Ms. Marge Plant

Marge Plant was my third grade teacher. To this day I am still a hard core environmentalist. ( at least in the Teddy Roosevelt sense politically) Mrs. Plant encouraged our class to think about the plants and animals around us. We had a bird feeder right outside the class window. I still remember my first sighting of a Rosebreasted Grosbeak outside the classroom. To this day I have only sighted that species three times.

I'm not sure if anybody remembers, but Marge Plant let me bring in my pet toad that I had caught in Boy Scouts. His name was Cliff and he was kept in a terrarium in class. William Sideman (sp?) and I used to hunt for live insects to feed him. I'm pretty sure other students did too. Recently I have come across some old papers of stories from students in Mrs. Plants class. I was touched when I saw a story that Carrie Rosenberg had written on Cliff. Being the environmentalist Marge was, when autumn arrived she convinced me that it was time to let Cliff lose in Hillside Park so he could hibernate. She convinced me all right, but for a third grade kid letting his pet go, it wasn't easy. I know I was pretty teary eyed letting him go.

Back in third grade there weren't many television stations back then. It was always a big event when there was going to be a National Geographic special on. Marge always made sure we knew when it was going to be on.

Marge Plant surely influenced my life and attitude on the environment. Throughout my life I have been involved with many local, national, and inter-national efforts to save the environment.

Im proud that I was a student of Marge Plant.

Jim Katzenstein