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Editorial Issue 93, Summer 2011


General Editor Tim Grant


Editorial Assistant John Cooper


Editing Tim Grant, John Cooper, and Larry Beutler


Regional Editors Canada Gareth Thomson


Laurelei Primeau Bob Adamson Raissa Marks Craig White Steve Daniel Janet Barlow Ann Coffey


Barbara Hanbidge Remy Rodden


United States Karen Schedler Helen de la Maza Kary Schumpert Mary Lou Smith Phillip Smith Kim Bailey


Darius Kalvaitus Pat Sullivan Cathy Meyer


Shelene Codner


Laura Downey-Skochdopole Yvonne Meichtry Sandra Ryack-Bell Bob Coulter Bob Zuber Lois Nixon


Judy Hochadel Susie Shields


Catherine Stephenson Anne DiMonti Cynthia Carlisle Tim Brown Jen Cirillo


Dennis Yockers Board of Directors


Judith Benson (BC), Pat Clarke (BC), Cam Collyer (ON), Tim Grant (ON), Gail Littlejohn (ON), Monika Thoma-Petit (QC), Della Webster (NB)


Green Teacher is a nonprofit organization incorporated in Canada.


Design and Production


Cover illustration by James Paterson; cover design by Michael Kelley; printing by Annex Publishing and Printing, Simcoe, Ontario, on acid-free paper certified by the Forest Stewardship Council and the Rainforest Alliance.


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“The marvelous richness of human experience would lose something of rewarding joy if there were no limitations to overcome.” —Helen Keller


“If you find a path with no obstacles, it probably doesn’t lead anywhere.” —Frank A. Clark


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I


t goes without saying that in trying to accomplish what we as educa- tors hope to accomplish, we often face obstacles. Some are financial. Others are more logistical. Local politics and un-cooperative weather


can also be limiting factors. Finding ways to overcome these barriers drives innovation, which in turn makes it easier for others to surmount them. Overcoming obstacles might well be the underlying theme of this issue


of Green Teacher. In their article on night hikes, Brad Daniel and Clifford Knapp remind us that people fear the unknown and many find darkness to be threatening. This fear may well date back to primordial fears about being attacked by wild animals, a common occurrence in times past. To promote a sense of awe for the natural world, they describe how to organize nocturnal outings with the safety and comfort of participants in mind. Similarly, it is perhaps the fear of being stung that blinds us to the decline of native bees that Alison Stevens describes in her article. After examining the obstacles to a sustainable future embedded in the


Judeo-Christian narrative of Western culture and reinforced by the ideals of the Enlightenment, author John Gust’s grade 5 students went on to develop more hopeful narratives of how we humans could live more harmoniously within the natural world. By becoming aware of the mental traps in our way of thinking, they were motivated both to re-write history, and develop their own visions of what a sustainable community would look like. In our lead article, Elin Kelsey and Catherine O’Brien present a com-


pelling alternative to doom and gloom: a call to educate for sustainable happiness. To overcome barriers to real happiness created by modern consumerism, they invite students to explore what makes some people happier than others. This reflection helps young people consider the value of their social relationships, and the impact of their consumption patterns on the planet. Young people face many educational and political obstacles to devel-


oping an understanding of the impact of climate change on their futures. Janice McDonnell and co-authors describe how bringing high school students onto university campuses to learn from faculty experts, motivates them to create action plans for their school communities. Francisco Sóñora Luna describes another innovative solution to this problem: the remarkable Climántica project in Galicia, Spain, which engages large numbers of young people in climate change learning through online technologies. To overcome the pedagogical barriers to developing an empathic rela-


tionship with other species, Edith Couchman describes active outdoor games whose dilemmas and conflicts ultimately promote compassion for amphibians. She argues persuasively that such games are more effective than being preachy with young people. Ann Coffey has found a way to overcome the logistical barriers to


involving all the students in an elementary school in a large art project. In her article, she describes how to organize an artist-led creation of a large outdoor mural. We hope this issue of Green Teacher will equip you with some new


tools to overcome any obstacles you are facing in your current and future educational endeavours.


—Tim Grant Page 2 GREEN TEACHER 93


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