Welcome, tell us a little about yourself

My name is Tracy Ward Whatley and I am a very grateful person. I am a native Texan, born in Corpus Christi but raised here in Houston. I raised my sons here as well and love living in this dynamic city near the coast. I am excited to be teaching Environmental Science at the large and diverse campus of J. Frank Dobie High School in Pasadena ISD. The journey to being a teacher has been a long one. I have volunteered at the Houston Zoo, trained as a Wildlife Rehabilitator, and now I try to teach my students about the environment in which they live and that volunteering is an important component of learning about the world. I tell them, “Everything you do makes an impact and tells others about you. Everything you do is a lesson and you decide if they are good or bad impacts, impressions, and lessons.”  To stress to students how important volunteering is I participate in several volunteer positions. I serve on the Board of Trustees for Armand Bayou Nature Center, volunteering for the Education and Stewardship Committees. I also volunteer with the Citizens Environmental Coalition and attend Sierra Club meetings when possible. 

Describe the first time you felt a strong affinity for nature?

I think I was born in love with wild things. I can’t remember a time that I wasn’t entranced by the flight of butterflies or found it peaceful to listen to the song of cicadas on a summer night. I feel my pulse begin to race when I see lightening and I can’t help but smile when I hear thunder.  However, I have been feeling an increasingly joyful feeling while being outdoors, of late. For the last few years, I have been taking a small group of my students camping. We don’t go very far and we camp out in tents but those students act like it is a brand new world and for some of them, it is! Watching adult students climb a tree for the first time, look through binoculars to spy a brightly colored bird, or hear their comments as they realize that trees have different colors of green has been one of the most rewarding experiences.  Watching them laugh as they spot a frog by a pond or quietly stare at the rich colors of a flower they have never really noticed before is so satisfying. When they realize that the breeze has a sweet smell and they point out that there are millions of stars in the sky to their friend, I feel rewarded; I am so very grateful.  

What kind of activity or activities would you like to see the Houston Sierra Club to do more of and why? 

Because I am very motivated to include my students, I am looking for events that they can attend to volunteer at or learn a lesson. I would like to have informative meetings for my students to attend that are aimed at teaching them, not only about the topics but how to be more active in their communities and more knowledgeable in their decisions. As a teacher, I am required to adhere to stringent teaching goals, but as a citizen, I am truly more concerned about helping my students become free-thinking, well-informed, decision-making adults with a global conscious.  


What environmental message do you have for young people?  

Get away from the disposable mentality. People are not disposable—we need all of us to do our part. Wildlife is not disposable—each organism serves a purpose whether we understand their importance or not. Lastly, our resources should not be thought of as disposable either: 

In the classroom, I use straws as an example, explaining that these are materials that are used and there is energy that is used to create and transport them.  We use these single-use items for about 30 minutes or so and then throw them away. I then point out that we all do use straws. AND, if a classroom full of 30 students do it three times a week for fifty-two weeks a year, then just our class is responsible for almost 5,000 straws. I than point out what the numbers are for our school, our neighborhood, and our city. I want to show them how this one little seemingly, insignificant thing translates to a huge amount of waste. I want to drive home the idea that little actions add up. Yet good intentions do not, so you must put your thoughts into actions. 

Ultimately I stress – “This is your future and your opportunity to outshine every generation before you. Make it a kinder, wiser, healthier place. Be Grateful.”