mr. Guillot's door.

Oh, we watched clips and read passages
And even petted an animal or two,
But I still could not understand
What was so important about what I now knew.

It wasn't until I revisited the grounds
That I understood our purpose
Of preserving these swampy lands
And learning through our service.

If you squinted one eye and tilted your head,
You could catch a glimpse of the glow.
It's more than just muggy days and moss,
But what keeps us from letting this go.

Difficult to find, but once it's found,
The wetlands become something good.
Though it's not all, one thing I can say,
I now value what I hadn't understood

And not only this hidden grace,
But also my task to teach.
I'm now surrounded by eager kiddies
With a lesson I must share to each.

It takes me back to my 5th grade year,
How the time went by so fast.
It's humbling to recognize
That I'm now the "big kid" of my past.

So all and all, what have I gained
On this journey of crawfish and gator?
You might say it's nothing but a vanishing landscape,
But I have found something much greater.