By: Allyson Reynolds
Seven-year-old Nick Fuhrman awaits a guest speaker in an elementary school classroom, but to his surprise, the man does not arrive alone. Accompanied by covered cages and containers, the park ranger, in less than an hour, changes the course of Fuhrman’s life.
Park Ranger Bill Trautman, in his Maryland Department of Natural Resources uniform, keeps Fuhrman in suspense as he seats the class in a semicircle on the floor. The students lean forward and glue their widened eyes on the mysterious enclosures. Then, like a magic trick, Trautman unveils the cages to the injured birds. After, he opens the containers to the injured reptiles. Trautman’s voice slices through the silence of the classroom as he engages the children about animal safety and the environment. For the first time, Fuhrman experiences edutainment, a combination of educating and entertaining.
At 8 years old, Fuhrman volunteered with Trautman by cleaning bird cages and reptiles carriers, and at 10 years old, assisted him with wildlife presentations. At 16 years old, he began working as a naturalist and environmental interpreter for the Maryland Department of Natural Resources. In his seven years with this title, he used animals to give over one thousand presentations to edutain audiences about wildlife and environmental safety.
“I’ve never wanted to do anything else,” Fuhrman, now an associate professor at the University of Georgia, said.
Fuhrman’s research shows visible injuries on animals inspires empathy and public action by inducing the audience’s concern for wildlife.
He offers a similar opportunity as Trautman had given him by inviting his students to help him teach about wildlife. Fuhrman says he was inspired to teach in a classroom setting because he wanted to see his students grow rather than teaching once to an audience.
“I never knew what difference I was making, [but] when I got to see those students every week, I could really see them change,” Fuhrman says. “That’s what hooked me on teaching.”
Fuhrman designed the Teaching With Animals course in 2012 to help his students overcome public speaking anxiety. He says presenting with an aminal eases a speaker’s nerves by guiding the audience’s eyes off of them and onto the animal. At the end of the fall semester, his students present about wildlife and the environment to participants of ESP Inc., formerly known as Extra Special People. He first learned about the organization, which helps create transformative experiences for people with disabilities and their families, from his wife’s best friend, whose sister has Down syndrome.
Designing the course is “one of the best things I’ve ever done,” Fuhrman said. “It’s such a welcoming environment.”
At a class in November 2021, four of Fuhrman’s students stand beside a small tent at the front of the classroom. Once the class settled, the students presented to ESP children and adult participants about the harmful effects of litter. Shortly after, they reveal an eastern box turtle from within an enclosure.
Stephanie Busse has presented in Fuhrman’s Teaching With Animals class and is currently in his Natural Resources Management For Teachers class. “His teaching skills [are] definitely very hands-on (…) He doesn’t just explain it and give us a theory,” Busse said.
In his 2018 TEDxUGA presentation, titled “The One Thing All Great Teachers Do,” Fuhrman said great teachers “appreciate differences.”
In 2013, Georgia Farm Bureau’s “Farm Monitor” show conducted a segment on Fuhrman about how owl boxes can benefit farmers. This one-time interview quickly turned into a monthly segment called “Ranger Nick,” in which he teaches about wildlife and nature to television audiences. Now, people sometimes recognize him in public.
“I never thought in a million years that that would happen to me,” he says.
How I Wrote The Story
Professor at the University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences Nick Fuhrman, “Ranger Nick,” engages students by using animals in lessons. After viewing his 2018 TEDxUGA speech about teachable moments and effective teaching, I identified his influential role in the community. After contacting him by email, I visited his office to understand his passion for wildlife and education. Then, I observed his Natural Resources Management For Teachers class where I spoke with Stephanie Busse. Once I compelled the story, I called Fuhrman to clarify some details in the story.
Allyson Reynolds 