Salmon live their lives through a series of stages, developing from an egg in freshwater streams and lakes to maturity in the Pacific Ocean. They conclude their life cycles by returning to where they hatched, and laying or fertilizing eggs of their own. After salmon eggs hatch, depending on the species, they may spend up to two years in freshwater before the physiological changes that enable them to live in salt water take place. Once this happens, salmon begin a migration that, for some species, means traveling more than 900 miles. Once they reach their destination, they grow and mature in the ocean, putting the energy gained to the purpose of producing eggs and milt. Salmon spend anywhere from one to five years in the ocean before searching out the streams and rivers they emerged from, and returning to where they were born in order to spawn.
Complicating the lives of salmon by blocking their migration paths, there exist massive dams, which humans use to generate electricity, to retain water used for irrigation, for flood control, for recreation, and other purposes. Dams disrupt the life cycles of salmon by blocking their paths to and from their spawning sites; damming rivers, in addition to creating nearly impenetrable obstacles, has the additional effect of inundating and completely destroying salmon spawning grounds. Dammed water also exposes fish to higher water temperatures and diseases. It is estimated that Salmon populations in the U.S. are currently 3% of what they once were. Because humans love to eat salmon, we have attempted to compensate for the damage we have brought to the ecosystem by mechanically producing millions of eggs and transporting young fish around dams. Fish ladders and special fish passages, which few fish survive, are other methods that have been created to enable salmon to migrate and reproduce.
Students are in a similar boat as the salmon. Their life cycle includes becoming educated, in the strong sense, and then, not necessarily reproducing, but at least being concerned about future generations, and wanting to contribute and be productive members of society as they mature. The issue is that our society has created so many barriers to the completion of this life cycle that, proportionally, very few become educated. Most are lost to the turbines of an apathetic social order, or are caught in the teeth of poverty and hopelessness. As teachers, we are those who help students become educated, just as there are many folks, at different levels, trying to help salmon complete their life cycles. Some people create pathways, or conduct research in an attempt to identify and understand the myriad problems confronting the fish. Some people capture and drive salmon in giant tanker trucks around dams. And others still, seek to destroy the dams altogether.
Complicating the lives of salmon by blocking their migration paths, there exist massive dams, which humans use to generate electricity, to retain water used for irrigation, for flood control, for recreation, and other purposes. Dams disrupt the life cycles of salmon by blocking their paths to and from their spawning sites; damming rivers, in addition to creating nearly impenetrable obstacles, has the additional effect of inundating and completely destroying salmon spawning grounds. Dammed water also exposes fish to higher water temperatures and diseases. It is estimated that Salmon populations in the U.S. are currently 3% of what they once were. Because humans love to eat salmon, we have attempted to compensate for the damage we have brought to the ecosystem by mechanically producing millions of eggs and transporting young fish around dams. Fish ladders and special fish passages, which few fish survive, are other methods that have been created to enable salmon to migrate and reproduce.
Students are in a similar boat as the salmon. Their life cycle includes becoming educated, in the strong sense, and then, not necessarily reproducing, but at least being concerned about future generations, and wanting to contribute and be productive members of society as they mature. The issue is that our society has created so many barriers to the completion of this life cycle that, proportionally, very few become educated. Most are lost to the turbines of an apathetic social order, or are caught in the teeth of poverty and hopelessness. As teachers, we are those who help students become educated, just as there are many folks, at different levels, trying to help salmon complete their life cycles. Some people create pathways, or conduct research in an attempt to identify and understand the myriad problems confronting the fish. Some people capture and drive salmon in giant tanker trucks around dams. And others still, seek to destroy the dams altogether.