The youth have such an amazing way of giving adults perspective. Recently, I have been volunteering and mentoring a diverse group of middle school students. During my time with them I have been impacted by many things, but one thing in particular has nestled itself into my head and my heart. While working in the […]
Since the Green Schools National Network was launched in 2010, I have attended each of the five national conferences, and this year’s gathering in Virginia Beach, Virginia demonstrated that the national movement for healthy, environmentally sustainable schools is making significant progress. Led by executive director Jenny Seydel, the mission of the GSNN is […]
Curricula are like tools: in the right hands magic happens, learning is made relevant, and learners are inspired. Deploying diverse instructional resources so students can build upon their own interests, life knowledge, and place in the world is especially important in serving 21st century learners. The task before us with the new science standards (NGSS) […]
It’s January. The holidays are over. A new year has begun. It’s the time when people who love the cold or snow are relishing winter while folks like myself are pining for the light and warmth of spring. It’s no coincidence the first month of the new year is named January. Janus was the Roman […]
My college roommate, a brilliant and utterly decent guy, became a top geologist for the petroleum industry. I became an environmental activist. We’re still friends. I’ll call him Rick. His job is to help clients make money by finding and figuring out how to extract new sources of oil and gas. He is very good […]
It’s that time of year. Thanksgiving is right around the corner, and hopefully you will be happily surrounded by family and friends, enjoying a delicious meal, participating in rich conversation and thinking about what you are most thankful for. As I prepare for one of my favorite holidays, I can’t help but give some thought to how […]
I spent the third week of October with my 6th grade students in the Santa Cruz Mountains, learning about poison oak and banana slugs, compost and food waste, gardening and invasive plant species, and how ecosystems change as one moves higher in elevation. We ate Redwood Sorrel (tastes like green apples), munched on Douglas Fir […]
In fall of 2013, California’s State Board of Education (SBE) adopted a slightly modified version of the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS)* intended to reinvent science education in the state. This adoption triggered a series of events that can lead California into the forefront of science education for the 21st Century. Released in early 2013 […]