Green Options » teachers

Do as I Say, Not as I Do: Teachers with Guns

Jennifer Lance — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 15:55:59 +0000

For 12 years, I have been a teacher at a very small school (7-25 students, grades K-8) in northern California. I have never felt unsafe or threatened in my isolated community, so I was shocked to learn that teachers in a small town in Texas can carry guns to school. With the increase of school shootings lately, this just seems ludicrous. How can we tell students not to bring guns to school when their teachers can?

Harrold, Texas is a town of about 300 residents (70 more than my community). Harrold has become the first town to allow its teachers to bear arms. School superintendent David Thweatt explains, “We are 30 minutes from law enforcement. How long do you think it would take to kill all 150 of us? It would be a bloodbath.” Of course, Harrold’s teachers will receive training in “crisis management”.

Take Action: 5 Ways to Green Your Child’s School

Jennifer Lance — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 08:06:00 +0000

In my experience, one of the hardest places to green our family’s life is our children’s school. As a parent and a teacher at this school, I am constantly met with resistance when I suggest ways we can green our children’s education. The excuses from lack of money to health regulations never cease, but I never stop trying. Ironically, these excuses are actually reasons why schools should become more eco-friendly. Green schools reduce sick days for staff and students, as well as cost 2% less to run, according to the Organic Consumer’s Association. Here are five ideas to help you change your child’s school:

Start a the top with the school board: All policies for school districts are set by the board of trustees. The administration takes their directives from the school board. If you can get the school board’s support, your schools will go green. Compile a packet of information on the benefits of green schools and submit it to the board. You may look to other schools or states as models, such as New York requiring the use green cleaners, and New Jersey requiring all new schools be built according to LEED standards. OCA also has materials available you could use, and Green Schools has a sample school board resolution. Have parents write letters supporting these changes (letters are more effective than petitions). Request to have an agenda item listed, then organize a presentation with parents asking the board to adopt a green schools policy or resolution.
Work your way down the school’s hierarchy: If you can’t get support from the school board, go to the site’s principal. If you can’t get the principal’s support, go to your child’s teacher, etc. Don’t forget the teachers’ union, as they may include in their contract negotiations a reduction in chemical exposure, etc.

Bring Fair Trade into the Classroom

Alicia Erickson — Thu, 20 Sep 2007 14:00:39 +0000

You’ve heard about how to introduce your friends and family to Fair Trade, and how to build the movement within your community. Now let’s look at how to bring this important education into your school.

Fair Trade fundraising. With many different options and rewards, it’s easy to make the switch to selling a sweeter chocolate.
Raise awareness and funds with a Fair Trade bake sale. Check out the many delicious recipes at Equal Exchange, Divine Chocolate, Transfair or the Fair Trade Cookbook.
Form a Fair Trade group with other students, teachers and parents.
Present the Fair Trade movement to others, either peers or younger classes. Check out the this Fair Trade powerpoint for an introduction.
Teach Fair Trade. Global Dimension has 56 different resources for helping students understand Fair Trade, with age groups ranging from 5-7 years, 7-11 years, 11-14 years and 16 and up. Most resources are free or cost a small amount, and the topics are varied and interesting. Traidcraft also has lesson plans for various age levels and subjects.
For primary schools check out the free ‘Make your School Fair Trade Friendly‘ pack, which includes seven different activity sections.
Have a Fair Trade stall at your next school event. Here are some tips to help in your success. Spark some tastebuds with samples of coffee, tea or chocolate and feed, them information while they enjoy.
Play Sweet Injustice: the chocolate game. With 6 volunteers, you can visually drive home the reality of the tiny portion of chocolate profits that actually ends up in the farmer’s hands through traditional trade.
Play fair! Get your school to switch their footballs, soccer balls and volleyballs to those sold by Fair Trade Sports. Play an intramural game with information for spectators and players.
Host a Fair Trade fashion show to demonstrate how "beautiful" and "trendy" can still be ethical.
Check to see if your school has a United Students for Fair Trade (USFT) group. If not, start one!
Have your school group become one of the Co-op America’s Fair Trade Alliance members, with a pledge to
- Serve Fair Trade Certified™ coffee, tea, cocoa/chocolate, and other certified products as available for meetings and gatherings.
- When possible, purchase commodities or crafts from members of the Fair Trade Federation.
- Educate co-workers, community members, classmates, and others about Fair Trade.
- Promote Fair Trade through events or other activities whenever possible.
Help others each time you get dressed with an alternative Fair Trade school uniform.
Host a discussion. Check with local Fair Trade businesses and teachers to bring in a speaker, or hold an open discussion with your teachers, peers and parents.
Host a screening of a Fair Trade movie, such as Black Gold, and hold a discussion afterwards.
Make some Big Noise with a Fair Trade campaign and OxFam’s toolkit.
Give the students and teachers a chance to give twice this holiday season by hosting a Fair Trade holiday sale with the help of Ten Thousand Villages or A Greater Gift.

Resources for teachers abound on the Internet

Kelli Best-Oliver — Thu, 08 Feb 2007 13:33:02 +0000

Environmental sustainability is a truly interdisciplinary subject, incorporating science, mathematics, sociology, ethics, economics, philosophy, history, government, health, reading, writing, and critical thinking. Few schools are fortunate enough to have entire courses devoted to sustainability, but most schools have teachers who are, and for those teachers, there are a plethora of resources to infuse sustainability education into their everyday lesson plans.

One of my personal favorites in terms of resources is Yes! Magazine. It's focus on positive solutions to sustainability problems, along with their commitment to supporting education (great lesson plans tied to articles AND free one-year subscriptions for teachers) make it a must read for all greens, but particularly teachers.

Classroom Earth is a comprehensive website with a user-friendly design that compiles environmental education resources. It's a great starting place when looking for lesson plans and ideas.

Facing the Future offers textbooks and workbooks all about sustainability and global issues. I've seen them, and they are great for both middle and high school. For teachers working a budget (which ones aren't?), they've also put a plethora of lesson plans online. I've used them. They work. Get thee to their website.

Finally, Michigan's Urban Options has developed a sustainability education handbook, complete with activities, that's aligned with Michigan's state standards.

This is a brief list of my favorites, but related links exist on all of these sites.