I recently picked up at the health food store a copy of a 50-page periodical called “Green Teacher: Education for Planet Earth,” and I’ve decided that since it’s summer and we’re all capable of dreaming about how the next school year might be, I’ll donate a GT subscription to our Montessori school in hopes of further inspiring the school’s receptive management. Articles in the spring issue include pieces on how to help kids in the classroom develop and report back on an indivdual “environmental practice” like timing showers, flushing the toilet less (hmmm, not too keen on that one), biking or walking instead of driving, or helping parents improve home recycling. (One practice I’ve been observing is taking bottles and cans of drinks consumed in restaurants home to recycle, since a lot of places we frequent don’t seem to do it.) Green Teacher also sells books on “Teaching Green,” covering climate change, how to green-up school grounds, and how to encourage an interest in environmental studies throughout the school year. Yes, all this stuff is best taught at home too, but support from a school that engages the whole peer group is vitally important.

More from Beliefnet and our partners
Close Ad