Outdoor Enthusiasm, Education and Protecting the Environment
Bridget wasn’t even sure she wanted to be a teacher. She knew she loved two things: outdoor exploration and interacting with kids. All of the teachers and scientists we've met at Shape of Life over the years, all share a passion for nature.
As a life-long resident of Michigan, Bridget earned her degree in Zoology from Michigan State University. “I definitely wasn’t sure what I was going to do with my degree.” Her love of the outdoors stood as the foundation for figuring it out. She was the Program Director at the Woldumar Nature Center where she was inspired to go back to school to earn her teaching degree. Bridget has been taking students outside to learn as a middle school science teacher ever since.
Teaching Science and Climate Change
“I introduce climate change early in the school year with a year-long tree study that focuses on phenology. Each of my eighth-grade students chooses a tree on our school property (we are blessed with a sizable woodlot behind the school). Students monitor their tree for color change and leaf loss in the fall, and bud burst, flowering and leafing in the spring,” explained Bridget.
Bridget’s students enjoy place-based lessons that give them real-world applications for community engagement and problem solving. “They appreciate anything hands-on but learn so much more when their schoolwork actually leads to some kind of meaningful action or is shared with an authentic audience.” Bridget never hears "why do we have to learn this?” She loves it when her students see for themselves why what they are learning is so important.
Angst Into Action
When Bridget’s students dig into her cross-curricular climate unit, her students are quite interested in the connections between climate impacts and how humans and other beings will be affected by them. “When we explore the history of climate change, they are alarmed to see how human activity can create so many problems and how we've had ample opportunities in the last century to change how we live on this planet. They are always relieved and ready to begin the climate action projects at the end of the year that allow them to turn that angst into action!” shared Bridget.
Challenge & Reward
Bridget’s greatest challenge is inserting meaningful climate change education into a rigid science curriculum that does not address it directly. “It’s tough making sure it connects to our 8th grade content standards”, said Bridget.
“However, now that I've created some cross-curricular connections for the other teachers on my team, I no longer feel like I have to cover EVERYTHING in science, as students are getting climate lessons in social studies, ELA, and math classes as well,” Bridget adds.
“When this collaborative effort culminates in climate action projects at the end of the year, it's incredibly rewarding to see students become leaders in our school community who are solving real problems and becoming agents of change” proudly states Bridget.
Until climate change becomes required science standard, it’s encouraging to see organizations like the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) become active in offering teacher resources and publicly stating their support for teaching climate science.
80 – 84% of parents want their kids to learn about climate science. 73% of teens want to learn more about climate change, and 53% want to know what they can personally do to act on it. When the federal government does not support this demand, we need to take matters into our own hands.
The Best Thing We Can Do? Talk about it!
And, when you need to engage with others, facts are not usually enough. Here’s what Katherine Hayhoe, climate scientist for the Nature Conservancy has to say.
At Shape of Life, we are committed to helping talented and resourceful teachers like Bridget Booth work around the obstacles of public education. You will continue to see more relevant climate science resources from us.
