Green Charter Schools: Simple Necessity or Superfluous Appendage?
by Kenny Luna, North Babylon, NY on 11.16.07
When I recently opened my inbox I saw that I’d received an invitation from the Green Charter Schools Network to get involved with what they’re doing and being the curious creature I am I took the opportunity to check them out.
Turns out there’s a growing movement of charter schools focused exclusively on educating kids by utilizing the environment as a tool to foster their knowledge of the world around them, and I certainly believe that’s a positive thing.
And while I certainly don't know whether or not you'll find an owl in one of them, the reality is that most children will never attend a charter school in their lifetime. Whatever the reasons, the bottom line is that our public school system is the one that we, as a public, inevitably own. And undoubtedly the future that we and the owls share is inextricably linked with the future of that system.
So I’d like to ask teachers, administrators, and school board members across America and around the globe to put these green charter schools out of business. To do that, we’ll need to successfully integrate the environment into the classroom on a daily basis. Something we should be doing already, and that should have been done a long, long time ago.
I’m willing to grant you that there’s a time and a place for charter schools… But if we expect to reach a sustainable future without making every school a green one then there’s a whole lot of pain that we and our children are going to endure on the road to a different belief system.
So here’s to watching successful green charter schools go out of business in my lifetime.
via:: private email
interesting.
good use of a Dylan word.
The suffering is unending
Every nook and cranny has it's tears
I'm not playing, I'm not pretending
I'm not nursing any superfluous fears
http://www.bobdylan.com/moderntimes/songs/ainttalkin.html
It seems to me that you are missing part of the point of the charter schools.
EVERY school should learn about the environment, and about their impact on the environment. Every school schould work to make their building and community more environmentally friendly.
However the idea behind what happens in charter schools is that ALL other learning is done in the context of that particular subject.
While most kids enjoy learning about nature and including it in their daily lives some kids learn better in a context that is focused on hands on activities. Some learn better in a context that is focused on music or art. Some are better at interacting with others, and struggle with scientific subjects. Others are completely drawn to the environment, and feel comfortable that way.
To give an analaogy saying that we shouldn't have green charter schools because every school should been green is like saying that the only jobs people should have are jobs that solely focus on protecting the environment.
WHile everyone should consider the environment in their work it's not like people should stop being artists, writers, psychologists, teachers, lawyers, doctors etc. and become environmental workers.
WHy get rid of green charter schools because you are trying to make other schools green? If it works to help a group of kids learn better, that is the point of the charter school.
It's not superfluous, it's allowing inidividuals with a stronger interest to pursue it.
To use another example. math and science are taught in every school, but we stil ahve math science charter schools for those who have a stronger focus to choose those. Giving children more opportunities to focus on their intersts creates more active students. whatever the subject.