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
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. Subscriptions Klaas Wolterstorff 2474 Westboro Dr NE Grand Rapids, MI 49506 business@cejonline.com Subscription Price (US dollars) US: $25.00 (one year, print) Canada: $30.00 (one year, print) Digital: $25.00 (one year) Beginning September 2021, all subscriptions outside the US and Canada are digital only. Please visit www.cejonline for subscription information. US Postal Information Nonprofit Organization Postage paid in Grand Rapids, MI Permit No. 657 Return postage guaranteed to: Christian Educators Journal 2474 Westboro Dr NE Grand Rapids, MI 49506 Address Correction Requested Canadian Postal Information Registered under Publications Mail Agreement: No. 40022165 at Norwich, ON Return postage guaranteed to: Christian Educators Journal PO Box 39 Norwich, ON N0J 1P0 Indexed in Christian Periodicals Index Copyrighted 2000 CEJ. All rights reserved. Christian Educators Journal (130630) is published quarterly by Christian Educators Journal Association. Scripture All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com
Statement of Purpose The Christian Educators Journal Association publishes the Journal as a channel of communication for all educators committed to the idea of Christian day school at the elementary, secondary, and college levels. The views expressed are those of the writers and not necessarily those of the association. Reprint Policy We allow free reprinting or photocopying of individual articles that have appeared in our journal, as long as the copied articles are used within the context of schooling and the source is acknowledged. 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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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?
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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).
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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. Christian Educators Journal
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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.
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
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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
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. Christian Educators Journal
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