For
my first blog entry, I chose to sit on a cement bench in front of the
Environmental Science building and observe the behavior of students as they
entered and exited the building. I was particularly interested in observing the
amount of attention that they paid to the natural environment around them. My
hypothesis before beginning the observations was that the students would not
pay much attention to the natural world around them, but instead, focus on each
other or their cell phones. To a degree, I was correct in that the majority of
the students that passed by stared straight ahead, at the other people passing
by, or down at their cell phones. However, I was surprised by the number of
students who actually did pay attention to the environment around them. I also
noticed that the majority of the people that did were female. Only one person
in a thirty minute observation, a female student, looked down at the dead
leaves that were constantly blowing in circles around their feet. Two other women
were sitting on concrete benches working on their computers. Although most of
their attention was focused on their work, I assume that they chose to work
outside to experience the openness of the environment, today’s warm weather, or
the cool breeze that makes this warm winter day feel like fall. The one male
that I noticed paying attention to the environment around him, seemed to be
entranced by it. He was leaning on a brick wall to my right, with headphones in
his ears, staring directly into a small patch of bushes and trees in front of
him. The same patch that was ignored by almost everybody that entered or exited
the building. Because he was wearing sunglasses, it was difficult to determine
what exactly he was staring at. He did this for at least fifteen minutes before
he left.
Coming
into this exercise, I honestly did not know what to expect in the behavior of
the students that I was observing. I also did not know what to expect in terms
of the way that the exercise would affect the way that I view the natural environment
around me. While I sat there for half an hour, observing my environment, I was
overwhelmed by how much more life existed in the small area that I walk past
four days a week. I also realized how easy it is for people, including myself,
to ignore the environment around them and focus on their destination, their own
personal issues, or their cell phones. I am as likely to do this as any of the
people that walked by me this afternoon. However, one thirty minute session of
sitting still and observing my environment has undoubtedly had an impact on the
amount of attention that I will pay to it in the future. I am excited to see
what the impact of a whole semester of observations will be.
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