Cactus Poems

About the Reviewer: Gary Dutra is a post-bachelor student (senior) in the College of Education. He is a native Californian who grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area. He has lived in Arizona for the last ten years, mostly in Flagstaff, Arizona, where he earned his bachelor's degree in geography at Northern Arizona University, and attended graduate school in rural geography. Previously, he was a wilderness ranger for the United States Forest Service including the Superstition Wilderness of the Tonto National Forest in Mesa and Globe Ranger Districts. During the last three years he has been a substitute teacher in the metropolitan Tucson region, primarily for grades kindergarten through six. He became interested in elementary education while assisting elementary school-aged children to learn about the environment when he was working as a seasonal ranger in the White Mountains of east-central Arizona. Track and cross-country were his favorite sports in high school. He is an avid nature photographer and naturalist. Presently, he is editing text for a 710 color slide image interactive CD-ROM of wildlife, plants, and landscape features of Glacier National Park, Montana. His favorite memories are of summer vacations with his schoolteacher parents during his childhood, which inspired him to have a greater respect for nature and the outdoors. He would like to pass his love of nature and the outdoors onto the children of the future so that people can learn to respect and preserve the fragile environment. Singing songs about nature and the outdoors is one of his favorite hobbies, especially with elementary school students. He plans to student teach in sixth grade in Tucson in fall 2000. (April, 2000)

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