Re: greening English in secondary schools?

[Jeri Pollock <jeri.pollock@canteiros.org>]

Clark,

I too was the "barbarian at the gates"  for many years when I taught at 
the secondary level, and lost more than one job because I refused to 
back down.  I would love to be able to tell you that the situation is 
changing, but if it is, it is via the same sort of semi-hidden agenda 
that I used  and that I'm sure you probably do too.

You are probably aware of NAAEE  (www.naaee.org),  k-12 environmental 
education organization in this country, but I'd be lying if I said that 
they were doing anything about making sure that eco-lit is being 
included in k-12 curricula. I belong to NAAEE because it's all there is 
at that level, but I'm anything but happy with a lot of their policies.  
Just take a look at this excerpt from a recent interview with the 
organization president:

"Brian Day, executive director of the North American Association for 
Environmental Education.....said his Washington-based association helps 
states develop scientifically legitimate green curricula, recognizing 
that climate change and its causes remain a politically touchy subject. 
He said they're careful not to endorse teaching methods or lesson plans 
that promote environmental activism or endorse a particular solution to 
ecological dilemmas. 'When environmental education becomes advocacy, it 
no longer is environmental education," he said. "The role of an educator 
is not to teach kids what to think but how to think.'" 
http://www.usatoday.com/news/education/2008-07-31-environmental-learning_N.htm 


jeri

I pledge allegiance to the earth
And all the life which it supports,
One planet in our care,
Irreplaceable,
With sustenance and respect for all.



Clark Meyer wrote:
> Thanks, I have those already and have definitely found them useful.  My interest right now is more specific to the teaching of English, however.  I recently picked up Glotfelty's Ecocriticism Reader, and I'm inspired by her call for change at the university level, her description of the birth of literary environmental studies (including the founding of ASLE).  Moreover, I know that this evolution has continued since she wrote the book in 1996.  But from my limited perspective it strikes me that the trickle-down to the secondary level has been minimal, that we have yet to really participate in this evolutionary process.  Or am I wrong . . . is there change afoot that I'm simply not aware of yet?
>
> Richard, your point is well taken about my not setting up false dichotomies . . . I did preface these sentiments with "In my darker moments."  I do understand the broad value of "literary education of the humanistic type."  But I've also been moved by David Orr's contention that "all education is environmental education" both by inclusion and exclusion.  In literature classes at the secondary level, we pretty well ignore the natural world and our relationship with it, and I'm not comfortable with the implicit environmental education our students receive through this exclusion.
>
> Clark Meyer
> English Department
> Head Coach, Varsity Girls Soccer
> The Westminster Schools
> 404-609-6257
> http://clarkbeast.wordpress.com/
>
>
>   
> > > > "Kim Leeder" <kimleeder@boisestate.edu> 9/9/2008 4:36 PM >>>
> > > >         
> Hi Clark,
>
> A place to start would be The Orion Society's books on nature literacy and
> the authors of those titles (some of whom I expect will also respond to
> you). Check out:
> http://www.orionsociety.org/pages/os/natureliteracy.cfm 
>
> Kim
>
> On Tue, Sep 9, 2008 at 1:36 PM, Clark Meyer <ClarkMeyer@westminster.net>wrote:
>
>   
> > Greetings, everyone!  I've been lurking on this list for a while now, and
> > I'm interested in knowing more about might be happening at the secondary
> > school level regarding the teaching of environmental literature.  ASLE's
> > focus seems to be higher education; is there anything resembling a
> > comparable network for interested educators in middle and high schools? Any
> > sort of movement afoot?
> >
> > From a recent blog post: "I have some questions to ask of my profession.
> >  In my darker moments, I wonder why I teach my students the distinction
> > between a tercet and a quatrain when they know nothing about tanagers and
> > cardinals.  Which kind of learning is more likely to help develop them into
> > the kind of adults that will make our planet a more livable place?  And the
> > narratives that might help us at this point in our history, why are they not
> > a part of the canon we typically share in school?  In the early years of
> > this new and uncertain century, what does it mean to be educated any more?
> >  Should young people be more familiar with Chaucer and Harper Lee than
> > Rachel Carson or Aldo Leopold?"
> >
> > I imagine that such sentiment is nearly cliche in this community, but it
> > has earned me "barbarian at the gates" status within my department, so I'm
> > looking both for guidance and strength in numbers.
> >
> > Clark Meyer
> > English Department
> > Head Coach, Varsity Girls Soccer
> > The Westminster Schools
> > 404-609-6257
> > http://clarkbeast.wordpress.com/ 
> >
> >
> >
> >     
>
>
>