OPINION: Jump in, the water is rising — it’s time to educate students for a sustainable future

by Jaimie P. Cloud for the Hechinger Report

We get what we educate for. That’s why it’s time to educate for the future we want: healthy, just and sustainable for ourselves and for generations to come. There are lots of ways to begin.

In early grades, connecting children to the places where they live helps them learn to take care of those places — so the places can take care of them over time. Teachers and students can learn by doing place-based projects together, all the while meeting and exceeding required academic standards in authentic and meaningful ways. Distinguishing weather from climate is a good foundational step. Children can also collect and publish oral histories about a place. They can test water and soil, plant trees, compost and build soil fertility. They can “green up” their schoolyards; they can garden and grow food.