Christian Educators Journal: February 2023

Christian Educators Journal February 2023 Vol. 62 No. 3

This Is Our Father’s World Citizen Science Solar Education Embodying Climate Change Education Self-­Care as Creation Care The Environment of Here and Now The Litter Principal Exploring the Wonder and Delight of God’s Creation

Future Issues April 2023—Resource Review Each year we highlight the best books, films, ­websites, teaching tools, and other resources for Christian school teachers. We publish reviews of student-facing material (like which books to stock in your classroom library) as well as materials relevant to school staff (like curricula or books about teaching). This issue is closed to submissions.

Stay tuned to this space in our April issue for an announcement of the 2023–24 CEJ issue themes! Proposal and submission deadlines will be included.

Cover Illustration

Stefan Filipkiewicz, Forest Stream in Winter, 1919 (National Museum in Warsaw / Wikimedia Commons)

Contents

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Editorial Citizen Science: Real Data for a Real Need in the Real World JAMES VANDE GLIND

Solar Education: An Integrated Community-­Wide Approach JIM PETERSON

Embodying Climate Change Education: Stories in the Secondary Science Classroom ANDREW KIRK

Self-­Care as Creation Care IRENE KRAEGEL

The Environment of Here and Now: Place-­Based Eco-­Stewardship for Young Learners NICOLE FLETCHER

The Litter Principal YVONNE HARVEY

Exploring the Wonder and Delight of God’s Creation in the Christian Classroom ADAM RASMUSSEN

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Christian Educators Journal Vol. 62 No. 3, February 2023 cejonline.com Editor Abby Zwart cejeditor@gmail.com The Christian Educators Journal (CEJ) encourages letters to the editor in response to articles presented in the CEJ. Letters must be accompanied by the author’s name and email address. The CEJ reserves the right to edit letters for length and clarity. Where a letter addresses issues raised by the author of an article, the CEJ reserves the right to invite the article author to respond to the letter.

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Editor Abby Zwart Copyeditor Bethany Murphy Design Editor Klaas Wolterstorff Business Manager Klaas Wolterstorff Web Shepherd Heather Altena Board of Trustees Dr. Henry Algera Heather Birch Justin Cook Sara Leo Albert Kok (Chair) Gayle Monsma Ed Noot Jim Rooks Sean Schat Christine Scholma Tricia Stobbe Edith Van Der Boom Heather VanDyke Christine Webb Supporting Institutions Calvin University Edvance Christian Schools Association Institute for Christian Studies The King’s University Redeemer University Trinity Christian College Tyndale University Subscribing Organizations Christian Educators Association Christian Educators of British Columbia Prairie Centre for Christian Education Printed back issues (if available) can be purchased for $7.50 per copy (cost of shipping to be added to total).

Some back issues may be available in digital format.

Editorial

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grew up watching the classic Disney films of the 1990s. Aladdin was a favorite, as were Mulan and Beauty and the Beast. But my very favorite was Pocahontas. Her outfit was the best, her animal sidekicks were the quirkiest, and her songs were the most singable (don’t try to tell me you haven’t belted “Colors of the Wind” in the shower!). Though I nearly wore out the VHS tape with my frequent rewatchings, I also remember my parents being a bit apprehensive about the film. In our modern eyes, the film’s portrayal of Native Americans and their relationship with white settlers is certainly problematic, but this was 1995—we weren’t there yet. No, what my parents were nervous about was the display of traditional Native American religion: the tree who could talk, the river with a spirit, the fire that a medicine man used to summon the voices of ancestors. On our family trip to Disney World, we specifically avoided the Pocahontas attraction because descriptions in a guidebook seemed to say that the spiritual and ancestral elements were front and center.

Though I expect my parents would tease themselves about it now, mainstream Christian culture at the time warned them to keep their children far away from anything with a hint of polytheism, pantheism, or communing with the dead. The fear of these types of belief systems can also be connected to the era’s fervor over the Harry Potter books or even to a suspicion about things like yoga. As a kid, I was still allowed to watch Pocohontas as much as I wanted, but I knew my parents did their best to shield me from this type of material, and their caution rubbed off on me.

Imagine my confusion, then, when we would sing the hymn “This Is My Father’s World” at church on Sundays: “This is my Father’s world, / And to my listening ears / All nature sings, and round me rings / The music of the spheres.” All nature sings? Music of the spheres? That sounded an awful lot like Pocahontas’s “voices of the mountain” to me. And the hymn got even weirder: “This is my Father’s world: / He shines in all that’s fair; / In the rustling grass I hear him pass, / He speaks to me everywhere.” I pictured Grandmother Willow whispering advice and wisdom to Pocahontas, surrounding her in long rustling tendrils of leaves.

In the year 2022, I doubt many Reformed Christian parents would have much of a problem with Pocahontas. (And while still present in some Christian circles, the ire about Harry Potter and yoga has abated significantly, too.) In fact, in light of our changing climate and God’s call for humans to be gardeners and caretakers of the earth, most of our Christian schools today strongly emphasize general revelation—hearing, seeing, and feeling God through nature. And while we’re right to remind students that we do not worship nature as some Indigenous people did and still do, finding a personal Christian Educators Journal

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connection with God through nature is a common practice in modern classrooms. Many schools have outdoor education programs, most teach units on stewardship and conservation, and lots provide their students with field trips that get them out into beautiful parts of creation.

In this issue, we celebrate the many creative ways that teachers are getting their students out into nature and the lessons they’re instilling about how to best care for the precious gift God has given us. Whether students are gathering data about mussels, hearing stories underneath a canopy of trees, investigating solar power, or learning to care for their own bodies as part of creation, there are so many ways to care for our Father’s world.

—Abby Zwart

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Citizen Science: Real Data for a Real Need in the Real World JAMES VANDE GLIND

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am standing on the bridge in a local park near our high school in Fridley, Minnesota. It is a beautiful day to be outside. The leaves are still green overhead, but you can tell that fall is just around the corner. From the stream down below I hear the back and forth of several high school boys.

“Yes! I found one.”

“Fatmucket?”

“I am not sure, the edge is kind of rounded.”

“Probably just a Giant Floater.”

“At least it’s a live mussel! All you have found is dead Heel Splitters filled with sand.”

To any other park user, these young people standing knee deep in the stream might look like they are skipping school and calling each other names, but they are actually living out my deepest hope as a Christian school science teacher. They are caring for creation by doing real work to meet a real scientific need in the real world.

For the past three years, my students and I have been collaborating with freshwater mussel researcher Mark Hove. Our goal is to study the Fatmucket, a native freshwater mussel, and how its life cycle is impacted by road salt. We are doing real research. We are asking novel questions and setting up novel experiments. Unlike the tried and true experiments from my chemistry class, some of our experiments have failed, but then we improved them and tried them again. We are producing data that people outside of our classroom care about. In fact, in the past year, Mark Hove has published two articles sharing the data that our high school students helped gather, and we are working toward two more articles in the coming year.

For the past three years, my students and I have been collaborating with freshwater mussel researcher Mark Hove.

Our goal is to study the Fatmucket, a native freshwater mussel, and how its life cycle is impacted by road salt.

What Is Citizen Science?

Producing data that other people care about is core to citizen science. An exact definition of what constitutes citizen science and what does not is still being parsed out. However, in an article pressing for an internationally recognized definition of citizen science, Heigl and his co-­authors identify that “citizen science has amazing potential as an innovative approach to data gathering and experimental design, as well as an education and outreach tool.” They praise citizen science for “democratizing science” and for it being “science with and for society” (8090). As a high school educator, what citizen science means to me is that my students are participating in science that matters beyond the classroom walls.

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As a high school educator, what citizen science means to me is that my students are participating in science that matters beyond the classroom walls.

How Did We End Up in a Stream Studying Mussels?

Mussel research is not my first connection to citizen science. In the mid-­ 2000s I was introduced to the River Watch program run through Hennepin County. Since 2008, my environmental science students have collected and classified aquatic macroinvertebrates (insects). The county uses this data to measure stream health based on the sensitivity of each family and/or genus of insect to pollution. Each year our school completes this work and reports our findings to the county, meaning that there is now an archive with nearly fifteen years of data because of the work that students are doing.

Also in the past decade our school has adopted Teaching for Transformation(TfT) (for more about TfT see www.teachingfortransformation.org).

One of TfT’s core practices is for students to engage in Formational Learning Experiences (FLEx), and it was during an afternoon professional developThe path was not ment dedicated to FLEx development that I was prompted to imagine a way to continue to engage my science students in real work by connecting to a straight but it certainly different stream, Rice Creek, which is located within walking distance of was serendipitous, and it the school. I began by contacting the watershed district, and one connection started because of TfT’s led to another until I found myself standing in the wet lab at the University push to have students of Minnesota hatching plans with Mark Hove about how my students could partner with him to study the impact of salt on the life cycle of freshwater do real work in the real mussels. The path was not straight but it certainly was serendipitous, and world to meet a real it started because of TfT’s push to have students do real work in the real need. world to meet a real need.

Citizen Science and Kingdom Work

Citizen science lets my students stand in awe of their creator right where they are.

My youngest son loves to watch the PBS show Wild Kratts. The show teaches him a great deal about creatures from all over the world. Historically speaking, it is remarkable that a five year old growing up in Minnesota would even know about the existence of a ring-­tailed lemur or a pangolin. And now that he knows about them, he cares about them. He cares about habitat loss in Madagascar and poaching in Asia. In his five-­year-­old way, he wants humanity to steward these creatures well.

To see him care about these creatures in this way is both uplifting and frustrating. I am thankful and encouraged to see my son’s care of God’s creation being nurtured. However, it is also clear that there is no real pathway for him to exercise that care. There is almost nothing that he (or I) can do that would help steward these particular creatures well. We simply live too far away.

In my years doing citizen science projects with my students, one of the great blessings is that students get to know and love their local environment.

Granted, the vision laid out in Scripture is that humans are to rule over, tend, and keep the whole of creation. Similarly, through his death and resurrection, Christ redeems every square inch of creation and encourages us to do the same. However, we are finite creatures occupying distinct moments of time and space. Citizen science lets my students stand in awe of their creator right where they are, and it shapes their attitudes toward their local ecosystems. Those attitudes prompt them toward real stewardship of the square inch where God has placed them.

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It should be noted that not all citizen science projects are local. For example, NASA enlists the help of citizens to search images of space in a project called Stardust@Home. The thing about all the citizen science projects is that they are real. Students engaging in the real world gather real data to meet a real need. As they carry out this real work, students get to be order discoverers, creation enjoyers, earth keepers, and ultimately God worshippers.

Where Can You Begin?

If you’re looking for an easy citizen science option, there are a number of small-­scale, relatively simple projects that you can join right now. For example, the Izaak Walton League of America runs the Salt Watch program.

Ninth-­graders at our school participate in this program by measuring chloride concentrations in the snowmelt. The procedure takes about five minutes, and they can do it on their own street corner (www.iwla.org/water/ stream-­monitoring/salt-­watch). Our middle school students have contributed to BudBurst, a project run through the Chicago Botanical Gardens, which has individuals report what plants are doing in their neighborhoods at particular times of the year. National Geographic has another twenty-­ plus ideas here: https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/ citizen-­science-­projects.

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If you’re looking for an easy citizen science option, there are a number of small-­scale, relatively simple projects that you can join right now.

While I suspect there isn’t a university researcher for every ­science classroom, I have a hunch that if we reached out, there may be some more serendipi­ tous connections that could be made.

If you’re ready for something more in-­depth, I encourage you to design your own project. I wish every teacher could have someone like Mark Hove to collaborate with. While I suspect there isn’t a university researcher for every science classroom, I have a hunch that if we reached out, there may be some more serendipitous connections that could be made. And we do not need to think of these connections as one-­way streets. Mark Hove is quick to remind my students that their work allows him to do research on a scale that he simply cannot do on his own. Because we have a small army of eyes and hands at our disposal, we are able to imagine projects that just would not be possible otherwise.

Here are some starting points for designing your own citizen science project: 1) Reach out: a) to a local college or university b) to a local government agency (Department of National Resources, county parks, watershed districts) c) to a business that deals with creation care (for example, a landscape company that puts in rain or pollinator gardens) 2) Look around: a) Within walking radius of your school, is there anything noteworthy?

Bodies of water? Natural areas? Is there data that could be collected that could help your community better steward that resource? b) How about on your school’s property? Could you have students gather data on storm water runoff for your school campus? Could that lead to making real changes to your property (e.g., parking lot design, rain garden implementation)?

3) Start with service: Sometimes the data we collect prompts us to take stewardly action, but the reverse can also be true. When we do work in the name of stewardship, we want to know if our work is making a 8

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difference, and usually this is determined by data. For example, science-­ related service projects our students participate in include invasive Science-­related service species removal and native prairie seed collection. projects our students participate in include

Final Thoughts

invasive species removal

Mark Hove and I are still dreaming. We have a handful of smaller research projects that we would like to complete. Each time we run one experiment, it seems like we find two or three new things we would like to explore in the future. When we dream big, however, Mark and I start to imagine a project where our experiments would help lead to the reintroduction of native mussels that have gone locally extinct in Rice Creek. We imagine students doing experiments that would help determine what fish could serve as a suitable host for those mussels.

Mussels are the most endangered group of animals in North America.

My dream is that through the citizen science my students are doing, our local creek will see its mussel population rebound, and years from now, those same students will be able to come back and say, “I helped make that happen! We helped bring those mussels back to Rice Creek.”

My encouragement to you is to keep dreaming too. How might you use citizen science to engage your students in the real world, so that they can collect real data that can support and promote real stewardship of God’s creation?

collection.

and native prairie seed

Work Cited Heigl, Florian, et al. “Toward an International Definition of Citizen Science.”

Proceedings on the National Academy of Science, April 23, 2019, www.pnas​ .org/doi/10.1073/pnas.1903393116.

James Vande Glind teaches at Avail Academy in Fridley, Minnesota. He earned his BA from Dordt College (2004) and MA from Hamline University (2013). He has also been a TfT lead teacher.

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Solar Education: An Integrated Community-­Wide Approach JIM PETERSON

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n the fall of 2020 I received a call from a local electrical contractor that had worked on our high school building. The company had a sustainability arm that designed and installed solar panels. They wondered if they could pitch us on a comprehensive plan to install a 660 kW ground mount solar array on two acres of our campus. The plan would steward the environment and benefit the climate. It would also benefit donors and parents by creating savings. Finally, students would benefit by learning more about solar power and its positive potential in their lives. This call was the birth of a very unique school–business partnership that was a win for the environment and everyone involved.

As a private Christian school we are aware of the devastating effects of climate change on the world. We are also deeply committed to caring for the world we are in and making as small a footprint on the world as we can. As a learning organization, it is vital to us to have our students see us acting on our biblical convictions, and solar panels are an obvious way to do this. Solar power is a key component of fighting climate change and reducing our reliance on fossil fuels. This system, the largest tier-­three system you can build in Michigan, provides about 60 percent of the electrical needs of the school in a given year and is designed to power all our electrical needs on the highest demand days of the year. It takes up about two acres of our 137-­acre campus, and is placed on an area of the campus that was already designated as green space. Solar panels allow the school to have a major impact on the environment, with minimal impact on the campus.

Many incentives exist for building solar panels, but they come in the form of tax credits and deductions. Nonprofits and government entity operations like schools, who do not pay taxes, are often stuck paying the full cost of any solar development because they cannot access these funds. In Michigan, this difficulty is compounded by low-­rate long-­term electrical contracts that schools and other nonprofits can access. These contracts mean South Christian had very low electrical rates, which made any solar project have such a long pay back time that the investment in solar was hard to justify. We had explored building solar many times, but it never made financial sense.

However, in approaching this development, we created a new model for building our solar field. Our first step was finding a donor who could pay for the development—maximizing tax credits, deductions, and grants— and who wanted to give to the school for the long term. In this partnership we lease our land to a private company, created by the donor, that paid for and installed the panels. Since the company owns the panels, the company receives any tax incentives and ends up paying less than 40 percent of the Christian Educators Journal

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As a learning organization, it is vital to us to have our students see us acting on our biblical convictions, and solar panels are an obvious way to do this.

Nonprofits and government entity operations like schools, who do not pay taxes, are often stuck paying the full cost of any solar development because they cannot access these funds.

The final part of our partnership involves the physical science class that all freshmen are required to take.

Students can see for themselves what is being generated each day by the school’s panels, and they learn how to design an array for any home or institution.

cost of the project after all incentives have been paid. Since the company involved is a donor to the school, all the electrical savings come to the school over the twenty-­five (guaranteed) to forty-­year (expected) life of the panels.

An initial investment is paid back in a few years, and the school enjoys free energy after that. Over the life of the panels, it should also save the school about $60,000 a year in electrical costs. This savings came just in time because while electric rates go up on average nationally 5 percent a year, the actual rate increases are small most years with large jumps in other years.

Those large jumps are occurring right now because of nuclear facilities being shut down due to aging and coal plants being shut down for pollution concerns, all while demand is rising due to the adoption of electric vehicles. The solar panels are clearly a financial win for the school, donors, and tuition-­paying parents.

Finally, as a school we are always interested in the growth and learning of our students. The final part of our partnership involves the physical science class that all freshmen are required to take. One semester of this class is focused on physics, and through a grant provided by the panel installer, solar power was added as a key theme of the course. The motion unit was redesigned to use solar carts. This introduces students to the ideas and concepts of solar energy and energy transfers. This base of knowledge is used later in the course when the study of energy begins.

In our school each student is asked at some point in the semester to apply their academic work to meeting a real need in the world. We believe that a school that only teaches head knowledge is not addressing the whole person and will not bring out the gifts of each student. As Nicholas Wolterstorff writes, “It is nothing but a pious wish and a grossly unwarranted hope that students trained to be passive and non-­creative in school will suddenly, upon graduation, actively contribute to the formation of Christian culture” (31) As students study energy and energy transfers, they learn about deciphering energy bills to see how much their homes use. They learn about the transfers that take place in the solar panels to take the light from the sun and make it into useful electricity. Students are asked to collect the electric-­ use data from their homes. They then analyze that data with their classmates. They can see for themselves what is being generated each day by the school’s panels, and they learn how to design an array for any home or institution. This leads to the final step of applying their knowledge.

Each student is asked to make a report for a home, business, cottage, or nonprofit that they love. They analyze the data from our own field and dispel misinformation about solar generation in cloudy northern areas. They are then asked to create a presentation for their home or another organization about the benefits of solar power and the cost to add solar power to the home or organization. This presentation is then given to the audience of their family, the board, or the owner of the organization that they chose. These presentations have a two-­fold impact. First, they educate our community on the benefits and feasibility of solar power and its impact on climate change.

One study indicates that “intergenerational learning (IGL) represents an understudied but promising pathway for building climate change concern among citizens irrespective of their socio-­ideological differences” (Lawson 458). Second, they position our constituents with the information they need to make intelligent decisions about their own use of solar. As solar has grown in use, some communities join together in groups of homes to get 12

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discounts on installation because the community can guarantee ten homes installing at the same time. While this has not happened yet in our community, the potential is there to have a very wide impact on our own energy bills and the climate in general.

This project represents the best of what we can do for our Christian schools today: create opportunities for everyone in the community to learn and grow and express their own talents to God’s glory. We win as stewards of God’s good creation. Environmentally oppressed people in poverty win as we do our part to reduce climate change. Donors win as they give back to the school for generations to come. Parents win as we work to keep tuition costs as low as possible. The school wins as more students can continue to access our Christian school. Students win as they learn and apply their knowledge to impact their world, right now, while they are still in school.

Peter Jonker notes that the second-­century church father Iraneus said, “Gloria Dei homo vivens”: “the glory of God is a human being fully alive” (3). This is a project where truly God receives the glory because all the participants have the chance to use their gifts and be fully alive.

Works Cited Jonker, Peter. “Faces Firmly Fixed.” Sermon at LaGrave Avenue CRC, March 24, 2019, www.lagrave.org/wp-­content/uploads/2019/03/2019-­03-­24​-­A M-­Faces-­Firmly-­Fixed-­Keeping-­House-­Jonker.pdf.

Lawson, Danielle F. “Children Can Foster Climate Change Concerns among Their Parents.” Nature Climate Change, vol. 9, June 2019, pp. 458–62.

Wolterstorff, Nicholas, et al. Educating for Life: Reflections on Christian Teaching and Learning. Baker Academic 2002.

Jim Peterson is a stay-­at-­home dad in Grand Rapids, Michigan. His most recent full-­time work was the Head of School at South Christian High School. When he has time, he is a School Designer for the Center for the Advancement of Christian Education at Dordt University and an Adjunct Professor of Physics and Astronomy at Calvin University. You can reach him to learn more about solar power, Teaching for Transformation, physics, or education at jameslaryn@gmail.com.

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This project represents the best of what we can do for our Christian schools today: create opportunities for everyone in the community to learn and grow and express their own talents to God’s glory.

Embodying Climate Change Education: Stories in the Secondary Science Classroom ANDREW KIRK

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limate change education. What do these three words call to mind? When you hear these three words, how do you feel? What actions or behaviors do you associate with these three words?

Before we dive into the need for and practices of climate change education, let’s pause to take stock of what informs our understandings and practices. Who are the key people that have shaped your perspective? What experiences, large and small, are part of your thoughts, feelings, and actions about the environment or, more broadly, creation?

* * *

If people acknowledge the concern and recognize the threat, what are the barriers that impede implementation of climate change education?

Students want climate change taught in their schools. Many, in fact, are demanding that schools address this vital, practical, world-­ changing subject.

In a 2019 survey of teachers, students, and the general public in Canada, over 79 percent were concerned about impacts of climate change and 78 percent believed that climate change posed increased risks to humans. When asked about the role of education in response to the concerns of climate change, many expressed their confidence in educators—65 percent of Canadians and 76 percent of educators, specifically.

So why is there not more climate change education? If people acknowledge the concern and recognize the threat, what are the barriers that impede its implementation? The educators in the survey above voiced concerns ranging from limited knowledge and skills (only 32 percent were confident) to the need for increased support. Resources for in-­service as well as pre-­ service teachers could include access to data, current climate science, policy, and professional development. Even before the constraints of the COVID-­19 pandemic, research showed that the challenges to implementing climate change education were complex and not easily resolved even with additional time, resources, and professional development.

These trends are reflected in other regions worldwide. In 2020, UNESCO surveyed 1600 educators from 93 countries and territories (Learn 12). While 36 percent indicated that environmental issues were not included in training, 95 percent of teachers “believed that it is important or very important to teach about the severity of climate change and its effects” (6). In addition, the levels of confidence, from Australia to Africa, were only slightly higher than the Canadian survey above—40 percent were confident in teaching climate change, one third could explain climate change in their own region, and 20 percent felt their knowledge or skills were sufficient.

Yet despite the challenges that educators are facing with climate change education (CCE), students want climate change taught in their schools.

Many, in fact, are demanding that schools address this vital, practical, world-­changing subject. They are looking to teachers and administrators to 14

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help them understand and make sense of climate change. In a 2020 survey of over five hundred youth (ages 15–24) in Alberta, for instance, students identified that “teachers are one of the most trusted sources of information about climate change” (ACEE 1).

Many of us feel overwhelmed by the sheer magnitude of climate change, and even more by the task of teaching our students. As mentioned above, the knowledge and skills about climate change are either new, rapidly changing, or sufficiently cross-­disciplinary for most teachers. It is not uncommon to think that climate change is best left to the enviro, outdoor, and earth science educators. Even when you have spent time preparing to teach about climate change, it is easy to feel under qualified or “not committed enough.”

I certainly delayed my own engagement with creation care because I didn’t feel I was “there” yet. I thought I needed to be doing more. While it is true that I could do more, that was no reason to wait. The day I chose to trust God’s prompting and take one step toward engaging was critical.

Creation care flows from our role on earth as God’s stewards—made in his image and filled with his Spirit. In the Old Testament, God calls humans to “cultivate and tend [the garden]” (Gen. 2:15 NASB). In Isaiah, creation and the land are described as a vineyard that God has lavished upon his “beloved” (5:1–7). Jesus, in the New Testament, continues to develop the theme of humanity as steward over the vineyard in many of his parables (Matt.

25:14–30; Mark 12:1–12). Tending to creation is part of the mandate for reflecting God’s loving care in our world (Wilkinson).

* * *

What exactly is climate change? Wynes and Nicholas (1) summarize climate change with six core statements: It’s climate. It’s warming. It’s us. It’s bad. It’s climate. It’s warming.

Experts agree. We can fix it. According to the most recent Intergovernmen- It’s us. It’s bad. Experts tal Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) plain-­language summary, climate agree. We can fix it. change reflects “widespread changes across atmosphere, land, oceans, and ice regions” (4). These changes are the result of the impact of greenhouse gasses, biodiversity loss, and increased pollution by humans. The MIT climate primer by Kerry A. Emanuel expands beyond science to include climate risk and solutions; the Aspen Institute’s K12 Climate Action Plan is focused on mitigation, adaptation, education, and advancement of equity.

While CCE includes more than science, excellent CCE is informed by accessible, up-­to-­date, research-­based summaries (see also National Academies; NASA; Hayhoe).

As a science educator, two significant streams that inform CCE come from the fields of environmental education and science education. Whether nature study or conservation education, place-­based education or eco-­ justice, environmental education drives CCE toward action and behavior change, connection with nature, environmental outcomes, social outcomes, and environmental skill (Clark and Harley 331). Sustainability and education for sustainable development frame climate change within a larger social and ecological context, where the focus is less on knowledge transfer or behavior change and more on building the capacity in students, schools, and communities for sustainability. As many readers will know firsthand, these educational traditions provide both strategies and theoretical frames that help ground and guide our teaching and student learning.

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The strategies below can be practiced even if you work at a small school with limited resources or are a concerned teacher with few like-­minded colleagues.

Students were ready to join mock discussion groups where they would play the role of the stakeholder they researched.

While there are excellent resources reflecting a whole school approach (see UNESCO’s Getting Climate Ready: A Guide for Schools on Climate Action by Natalie Gibb or SEPN’s Responding to Climate Change: A Primer for K–12 Education by Kristin Hargis and Margie McKenzie), some schools may not be ready to implement CCE across the school. The strategies below can be practiced even if you work at a small school with limited resources or are a concerned teacher with few like-­minded colleagues.

Over fifty years ago within science education, educators recognized the need to acknowledge a more humanistic dimension. The emphasis on science, technology, and the environment within the context of society (STSE) is the foundation of the incorporation of values such as stewardship in science education. Often when we think of CCE, it is the issues—such as human waste and plastics pollution or the role of renewable forms of energy in transportation—that are the most interesting yet the most difficult to teach.

One strategy within issue-­based STSE is the incorporation of role play in student-­directed collaborative discussion and debate. To support student learning, we used the following resource: In the spring of 2018, over five hundred people across Alberta were involved in fifty-­five discussion groups, called Narrative Workshops (Marshall et al.). In addition to a full report, the project produced various summaries reflecting the positions and values of the participating stakeholders—from business leaders to environmentalists, oil sands workers to new Canadians (6–11).

For a role-­play activity in the classroom, students were assigned a role and started with these summaries to kickstart their research. They worked in expert groups to develop their familiarity with the position, sharing research and practicing their responses. Then they were ready to join mock discussion groups where they would play the role of the stakeholder they researched. Students could work in pairs if they wanted additional social support, with both representing their role in the discussion. The mock discussion groups then proceeded through a series of questions similar to the Narrative Workshops. At the end of the role play, students debriefed back in their expert groups with those who shared the same role.

The role play was a lively and moving experience for students. The discussion (and at times debate) exposed students to the diverse range of perspectives. Many expressed that playing the roles opened their eyes to another view in a way that a traditional lecture or even discussion wouldn’t.

They were able to see the person behind the position, the person with a face and a story.

In your own context or region, I encourage you to look at the key issues around climate change, such as plastics pollution, waste diversion, loss of natural habitats, alternative energies, drought-­and fire-­resistance, and disaster risk reduction. Find those who have facilitated similar conversations and discussions. Ask for resources to learn more about the values, beliefs, and especially stories that help students to learn about the people embedded in these contexts. Build students’ self-­confidence and raise their awareness of social responsibility and action.

In addition to issue-­based STSE, a focus on the history of science-­based STSE develops the personal and social context to science, technology, and the environment. When we consider the human dimensions of science, and specifically climate science in different time periods, students not only learn about the development of scientific concepts—such as global warming and 16

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the rise of CO2 production in the nineteenth century or plate tectonics, geological change, and species adaptation and evolution—but they learn how science was done, the people involved, and the impact of those people’s values on their work. Through historical narrative, students enter into science with creativity, imagination, and motivation. They are invited to present a vignette with a historical figure or engage with a meaningful narrative, whereby they can experience both the principal and peripheral concepts within their social context. When supported by clear and accurate research about the discoveries, challenges, and personalities, history of science can come alive for students and be rich, meaningful, and engaging. Some students find role models and mentors among the historical ensemble.

History of science can be a means to provide students with a diverse representation and amplify a more realistic understanding of the breadth of what a climate scientist is. Whether it’s atmospheric CO2 and Eunice Foote or average planetary temperatures and Jean Baptiste Fourier, the cycles of ice ages and Milutin Milanković or climate models and Syukuro Manabe, the history of climate change introduces students to a complex, diverse, and ever-­growing field that requires a wide array of approaches. In the face of such complexity, many students can easily become overwhelmed by the need and the task. The historical narratives of climate change, however, bear witness to the long-­standing and on-­going work of creation care across the ages and from cultures and peoples worldwide.

The approaches we have considered have explored and embodied narratives from the present (role play) and the past (historical narrative). In climate change, the significance of the future looms large, whether we are discussing 1.5°C temperature change or tipping points. What we call futures literacy “[uses] collective intelligence to think about the future in innovative ways” (UNESCO, Futures 4). This work provides tools to shape student learning through activities, such as a futures wheel (a method for visualizing consequences of present actions) or literacy journaling or science fiction writing.

One of the fundamental features of futures literacy is the identification of what are called the four P’s: possible, plausible, probable, and preferable.

As students clarify their perspectives on the future, they are empowered to imagine, explore, interrogate, and challenge each of these representations (den Heyer 9). The visions of the future are textured with dimensions that reflect meaningful futures in each of these P’s. The relationship of possible, plausible, and probable are like concentric circles, moving from what could be (possible) to what is likely (plausible) to what is most likely (probable). The preferable adds the element of volition and personal interest. Based on all the evidence—science, society, technology, and environment—students consider not just what is possible or even plausible but what is probable. Before that future, they are encouraged to entertain and imagine the preferable future. It can be a helpful strategy to apply these P’s to a futures wheel in order to identify change, consequences, implications, and actions.

If the work in the present and the past need the guidance and strength of the Holy Spirit, this future work is both a deeply spiritual and deeply creaturely act. We invite God to speak. As students have listened and honored the voices of those in the present and past, they now make space in their classrooms and schools to consider the future. With the tools of Christian Educators Journal

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Through historical narrative, students enter into science with creativity, imagination, and motivation.

Based on all the evidence—science, society, technology, and environment—students consider not just what is possible or even plausible but what is probable.

With the tools of science, technology, society, and the environment, students ask what needs to be learned: what do we need to know, to be, to

science, technology, society, and the environment, students ask what needs to be learned: what do we need to know, to be, to do, to live together, and to transform one’s self and society? There is much more work for teachers and students to do. As the IPCC reports have clearly stated, the window of time is open but the time to act is now.

This narrative approach to CCE recognizes the central role of story to guide our participatory cycle of observation, action, reflection, and celebration. As the Nature Conservancy reminds us in Let’s Talk Climate, talking to each other and listening to these stories is at the heart of CCE.

do, to live together, and

* * *

to transform one’s self and society?

Recalling our exercises at the start of this article, who were the people that came to mind? What are the stories that are woven into your own narrative? How have these shaped and impacted you? What are ways that you can tell your own story and hear those of students, colleagues, friends, family, and foes? Whose stories need to be shared and given respect, honor, and compassion?

Works Cited Aspen Institute. This Is Planet Ed. www.thisisplaneted.org/ (previously K12 Climate Action Plan).

Alberta Council for Environmental Education (ACEE). “Roadmap to Excellent Climate Change Education.” 2020, www.abcee.org/sites/default/ files/ACEE_Roadmaptoexcellent_climatechangeeducation.pdf.

Chopin, Nicola, Kristen Hargis, and Margie McKenzie. Building Climate-­ Ready Schools: Towards Identifying Good Practices in Climate Change Education. The Sustainability and Education Policy Network (SEPN). University of Saskatchewan, 2018.

Clark, William C., and Alicia G. Harley. “Sustainability Science: Toward a Synthesis.” Annual Review of Environment and Resources, vol. 45, 2020, pp. 331–86, doi.org/10.1146/annurev-­environ-­012420-­043621. den Heyer, Kent. “Doing Better Than Just Falling Forward: Linking Subject Matter with Explicit Futures Thinking.” One World in Dialogue, vol. 4, no. 1, 2017, pp. 5–10.

Emanuel, Kerry A. Climate Science, Risk and Solutions. Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), 2020, climateprimer.mit.edu/climate-­ science-­risk-­solutions.pdf. Accessed 10 Nov. 2022.

Gibb, Natalie. Getting Climate Ready: A Guide for Schools on Climate Action.

United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization [­U NESCO], 2016, unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000246740. Accessed on 10 Nov. 2022.

Hargis, Kristen, and Margie McKenzie. Responding to Climate Change Education: A Primer for K–12 Education. The Sustainability and Education Policy Network (SEPN), 2021, sepn.ca/wp-­content/​­uploads/2021/01/ SEPN-­CCEd-­Primer-­January-­11-­2021.pdf. Accessed 10 Nov. 2022.

Hayhoe, Katherine. “Global Weirding.” YouTube channel, www.youtube. com/channel/UCi6RkdaEqgRVKi3AzidF4ow. Accessed 10 Nov. 2022.

Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). Climate Change 2021: 18

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Summary for All. 2021, www.ipcc.ch/report/ar6/wg1/downloads/outreach/IPCC_AR6_WGI_SummaryForAll.pdf. Accessed 10 Nov. 2022.

Marshall, George, Amber Bennett, and Jamie Clarke. Communicating Climate Change and Energy in Alberta—Alberta Narratives Project. Climate Outreach, 2018, climateoutreach.org/reports/alberta-­narratives-­project-­ core-­narratives/. Accessed 10 Jan. 2022. Website includes videos, podcasts and summaries (as noted above).

NASA. Global Climate Change: Vital Signs of the Planet. NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Earth Science Communications Team, California Institute of Technology, 2022, last updated 16 Nov. 2022, climate. 38 .gov/. Accessed 20 Nov. 2022.

National Academies. Climate Change: Evidences and Causes, 2020, nap.­national​ academies.org/catalog/25733/climate-­change-­evidence-­and-­causes-­ update-­2020. Accessed 10 Nov. 2022.

The Nature Conservancy. Let’s Talk Climate: A How-­To Guide. 2018, www. nature.org/en-­us/what-­we-­do/our-­priorities/tackle​-­climate-­change/ climate-­change-­stories/can-­we-­talk-­climate/ for link to e-­book. Accessed 29 Nov. 2022.

United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

Learn for Our Planet: A Global Review of How Environmental Issues Are Integrated in Education, 2021. unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000377362.

Accessed 10 Nov. 2022.

United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNES­CO).

Futures Literacy: Anticipation in the 21st Century. Social and Human Sciences Sector, 2019, unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000372349. Accessed 10 Nov. 2022.

Wilkinson, Loren, ed. Stewards of the Earth: Christianity and Creation Care.

Lexham, 2022.

Wynes, Seth, and Kimberly A. Nicholas. “Climate Science Curricula in Canadian Secondary Schools Focus on Human Warming, Not Scientific Consensus, Impacts or Solutions.” PLoS ONE, vol. 14, no. 7, 2019, doi​ .org/10.1371/journal.pone.0218305. Accessed 10 Nov. 2022.

Andrew Kirk is Assistant Professor of Education at The King’s University (Edmonton, AB). His interest is in secondary science education as a trained chemist (BA, Harvard University; MSc, University of Alberta). He also has an MDiv (biblical languages) from Regent College (Vancouver, BC), and has taught in biblical studies at St. Joseph’s College, University of Alberta. His current research focuses on climate change education and sustainability, both in pre-­service teacher training and in secondary and post-­secondary schools.

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Self-­Care as Creation Care IRENE KRAEGEL

W If we care about all of creation, we must care for ourselves. Self-­care is part of creation care.

You can help students include themselves in the narrative of creation care so they can learn to honor their own bodies and minds in the way that God calls us to honor all that he has made.

hen God made the world, he crafted light, seas, land, vegetation, sun, moon, stars, and animals (Genesis 1). He also crafted humans, blending us into the environment of this carefully balanced, “very good” natural world. This means that we are part of creation, and if we care about all of creation, we must care for ourselves. Self-­care is part of creation care.

Caring for ourselves does not always come easily. As infants and young children, we are quick to let our physical and emotional needs be known, but it gets harder as we grow older. Our responsibility to care for the physical and emotional needs of those around us increases, and we become more cognizant of the moral restraints that keep us from being driven mindlessly by our appetites. Unfortunately, in the midst of this maturing process, we often lose touch with the innate self-­monitoring mechanisms that God created to help us know when we are hungry, tired, or sad. We forget to practice the adjustments that support our well-being. In the same way that we fail to notice the impact of our thoughtless actions on our planet’s well-being (pollution, resource depletion, and climate change), we also stop noticing the impact of our thoughtless actions on our personal well-being (exhaustion, relational strain, and neglect of physical health).

Educators (along with parents and other adults) have a unique opportunity to teach children how to stay in touch with their divinely created mechanisms for self-­monitoring and self-­care. Our words and examples contribute to each student’s ability to see themselves as a beautiful creation of God, worthy of care. As you teach about the importance of caring for our shared environmental landscape of plants, water, air, and animals, you can help students include themselves in the narrative of creation care so they can learn to honor their own bodies and minds in the way that God calls us to honor all that he has made. Here are some ideas about where to start.

Paying Attention Good assessment (whether formal or informal) forms the foundation of any effective intervention, and so it is with self-­care. Students will only be successful in caring for themselves if they notice when and how they need care. Fortunately, God provides a plethora of messages through our bodies, thoughts, and emotions that provide this type of information, and we can use that data to make adjustments if we notice the messages. Noticing, however, can be surprisingly challenging.

Students can practice noticing their experience through guided mindfulness exercises in the classroom, during which they are invited to get quiet 22

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and pay curious attention to their present-­moment experience. Mindfulness exercises in the school context typically include noticing physical sensations (such as contact with surfaces, breathing, temperature, or smells), thoughts (such as memories, expectations for the future, and judgments), and emotions (such as excitement, sadness, anger, or fear). Within a Christian school context, mindfulness exercises can also include awareness of God’s presence moment to moment, a practice consistent with the spiritual discipline of centering prayer. Many free mindfulness guides are available online for educators to use in the classroom.

Another approach to self-­awareness in an educational context is to guide students in structured conversations or written check-­ins about what they notice in their present-­moment experience, using the same categories of physical sensations, thoughts, and emotions described above. Scaling questions or visual aids often provide helpful frameworks for increasing awareness. For example, young children can be provided with a drawing of three empty thermometers that signify how they feel in their body, mind, and heart, with encouragement to color up to their level of wellness in each area. Older children can be provided with scaling questions, noting their sense of wellness in each area on a scale of one to ten. Then in pairs, small groups, or large class discussion, further exploration can occur to indicate what specific observations contributed to these assessments. Reflecting back to students (without interpretation or analysis) supports them in non-­ judgmental observation that sets the stage for working skillfully with any difficult experiences.

Describing these awareness-­building exercises as part of creation care provides a framework for students to value self-­care while also strengthening their sense of belonging with the rest of creation. They can learn that just as we honor other parts of God’s “very good” creation with attentiveness and wonder, we can also honor ourselves with that same type of attention.

Caring for creation means pausing to pay attention with awe to created things like mountains, oceans, forests, and also ourselves.

Nurturing Our Bodies It is commonly observed by mental health professionals that many emotional challenges among high school and college students could be significantly reduced through the practice of healthier sleeping and eating habits.

Unfortunately, by the time adolescence rolls around, many students are out of touch with the body-­brain connection. This is a lost opportunity for creation care.

Creation requires upkeep and nurturing, with God’s creative design inviting ongoing human partnership, and our own bodies are no exception.

We can teach students to notice the impact of their behaviors on the environment, including on themselves. In age appropriate ways, this can include basic education and student-­led research about the role of sleep hygiene (such as conditions for good sleep, consistent bedtimes, and duration of sleep), intentional eating (such as fueling throughout the day, incorporating unprocessed foods, and celebrating a variety of flavors), and movement (such as exercising for pleasure, releasing tension through stretching, and participating in sports) in human flourishing.

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Mindfulness exercises can also include awareness of God’s presence moment to moment, a practice consistent with the spiritual discipline of centering prayer.

They can learn that just as we honor other parts of God’s “very good” creation with attentiveness and wonder, we can also honor ourselves with that same type of attention.

Caring for our bodies may seem obvious, as we hear from the apostle Paul: “No one ever hated their own body, but they feed and care for their body, just as Christ does the church—for we are members of his body” (Eph. 5:29–30). Our natural instinct is to care for our bodies (as Christ does the church)—to feed and care for ourselves. But losing touch with this natural instinct is not uncommon in a modern world that seems increasingly cerebral and critical of our bodies’ natural features and needs. Poor body image and poor self-­regulation are both rampant in an age of smartphone saturation, as we are all bombarded by a stream of idealized human images and demands for our attention. Our children need training in getting out of their heads so they can care for their own physical needs and celebrate their bodies as created by God. These patterns set them up for effective self-­care moving forward into adulthood.

Practicing Self-­Compassion

But receiving compassion turns out to be challenging, and this makes self-­compassion one of the more difficult aspects of self-­care as creation care.

When we teach students to care for the environment, we hope that they increase their level of compassion for the world that God has made. They can learn to notice the suffering of our planet under the strain of human carelessness, and they can learn to respond with kindness and care.

Compassion is a deeply Christian concept, woven into the very fabric of the gospel. Because of God’s compassion, he chose to pay the price of our sins so we don’t have to. We no longer need to prove our worth or earn our acceptance. We do not need to wonder if we are good enough or loved enough. Abundant grace has been offered, and we only need to accept that gift of compassion.

But receiving compassion turns out to be challenging, and this makes self-­compassion one of the more difficult aspects of self-­care as creation care. With the richness of Christian messages about loving God and others, the messages of loving ourselves and receiving God’s unconditional grace are sometimes too countercultural to be heard. We forget that we are part of God’s “very good” creation in need of compassion and care, just like the rest of the plant and animal world and just like the rest of the human race. Legalistic perfectionism and self-­condemnation come much more naturally.

To work self-­compassion into the lessons of creation care, we can support students in decreasing false dichotomies about caring for self or for others. Jesus set this framework up clearly when he said, “Love your neighbor as yourself ” (Mark 12:31). As we care for our “neighbors” in the plant, animal, and human world around us through healthy environmental practices, we must also care for ourselves as part of that landscape—they go hand in hand. A helpful image can be expanding the circle of compassion that we have for others to include ourselves. We practice noticing suffering in both ourselves and others and then responding with compassion.

In addition to explicitly teaching this important cognitive framework, students can be guided in the practice of self-­compassion in the midst of their own challenging circumstances, first noticing what is difficult for them (“Ouch, this hurts”) and then responding to themselves with kindness (“It’s okay to be having a hard time”). During relational conflict, they can be encouraged to validate for themselves the challenges of learning to get along with others. During academic struggles, they can be encouraged to provide 24

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themselves with encouraging words as they would a friend. During physical or emotional pain, they can be supported in active soothing of themselves.

When students are taught through word and deed how to practice self-­ compassion, they are being guided closer to the grace-­filled heart of God and increasing their capacity to sustain compassionate care of the rest of God’s “very good” creation.

Restoring Relationships Environmental restoration is ultimately relational restoration. Much of the human relationship with the natural world has become toxic—we are prone to ignore and even abuse the plant and animal life around us, as well as human neighbors who are paying the price of our disregard for the health of our shared planet. We don’t stop to “see” the people, plants, and animals harmed by our behaviors, and this makes it less likely that we will care about our participation in the perpetuation of our planet’s suffering.

So restoring relationships is also part of creation care. Students can learn how to notice the impact of their words and behaviors on those with whom they share the planet’s resources, and they can also notice the interdependency among all humans that amplifies the urgency of caring for our shared environment. Practices of restoring relationships within the school context, using tools such as deep listening, empathy building, restorative justice, and forgiveness, all strengthen students’ abilities to notice the health of their relationships and respond skillfully to any relational breakdowns. Healing personal relationships is creation care in and of itself (since it involves caring for ourselves communally), but it also sets the stage for students to care about creation on a broader scale.

God asks us to care about others as he does, and students can be taught to do that. Starting with seeing others’ pain—noticing when the plant, animal, and human world is suffering—allows students to then identify their role in that suffering and to work on relational restoration with all of creation. This is an invitation for students and all of us to participate in the “ministry of reconciliation” to which we are called in 2 Corinthians 5:18.

Conclusion Learning self-­care is part of learning creation care because we are part of creation. The pressures of the world push us toward disregard for the needs of ourselves, our neighbors, and our environment. God invites us to participate in caring for his world, including ourselves, because he loves the world that he has created.

Introducing self-­care as part of school curriculum gives teachers and students the opportunity to learn about the environment in a holistic way.

By paying attention to individual self-­monitoring systems, nurturing their bodies, practicing self-­compassion, and cultivating relational restoration, students are both caring for themselves as part of the natural world while strengthening their ability to care compassionately for the world around them. Self-­care is part of creation care.

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Students can learn how to notice the impact of their words and behaviors on those with whom they share the planet’s resources, and they can also notice the interdependency among all humans that amplifies the urgency of caring for our shared environment.

Irene Kraegel, PsyD, is Director of the Center for Counseling and Wellness at Calvin University. She writes and speaks about the integration of mindfulness and Christian faith (www.TheMindfulChristian.com) from her home in Grand Rapids, MI, where she lives with her husband and son.

The Environment of Here and Now: Place-­Based Eco-­Stewardship for Young Learners NICOLE FLETCHER

T

he first marker on any map is not the discovery of where you’d like to go but where you are. Our particular context is key in the pursuit of environmental stewardship to the glory of God. A rural classroom facing a clean water crisis will have different priorities than that of an urban classroom aiming to make healthy, garden-­grown food accessible to students.

Identifying your own where includes the cultural and seasonal landscapes, as well as the physical parameters. Kozak and Elliot note that “learning locally emphasizes what is close to the school for the very young and extends beyond as students develop” (13). It is also about identifying where you are in terms of your own relationship to the land you are about to teach in partnership with. No lesson plan or methodology can produce a harvest without first being planted in native soil. Young developing brains do not yet have abstract thinking, meaning that accessible proximity to local, place-­based systems and relationships must be central to any learning strategy. Land stewardship is something we grow into, much like spiritual maturity. Disciples come to understand that the true concept of knowing is not intellectual but a practiced, immersive experience over time. I might know about God’s grace, but I come to experience it when I am desperate to receive it. I might know about the life cycle of a seed, but I come to experience it as I impatiently wait and tend to my tomato plant before finally tasting its fruit. I might know that it is God’s good plan for us to be in relationship to the land, but I experience it on the forest floor when my mind clears and my body relaxes.

As a researcher, classroom teacher, and mom of three, I have found that environmental stewardship in the early years of education is much like discipleship: honed in close contact to people and to the context that you find yourself in. The practices below act much like a trellis for the wild vine of the human learner. They are not innovative or extraordinary, but they do require intentionality, a posture of humility, and a willingness to wake up and into the world of God’s here and now.

The Practice of Origin and Belonging through Storytelling We are people hardwired for meaning through stories. As families, we tell the tales of where we have come from, and as followers of Jesus, we retell the stories that continue to form our identity as children of God. But what about the stories of the land we have been formed from and the plant life that precedes us? Building a classroom collection of nature origin stories, and using them as provocations to explore the world, is a wonderful place Christian Educators Journal

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No lesson plan or methodology can produce a harvest without first being planted in native soil.

I might know that it is God’s good plan for us to be in relationship to the land, but I experience it on the forest floor when my mind clears and my body relaxes.

Gather in a sharing circle and tell of your own growing relationship with the land, opening up space for students to share their most memorable nature experience or favorite tree.

to start. Finding an outdoor meeting place to read these stories will enhance the senses and increase student tolerance for the natural elements.

You may include Indigenous stories like “The Three Sisters” or the Mi’kmaq creation story. But as botany professor and member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation Robin Wall Kimmerer points out, “An immigrant culture must write its own new stories of relationship to place . . . tempered by the wisdom of those who were old on this land long before we came” (344). Gather in a sharing circle and tell of your own growing relationship with the land, opening up space for students to share their most memorable nature experience or favorite tree. These intimate exchanges remind us that we belong as much to the earth as we do to ourselves or our families. It also gives clarity of where you are beginning together as a learning community. Collecting natural artifacts from your school neighborhood might begin as a land survey, but it can become art material to make self-­ portraits. Allow students to learn the stories of the flora they have chosen to integrate into their artwork, and how they see their own stories intersect as a part of the created, natural world. Weaving scientific inquiry with songs and art gives meaning and accessibility to complex concepts. Kimmerer writes, The very facts of the world are a poem. Light is turned into sugar. . . . The saliva of grazing buffalo causes the grass to grow taller. . . . Microbes in industrial waste can destroy mercury. Aren’t these stories we should all know? . . . Yet scientists mostly convey these stories in a language that excludes readers. (345)

The power and wonder of story is not only that it is a window through which to see yourself and the world around you, but that it is a captivating way to remember and retell those truths over and over again—perhaps even to pass them on to a willing listener.

The Practice of Observation and Gratitude through Nature Journaling Giving each student a sketchbook or lined journal as a form of ongoing assessment gives you a window into what is important, how each child sees the world, and what

Giving each student a sketchbook or lined journal as a form of ongoing assessment gives you a window into what is important, how each child sees the world, and what questions and misconceptions they may have about the nature being studied. It also provides a form to practice the necessary observation skills to cultivate gratitude for even the smallest living things.

Naturalist, educator, and artist John Muir Laws encourages teachers and students alike to begin this lifelong method whether or not they consider themselves to be an artist:

questions and miscon-

There are ways of unlocking the mysteries around us by heightening observations, intensifying our curiosity, and giving ourselves a place to make meaning out of everything that we see. . . . A nature journal is where we take all the observations, the questions, the connections, and the explanation we make for everything that we see around us, and we take it out of our head and get it onto a piece of paper using words, pictures, and numbers.

(Laws 0:00:32)

ceptions they may have about the nature being studied.

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For younger students, you can begin with bringing outside elements into the classroom to build the components of drawing, labeling, and questioning in a more controlled environment. Once the expectations are clearly understood, those journalling skills can be transferred to outdoor spaces.

After students have spent time in their local landscape writing and sketching something that has caught their interest (for a length of time that is developmentally appropriate for that age group), you can create a reflective place within the classroom to share those findings, adding to the overall class knowledge. The integration of art, language, and even math is natural for early learners. And nature journals can become something to reference throughout the year, allowing each student to assess how deep their skills and understanding have become. Once the rhythm of nature journaling is embedded into the learning experience, gratitude for small things—the texture of tree bark, the weaving pattern of a bird’s nest, or the delicate petals of wild asters—will begin to blossom. After a spring walk through the neighborhood sketching pollinators, a grade 1 student discovered with joy that some bees were fuzzy and others were not. Another group of students who had focused on capturing the exact shape and measurements of animal footprints in the snow outside their classroom became curious to go home and find out which animals graced their own backyard. Beyond developing the skills to slow down, observe, and document findings with ever-­ increasing detail and variety, students get immersed in creation itself, which is one of our greatest teachers of gratitude. You might find yourself Christian Educators Journal

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Once the rhythm of nature journaling is embedded into the learning experience, gratitude for small things—the texture of tree bark, the weaving pattern of a bird’s nest, or the delicate petals of wild asters—will begin to blossom

beginning each nature encounter by introducing yourself to the natural world, but eventually you’ll end up returning to a special place, memory, or journaled page “cherishing the relationship . . . with many thank yous” (Kimmerer 185).

The Practice of Stewardship through Relationship

Being concerned with the state of our ever-­ deteriorating natural world is a noble thing, but duty will never propel us into life-­long action the way that love does.

“For Christ’s love compels us” (2 Cor. 5:14), says the apostle Paul, pointing to a truth that many of us tend to minimize when trying to teach environmental education. Being concerned with the state of our ever-­deteriorating natural world is a noble thing, but duty will never propel us into life-­long action the way that love does. Without opportunities to experience and practice appreciation and care, the conviction required for true stewardship will never emerge. Who will want to save that which they do not love? A weekly walk around the neighborhood—even in urban environments—will reveal worms emerging after the rain and squirrels hiding acorns in the fall. These encounters are gifts to be opened. One group of students, after visiting the snails that continued to cross the sidewalk from the local park, became especially concerned about them being crushed by pedestrians and bikes. They decided to become the “snail-­saving squad,” moving the tiny creatures into the green space across the street. They celebrated with each life spared and grieved when crushed shells were discovered along the way. Another classroom explored the plant life surrounding their school and discovered that milkweed was not only native to their area but an essential food for monarch butterflies. Out of concern for the well-­being of their new insect friends, the students collected milkweed seeds in the fall and planted them in the spring, eagerly awaiting an increase in the butterfly population.

If bringing live creatures into your classroom or growing plants from seed seems too ambitious, begin by getting to know just one tree. It could be in the park nearby, directly outside your classroom, or in the common courtyard. Whatever and wherever it is, allow it to invite you into a shared, sacred place to get to know one another. Do you know the name of your tree? How is it the same or different from neighboring trees? How is it the same or different from you? What does your tree provide for you, the neighborhood, and other living things within it? If you could speak to one another, what would you want to say? This is a wonderful opportunity to integrate both nature journaling and storytelling. Return to your tree each day during the week and notice how it has changed over the seasons. How have you? A posture of inquiry, when watered, tended, and pruned, can grow into action. Tree planting, garbage collecting, and becoming involved with a local wildlife conservation project are wonderful ways to teach our hands what our hearts are 30

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learning. But so is returning a pillbug to the wet ground with care instead of stepping on it. We cannot forget that this relationship is not one sided.

Chief Marilyn Slett of the Coastal First Nations reminds us, “Our leaders understand that our well-­being is connected to the well-­being of our lands and waters. . . . If we use our knowledge and our wisdom to look after them, they will look after us into the future” (Wohlleben 234).

The temptation of fear and ego is to believe we must do everything, everywhere, but the biblical strategy from Genesis to the church-­specific letters of Revelation teaches us that our particular here and now is exactly where God is found and where he intends for us to bring his kingdom on earth. This should be a great relief to all of us—especially, perhaps, for teachers confined to 750 square feet of classroom and a neighborhood walking radius set by the slowest kindergarten student. “Even the smallest actions for creation care have implications for the larger web that makes up our larger home,” writes Kostamo (7). We are called to plant mustard seeds, believing that they will grow up to take over an ecosystem, providing food, air, and shelter for every nearby inhabitant.

So where do you find yourself? That is exactly where to begin.

Works Cited Elliot, Susan, and Stan Kozak. Connecting the Dots: Key Strategies that Transform Learning. Forest Stewardship Council, 2014.

Kimmerer, Robin. Braiding Sweetgrass. Milkweed Editions, 2013.

Kostamo, Leah. Planted. Cascade Books, 2013.

John Muir Laws. “The Nature Journal Connection.” YouTube, 28 Oct. 2020, youtu.be/0Fb65ZOjBDA. Wohlleben, Peter. The Hidden Life of Trees. Greystone Books, 2016.

Nicole Fletcher has an MA in Education and Child Study and is a member of the BEd faculty at Tyndale University in Toronto, Canada, teaching environmental education to teacher candidates. You can often find her exploring the Bruce Trail with her husband and three young children.

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If bringing live creatures into your classroom or growing plants from seed seems too ambitious, begin by getting to know just one tree.

A posture of inquiry, when watered, tended, and pruned, can grow into action.

The Litter Principal YVONNE HARVEY

The War on Litter

At the school I am the primary principal of, Heathdale Christian College in Victoria, ­Australia, I used to pick up at least six buckets of litter per day.

The commentary surrounding the war on litter continues to make headline news and impacts school curriculum. To grab people’s attention, education regarding litter contains many catchy slogans and sayings: “Get a grip on garbage,” “Leave it—it’s only a sweet wrapper . . . said one billion people,” “Plastic takes four hundred years to decay,” and so on. We also know, and are educating future generations, that if we do not respond to and rectify the damage we are creating on God’s planet, that we are facing some serious trouble ahead.

God gave us the land and everything on it. We are called to be good stewards of the earth, and yet despite all the education we do, does any of it make a difference? At the school I am the primary principal of, Heathdale Christian College in Victoria, Australia, I used to pick up at least six buckets of litter per day. However, something recently has changed the habits of my one thousand primary school children who had a propensity to throw rubbish on the ground.

Experiments to Combat Litter I am in my twenty-­fifth year in education, and the issue of litter has been a thorn in my side all along. Every day for years, I have watched children throw not just their wrappers on the ground, but their sandwiches, and even full hamburgers. The children say, “The birds will eat it,” or they believe the maintenance people will take it away. It seems to be a learned behavior, but from where? Believe me I have tried it all—rubbish-­f ree lunch boxes, clean-­up working-­bee days, a bin on every corner, having everyone pick up five pieces of litter when the bell rings, even litter picking as a punishment (back in the day). Nothing has worked—until now.

A Potential Solution As I watched the children play one day, I remembered the grabber and wondered: would this work with litter?

When I was a child, my grandfather had a grabber. I loved this gadget; I could use it to pick up anything and transport it without using my hands. It was fun and therapeutic. The grabber motion mesmerized me. As I watched the children play one day, I remembered the grabber and wondered: would this work with litter? So, I formulated a plan.

I bought a grabber (AU$10), a bucket (AU$5), and a new fluorescent vest 34

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(AU$5), all from a local hardware store, and I sequined “Mrs. Harvey” on the back of the vest for fun. Every lunch and recess for a term, I wandered the schoolyard with my grabber and bucket, quietly picking up litter. Every day I would have buckets full. Children started to come up to me and put their rubbish in my bucket. Then something happened: children asked if they could have a turn. But I would not let them. I would say, “No, you have to wait to get your own grabber, but if you really want one, I will get you one.”

They were desperate for the grabbers!

I would also put the rubbish in a bin liner and go into random classes and show them how much I had picked up after twenty-­five minutes. I asked if we could try to have less in the bag each day. The children were curious.

As I went around picking up the litter, I had the same mantra—“Oh the poor birds and animals, I do not want them to get hurt from all the litter. God wants us to look after his creatures.”

For every class for prep to grade six, I bought two buckets and two grabbers. I had two green fluorescent vests screen-­printed with “Keeping God’s creation clean” on the back. They were all labeled and distributed to the classrooms. I went to the assemblies and promoted the litter grabbing program and made it very clear to all teachers that picking up litter was not to be used as a punishment, but as something special and fun.

Success within a Term Within days the schoolyard was transformed—there were minions everywhere in little green vests grabbing litter. I saw them running after wrappers and papers blowing in the wind. Children were even upset when the yard was so clean there was no litter to pick up. At the time, we had Victoria’s education and training regulators (VRQA) visit the College for an audit, and even they commented several times on how clean we were. The secondary staff noticed, too—everyone was talking about it. How could something so simple work? Isn’t that always the way, though? It isn’t the elaborate plans that make a difference but the simplicities in life.

I asked the teachers to make a roster or pick sustainability captains. For children with disabilities or those who have trouble socializing, the grabbers worked like a charm. No longer did these children look lost in the yard.

They had purpose and were important doing God’s work. Children worked together, mainly in pairs. You may think this would work only for the little ones, but the grade sixes were also quite happy to play their part.

Within days the schoolyard was transformed— there were minions everywhere in little green vests grabbing litter.

You may think this would work only for the little ones, but the grade sixes were also quite happy to

A Setback

play their part.

At some point it stopped, and gradually the litter came back in. I got busy and didn’t make it out to the playground every lunch or recess. I started to miss doing my litter pick up because it had become therapy for me also. The actions of wandering and grabbing and being satisfied that the schoolyard was clean brought me happiness. I got to talk to the children and enjoy their company, too. So, I got back out there, and once again the children were happy to follow me and join in picking up the litter—they just wanted someone to do it with them and make it fun.

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Getting Back in the Game As the principal, do I manage to pick up litter every day? No. Do I at times think I should be doing something more important? Yes.

As the principal, do I manage to pick up litter every day? No. Do I at times think I should be doing something more important? Yes. However, isn’t that what leadership is about? Role modeling, teaching, inspiring, caring. Isn’t that what looking after God’s creation is about? Humans were placed in the garden of Eden to work it. That was our original job. Yes, someone else could do the garbage pickup, but what I get out of this small program is so great.

If at the end of the day the children think I spend my days as a principal picking up litter, I am okay with that.

Yvonne Harvey is the primary principal of Heathdale Christian College in Werribee, Victoria, Australia. She has taught for twenty-­five years in the United Kingdom and Australia in state, private, and Christian schools and remains convinced that education is where Jesus wants her to be.

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Exploring the Wonder and Delight of God’s Creation in the Christian Classroom ADAM RASMUSSEN

W

hen I was four years old, our preschool teacher took us outside the classroom to explore some wonders of nature at the Lekwa water trail in rural Iowa. The damp air was cold. Leaves had already fallen; the nearby forest of trees was bare. A recent rain made the dark Midwestern soil cling to the bottoms of my shoes.

Our guide gently assisted some children in traversing a fallen log. But my friends and I ran right past. We didn’t want her help—we were big enough to jump to the top of the log and not afraid to jump off all the way down to the bottom. That day we learned about coniferous trees, natural habitats for frogs and fish, and the effects of flooding on the riverbank.

Years later, I gave my heart to Jesus Christ at Riverside Bible Camp, less than ten miles from that preschool river hike. I am thankful my salvation story took place in that picturesque camp experience. Crickets serenaded us at night as we sang around the campfire. By day we rode horses, shot bows and arrows, canoed down the river, and swam in the summer sun.

I would return to that camp many more times while growing up. Thank you, Jesus, for such memories! Beginning at an early age and continuing throughout my entire life, others have taught me how to delight in God’s creation. Even though today I live near a major city, it has been a regular practice to spend at least one full week of the year in the great outdoors. It has been this way for decades. My theology demands it. A verse I absolutely love is Psalm 111:2—“Great are the works of the LORD; they are pondered by all who delight in them.”

The works of God are great, but many miss them. The church needs Christian educators to teach the next generation to see the great works of God. Of first importance, young learners should be taught the great works of salvation contained in the words of the Bible, such as the exodus of Israel out of Egypt and the establishment of the church by the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. In this edition of the Christian Educator’s Journal, we want to emphasize a second aspect of God’s works: his glory in creation. This is our heavenly Father’s world. Therefore, students should be taught the great works of God in his creation through the study of physics, astronomy, biology, history, and other disciplines.

We should take the time to study and think about all of God’s works. In addition, we should grow our appreciation and enjoyment of these works because filling our hearts with wonder and delight pleases our Creator and Redeemer. When that happens, the teaching and learning enterprise becomes a joy for all those involved. Cultivating enthusiasm for God in the Christian classroom will benefit our students tremendously.

Rachel Carson was a marine biologist and writer who encouraged the Christian Educators Journal

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The works of God are great, but many miss them.

Students should be taught the great works of God in his creation through the study of physics, astronomy, biology, history, and other disciplines.

imaginations of young learners. Although she never had children of her own, Carson influenced many young minds to responsibly care for our planet. In 1965 she wrote an article that gave an account of her outdoor adventures with Roger, her three-­year-­old grandnephew.

If a child is to keep alive his inborn sense of wonder, he needs the companionship of at least one adult who can share it, rediscovering with him the joy, the excitement, and the mystery of the world we live in. (46)

Our entertainment age, bloated with trivial information and oozing with the ubiquitous sludge of digital images, has robbed the imaginations of children.

How can we teach students the wonders of creation and lead them to the God of creation?

When students engage in scientific applications that improve human flourishing, such as electricity and renewable energy, they are equipped to dream big for the future.

“One adult,” Carson urged. Just one adult is needed to keep alive their sense of wonder and delight. The need for adult guidance in our contemporary culture is probably far greater now than it was in Carson’s day. Our entertainment age, bloated with trivial information and oozing with the ubiquitous sludge of digital images, has robbed the imaginations of children. More than ever children need the wisdom of those who can cut through it all with the beauty of creation. And then, from that wonder of creation, children can be guided into the majesty of their Creator.

To grow this sense of wonder and delight in children will take an approach that goes beyond what Carson first offered. Raised by a Presbyterian minister and likely a Christian herself, Carson didn’t really teach from a Christian perspective, per se. She often spoke of the joy, the excitement, and the mystery of the world we live in. That is a good starting point but woefully inadequate to reach the standard given in Psalm 111:2, “Great are the works of the LORD; they are pondered by all who delight in them.” As Christian educators, we want to help those we lead to praise not the creation but the Creator.

How can we teach students the wonders of creation and lead them to the God of creation? An interdisciplinary approach teaches students to make important connections across the curriculum. Take biology, for example. In addition to the social and spiritual aspects of learners in our classrooms, we can explore the rich world of biology through nutrition, hygiene, exercise, and rest. We have learned from Irene Kregel in her article in this issue about self-­care as part of caring for God’s creation. Also in the realm of biology, James Vande Glinde has reported on the efforts of his school in Minnesota. There, students learned how to measure from local streams real biological data that they have reported to the county.

Abstract concepts from history often stick better in the memories of children when they connect those lessons with concrete learning activities.

In that vein, Nichole Fletcher in this issue has shown how to teach nature appreciation with hands-­on projects in the elementary classroom. Werribee Primary School in Australia also has an interesting initiative worth our consideration—Yvonne Harvey has explained how children at that school are keenly involved in litter collecting. Back in the classroom, Andrew Kirk has modeled an approach to reach high school students in school-­wide climate change education involving student leadership.

Caring for God’s world can also involve teaching students about astronomy and physics. When students engage in scientific applications that improve human flourishing, such as electricity and renewable energy, they are equipped to dream big for the future. As an example, South Christian High School in Grand Rapids, Michigan, has a new 660 kW solar array, and Jim Peterson has shared how the school uses the solar field as a teaching tool.

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As Christians we can, and we must, move from wonder at creation to the greater wonder found in our Creator. This is our heavenly Father’s world.

We need to grow in our understanding of his love for us. Then our deepening love for him will drive us to greater expressions of love and care for his creation. This will often lead to innovative solutions that come from Christians. This important concept is found in Francis Schaeffer’s Pollution and the Death of Man (1970): God’s calling to the Christian now, and to the Christian community in the area of nature (just as it is in the area of personal Christian living in true spirituality) is that we should exhibit a substantial healing here and now, between man and nature and nature and itself, as far as Christians can bring it to pass. (69)

Schaeffer’s book was an important corrective to the quasi-­spiritual and even pantheistic roots found in much of the modern ecological movement.

His book remains relevant today. He argues that we can only find true healing for our own lives by turning back to God. Applying these biblical principles is good for the individual Christians, the church, and the planet. This is the shalom, the harmony, we are all looking for. God should be the centerpiece of our thinking about the proper order of the world. Unfortunately, people often relegate God to the periphery.

Taking students into nature is ideal. I am mindful of places like the 900-­acre HoneyRock Center for Leadership Development in Three Lakes, Wisconsin. For over seventy years the Christian educators of Wheaton College have been raising up the next generation. They engage students with the wonder and delight of creation and the God of creation.

But most of the time, passion for God’s creation will need to be taught in the classroom. How can we inspire students there? What can we do to instill wonder and delight in our students? How can we, in the words of Rachel Carson, become the “one adult” to help students rekindle the joy, delight, and mystery of the things we teach? Teaching this way inside the confines of the walls of a building will often require two things. First, the passion of the teacher. And second, more time for students to process information.

So, begin with growing your passion for the topic at hand. Ask yourself, Do I understand how the concepts I am teaching relate to the glory of God in Christ? Am I filled with a sense of wonder and delight? If your answer is negative to either of those questions, you will probably not be passing on any passion to your students. Go back to Scripture. Find the first time what you are teaching appears in the Bible and trace its development through Scripture. Contemplate the intricacies of what you are studying.

Write down the relevance in our lives. Construct a prayer of praise to God for what you have discovered.

When you have cultivated your own heart, then you are equipped to prepare for the classroom. If you want to develop a sense of wonder and delight in your learners, you will need to allot more time for them to process the information. Here are three simple learning activities to help students experience wonder and delight in the lessons you teach.

Student-­led inquiry is one of the best ways to engage the heart of students. Encourage them to ask questions. Take your time to answer them Christian Educators Journal

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Applying these biblical principles is good for the individual Christians, the church, and the planet.

This is the shalom, the harmony, we are all looking for.

How can we, in the words of Rachel Carson, become the “one adult” to help students rekindle the joy, delight, and mystery of the things we teach?

Before you teach, carefully script three to six key questions to help students make their own connections with the concepts you are presenting.

fully. For more information on how to develop a learning environment that encourages student questions, refer to my article in the April 2021 issue of Christian Educators Journal (Rasmussen 23–26).

Socratic methods are a slightly different technique because they are generated not by the students, but by the instructor. Before you teach, carefully script three to six key questions to help students make their own connections with the concepts you are presenting. Decide beforehand when you will ask the questions. Be strategic in the unfolding of the lesson. Excellent questions will act like doors and windows to open possibilities to the mind.

Written summary statements tie it all together. One of my favorite wrap-­up activities is to assign students to write out in one sentence what they learned in class. I tell them that we will have 100 percent participation with everyone reading their statements out loud. Then we take the time to listen to everyone present their thoughts. A variation involves a written summary paragraph. You can have a few students read theirs out loud or collect the written paragraphs from students as they turn them in after class.

Let us be the “one adult” who encourages wonder and delight in our students. Let’s develop this sense of awe in our own lives as we teach the next generation to care for our heavenly Father’s world.

Works Cited Carson, Rachel. “Help Your Child to Wonder.” Woman’s Home Companion, July 1956, rachelcarsoncouncil.org/wp-­content/uploads/2019/08/whc_ rc_sow_web.pdf.

Rasmussen, Adam. “Francis Schaeffer’s Use of Questions Can Be Helpful to Christian Educators Today.” Christian Educators Journal, April 2021, pp. 23–26.

Schaeffer, Francis. Pollution and the Death of Man. Crossway Books, 1970.

Adam Rasmussen, PhD (Talbot School of Theology, Biola University) joyfully serves as Associate Professor of Humanities and the Director of the Core Liberal Arts Curriculum of Arizona Christian University.

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