Before I begin to reflect I want to urge EVERYONE (pro as well as against coal) to visit an active coal mine and prep plant and educate yourself of all aspects. Ask questions and view what truly is going on. Please do not get your opinion from a billboard, commercial or bumper sticker. I believe that once this is done, it's hard to be one extreme or the other. Today I stand on neutral ground having a better understanding of the processes involved, the opportunity it provides, the dangers that are bi products and the misconceptions that arise when coal mining is the topic of debate. My point is educate yourself, nothing bad can come from asking questions and if you have people that we encountered today, they will be more than willing and hospitable to this in helping get the word out about coal.
After visiting the mining site of Arch Coal- Coal Mac and the Prep Plant today I would hands down tag my car with a FRIENDS OF ARCH COAL sticker. I have a lot of extremist friends and family for both sides and I think this sticker would coax them into asking me why. This is the mentality I have now... and the mentality I want to take into my classroom. It's the ramped up, energetic "Come on, ask me" mentality. I want to be able to educate about this topic... and not just my students. I want to be able to explain as Bekka put it today, " It's like coal is meant to be mined" but truth is it will be mined, our culture is based on it. Our lifestyles will always have lights on, so we will just need to except that there will be coal mining. How we handle the coal in all aspects should be the concern. The next step is to realize media likes drama and in order to find the true story I now know first hand one must go beyond the first level to see what is really going on. Arch Coal is such an impressive company. The processing plant was so impressive it was actually sort of intimidating. I can't wait to explain the jobs involved with this process to the kids in my class. The reclaimation success involved with today's tours were to be applauded. Shopping centers, schools, airports, ranches, cattle farms, housing developments and reconstructed graze lands are some of the amazing potentials out of this business. If we sit back after the coal is gone and expect a wonderful world then yes there will be reasons to complain. But look back into the history of coal, though the ways of mining the coal has changed one thing that is evident is you cannot just sit around and be successful you must change with the industry. The historic towns we visited once had that realization and then walked away from a grand idea. Lets be educators and advocates of coal to show we are no longer just walking away and leaving something sort of a mars like land mass or deserted town. We have been given the opportunity to imagineer our way into the future. Coal is the first step our students are the next.... give them the knowledge let them give you the ideas.
WOW... that was quite a soap box.
My apologies.
To conclude for today as i reflect on the dinner we just had, I want to again thank everyone involved in this trip. I'm am honored to be a part of this county and excited about my future here
So glad to have someone like you come into teaching! We're proud to have you!! Come to Milton if you can :)
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