Sustainability is a hot topic in society right now. And it should be. As our population grows, in the US and all over the world, we need to make sure what we do does not adversely affect sustainability. We need to connect what we do to what will happen because of what we do. Actions have consequences. I tend to connect that right now to the nuclear power emergency in Japan. Because of all the people I know in that country and my trips there over the years, I have followed the recent news very carefully. The nuclear power plants are scary. It really doesn't matter how soon they contain the problem, (yes it does really) the damage is done. Radiation is loose in the atmosphere of Japan and the world. It may not have a huge effect but maybe it will. We don't know enough about nuclear disasters other than that they are not good. We need to think of the whole and not just our part. Is the power generated worth the risks?
While reading the chapter on “Educating for a Sustainable Future”, I saw a connection to the book I am reading for another assignment, The Last Child in the Woods. At the Willow School they believe, “humans are an integral part of the natural world and that the health and sustainability of our natural systems has a profound effect on the quality of our lives.” We need to feel connected to the Earth and the world. If we don't feel like that we do today will matter in the future we won't act as responsibly. Somehow we need for our students to see that the timeline of their lives today will affect their future as well as the future of the world. Even as individuals, they matter. Is the power we use daily worth what it takes to generate it?
I am not sure exactly how to connect students but I do know that experience makes a difference. I had 14 Japaneses college students come in and shadow my 7th graders on March 8th. It was a very enjoyable day all round and many of them are facebook friends now. It changed on March 13th. Japan changed on March 13th. After that Tuesday, when my students heard the news about the devastating earthquake, it wasn't just news. They cared far more than they would have in the past. They wanted information. They wanted to know that the students they had met and their families were OK. My husband, who coordinates the Japanese program, came in to talk to them about the earthquake and its effects.
We were lucky because all the families of the student's survived. One mother was missing for almost a week but was found, alive, in an evacuee shelter. That student's home is gone, washed away by the tsunami, but her family is intact. Our school will be doing a fundraiser for the victims of that disaster. We haven't decided exactly what to do or where to send the funds that we raise, but the students have decided to do something. They are now part of the world and I hope they remain there.
I really value the connection to the world, even to different parts of the U.S. For me, growing up, those connections were made through frequent trips to visit relatives in nearby cities (I grew up about 2 hours from NYC), from volunteer work with church and community groups, and through trips with boy scouts. Even though we didn't really travel internationally, I think I was able to see some different perspectives in our nation and compute some differences about what things may be like in developing nations.
ReplyDeleteMaking those connections with kids who may not have travel opportunities is tough! First, we can try to generate some travel, through volunteer efforts. Next, programs like AFS and your Japanese visitors could help kids make the connection. I'm really looking forward to my school's seminar on micro-lending, and the kids' loans through Kiva - I'm hoping that will help to build a global perspective.
I think you are on to something when you talk about connection and making it real for students. Your students don't see Japan anymore as a another country....it is a place where they have friends and a place where they can picture themselves and ask that question what if it happen to us? I think making connection through the world is what needs to happen if we are going to have a healthy and happy future. We have to find a way to all work together.
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