“MAKING LEARNING AUTHENTIC, MAKING OUR LEARNING GO OUT THE DOOR OF THE CLASSROOM, HAS ALWAYS BEEN A GOAL OF MINE... GETTING KIDS INVOLVED IN SOLVING REAL-LIFE PROBLEMS INSPIRES THEM TO BE DIFFERENCE MAKERS AND TO SEE THEMSELVES AS PROBLEM SOLVERS.”
are starting a business, such as an overnight camp-out, selling home-baked dog treats for the SPCA, running an art competition and show or learning about social justice issues in our community, getting kids involved in solving real-life problems inspires them to be difference makers and to see themselves as problem solvers. With COVID and all the precautions
we are taking, many things look different this year. Even our recycling-committed Green Team can no longer do their work. We have managed to keep up with our re- cycling efforts through classroom leaders, but things are not the same. Our Terracycle program has taken a hit as well. Household waste products can no longer come into the school. A stream of plastic lids from a Water Depot collected by a teacher at the school is keeping the program alive, but we are not collecting at the rate we did before the pan- demic. Clubs are no longer meeting and that
16 ETFO VOICE | SPRING 2021
has put a pause on the organizing and ac- tions of The Future. But restrictions placed on schools due to COVID-19 need not ham- per student-led climate action. There are many ways students, in face-to-face learning or in online classrooms, can take action and have their voices heard.
If you are ready to level up your Green Team or are looking for ways students in your classroom and school can be more involved, here are a few ideas:
1. Connect with local agencies such as conservation authorities, waste management officials, local climate groups, community garden organizations, local Indigenous orga- nizations…there are lots of options.
2. Invite a scientist or researcher to a virtual meeting. Bird Studies Canada does tremen- dous research and tracking of migrating birds using GPS trackers. Book a virtual meeting with one of their researchers.
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