‘The objective is to teach the student to see the land, to understand what he sees, and to enjoy what he understands.?
– Aldo Leopold

Waldon Middle School teacher Jon Gray has always valued the hands-on educational experience that connects his students with the earth.
He took a group of students canoeing in the fall and is planning another trip with about 90 students this spring.
In his classroom the students are raising salmon, which they will release this May.
And, every month, they read from Aldo Leopold’s A Sand County Almanac and incorporate the reading into a project of some sort.
Because of his dedication to conservation education, Gray was honored earlier this month as the Leopold Education Project (LEP) Educator of the Year.
‘It’s sponsored by Pheasants Forever, which is a national conservation organization,? Gray said of the award, which he received at the Pheasants Forever state meeting in Lansing on Feb. 3.
Leopold was an ecologist, forester and environmentalist whose classic writings are the basis for the innovative program.
The LEP was developed to teach the public about humanity’s ties to the natural world and provide leadership in the effort to conserve and protect the earth’s natural resources.
‘They probably train a couple hundred teachers a year in the LEP program in Michigan,? Gray said. ‘It’s gotten stronger in the past few years.?
Their February reading had students reflect on significant events, using each ring in a fallen tree as the symbol for each event.
‘The program is designed mainly for secondary education,? Gray said. ‘A lot of things are reflective.?
In January, the students created drawings using only certain symbols that other students then had to identify. Their work currently hangs in the hall outside of Gray’s classroom.
‘They enjoy the quiet time every month when we read the essays,? he said.
They’ve also had reflection time while sitting around ponds, among other things.
For Gray, preparing these lesson plans is a far cry from what he was doing just a decade ago.
Gray was working as a policeman and fire fighter for the Bloomfield Hills public safety department when he became a parent representative in the Lake Orion district back in 1996.
‘Education was always a passion and I went back to get my degree,? he said.
After working for 20 years in public safety, Gray went back to school, and eventually took a student teaching position at Waldon.
In 2002, he took an early retirement from his previous work to accept a full time position at Waldon.
‘It was a big change, but I don’t have any regrets,? Gray said.
But that was only the tip of the iceberg, as Gray was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma in 2003 and has been through multiple rounds of chemotherapy.
He also had a bone marrow transplant in the summer of 2005 that forced him to miss part of two school years, though he has been in remission ever since.
‘The teaching profession is a very nurturing field,? Gray said. ‘The support from the school and the district was great.?
Gray said the experience might have mellowed him out a bit, but his philosophy remains the same.
‘I’ve always enjoyed doing what I’m doing and bringing hands-on stuff into the classroom,? he said.