An issue I have been passionate about for a long time has been the lack of environmental education in schools. While I was fortunate enough to be able to attend environmental education programs as a child, many children are not as fortunate. By integrating regular environmental programs in schools, all children can benefit.
As a tactile learner, it is extremely important for me to see and feel concepts demonstrated in the real world. From attending environmental education programs outside of school on the weekends and during the summer, I was able to understand many concepts I had struggled with in class. I also believe that getting kids outside encourages learning and focus outside as well as inside the classroom. Environmental education also promotes confidence and curiosity. I have seen countless children come out of their shells and grow over the span of the summer. By learning and understanding concepts, they teach others and want to explore more. Seeing their excitement to learn is what has really inspired me to want to become an environmental educator. I know that without environmental education, I myself would be less confident. Being able to understand and effectively teach these concepts have allowed me to be proud of myself and find things that stimulate my interests. Lastly, getting children outside and appreciating the environment also will fight against the stigma of “technology is cool and I never leave my house”. I had too many friends in high school that hated going outside and were afraid of the smallest insects. Most people I grew up with would rather play video games all weekend than go on hikes or scoop a pond. While video games aren’t bad, I think that it is important for children to have balance.
Perhaps most importantly, by educating children about environmental issues now, they will be able to more efficiently tackle them in the future. Right now we are struggling in our current administration to deal with these issues, as many officials simply do not understand that environmental issues are not political problems, they are human problems. If they could simply understand the science and what is at stake for the planet, these problems would not be as hotly debated.
I thought about pursuing other topics such as recycling and composting, as they are issues specifically on campus that I believe need more attention. The university, to my knowledge, has not been dealing with these issues as well as other universities. The lack of compost bins in dining halls, around campus, and in dorms is upsetting to me. However I knew that these issues would most likely be explored by my peers and are already being addressed by organizations on campus. I wanted to choose an issue that is less commonly explored.
I know that I will definitely need to interact with environmental educators as well as school teachers. I plan on emailing mentors and old bosses from my time at Audubon Greenwich, as many of them have been teaching and coordinating environmental education programs for many years. I would also like to reach out to professors at Ohio State and see if they have any connections It will be difficult for me to make a direct impact myself. I expect that I will have to collaborate with other program coordinators and professionals to be able to interact with any schools in Columbus. I know that this will be a challenge for me, but I hope to learn a lot and really push myself out of my comfort zone.
Sources:
I took the photo above this past summer while doing a river scoop with my campers at Audubon Greenwich.
http://epa.ohio.gov/oee/EnvironmentalEducation.aspx
https://www.neefusa.org/nature/water/benefits-environmental-education