2. Introduction of Academy Colleagues

Hello Future Friends

Hello Future Friends

by Kathy Clowe -
Number of replies: 4

Hi, my name is Kathy, and I teach at Poolesville High School in Montgomery County.  I teach biology and environmental biology in the global ecology magnet program.  I am taking this class for the last credits that I need for my recertification I have taken a lot of online classes over the years just to get the credits and be done with it.  This year, I decided to take a class that I actually hope to learn something from. 

We already teach about climate change, and I have a basic understanding of the issue.  Too often, teaching about human's impact on the environment can be suuuuper depressing.  And people get overwhelmed and tune it all out.  It is too much, too big, too bad, too abstract from their life.  Through this class, I would like to find a way to teach it to my students and break through that white noise and make climate change a real issues for them.

I am looking forward to it!

In reply to Kathy Clowe

Re: Hello Future Friends

by Candice Autry -

Hi Kathy, 

I know what you mean about the depressing part.  I've been thinking about ways to use adolescent energy into defiance for good purposes......   Writing lawmakers to ask why the head of the EPA, Scott Pruitt, can purchase expensive fountain pens, to name just one of the MANY unethical choices.  Raising awareness about how resources are being wasted can wake some people up and help create a culture of life-long voters.

See you later in the month!  

Candice Autry

In reply to Candice Autry

Re: Hello Future Friends

by Christopher Petrone -

Yep, there a bunch of solid examples of how to get students over the depressing hump and involved in action. Don't fret!

See you in a few weeks.

Chris

In reply to Kathy Clowe

Re: Hello Future Friends

by Elise Trelegan -

Welcome to the Climate Academy Kathy! For some reason your name is sounding very familiar to me... 

I'm glad to hear that you're already incorporating climate education into your curriculum and I think we'll certainly be talking about ways to make this topic accessible and not too overwhelming for students. The MWEE is a framework that uses best practices for teaching and learning to take students through that full continuum of environmental literacy, ending with action projects which help to drive home that message of "together we can make change!" We'll be talking more about the MWEE during the in-person component if you're not already familiar with it. Looking forward to working with you!

In reply to Kathy Clowe

Re: Hello Future Friends

by rachael coffey -

Hello Kathy,

I love the positive "Hello Future Friends!" greeting. I have taught AP Environmental and also struggled some with the doom and gloom aspect of getting people to understand how bad things are in order to get them to make change. It can be really depressing. However, it seems from your positive greeting that you are well suited to figuring that out. I always tried to end with a "just imagine if each person on the planet did one thing, what a huge change we could make" message with my students. And we are all doing at least one thing by attending this class. I look forward to meeting you! 

Rachael