When Inquiry & Collaboration Take On Earth Justice in Classrooms

with Erica Krug, Dan Walkner, and Susan Freiss

A small, intimate session with local teachers and elementary students.  Daniel Walker, a high school teacher at Madison East, and Erica Krug, an elementary school teacher at Lake View Elementary, discussed how their classes collaborated to organize a community drive to ban plastic bags.

Daniel's mass media class worked on public service announcement posters and videos to advertise the public showing of "Bag It", an award winning documentary, at a local theatre.  The film shows one man’s struggles with his, and society’s, overwhelming reliance on plastic even though it is nearly impossible to degrade and is considered to be a toxic waste.

Erica's 3rd grade class developed a passionate interest in the health of our water and oceans after reading "Life in the Ocean: The Story of Oceanographer Sylvia Earle" by C. Nivola.  They expressed their passions by writing and publishing a book of poetry entitled "A New Thought on Blue: An Ocean Poem Anthology".  The book is available to purchase online.  All proceeds go to Mission Blue, an ocean community hub that seeks to make good on Sylvia Earle's wish by elevating public awareness about critical ocean issues and inspiring support for organizations, projects and scientific expeditions that make a positive difference for the ocean.

Two students from Erica's class came to the session to share their experience with the project.  Below is a video in which they read their poetry from the book.  Their presence was heartwarming and uplifting.

The session unfolded into an interesting discussion on how to discuss serious environmental issues with children.  Susan Freiss offered her insights.  Susan co-developed a four/fifth grade multiage program called The Learning Place, in which students are engaged in reading and writing and conversing about literature on the themes of peace and justice.  Susan suggested being quiet, listening to children's concerns, and resisting the urge to tidy it up for the children.  "Children are naturally concrete thinkers and have naturally deep feelings," said Susan.  Allow the children to lead discussion, and end the discussion when children are ready to go play.

The session was an enriching discussion for anyone who is interested in bringing earth justice to classrooms in their communities.