Lab’s education should focus on climate change

A whale washed ashore with 88 pounds of plastic in its stomach in March while record flooding plagued the Midwest. Wildfires burned in California, destroying 1.8 million acres and killing 85 people last year. What were previously considered “hundred-year events” are now occurring nearly every year. These extreme events demand extreme responses.

Since the effects of global climate change will be the greatest challenge for our generation, every Lab graduate should be aware of its consequences and understand the impact of their own actions.

Lab has historically been a place of innovation and creativity that prepares its graduates to tackle issues they will face in the future. Education needs to prepare students for the future — and the future is all about climate. Climate change and the health of our planet is the most pressing issue that Lab graduates will have to deal with, and as such, it deserves more attention in our curriculum across all departments. If our planet becomes uninhabitable, nothing else matters.

Teachers across the schools have begun to focus some of their courses on climate change, but we need to ensure that every student understands climate change, not just those in select classes. For example, 7th graders in their earth science classes read the the Fourth National Climate Assessment released Nov. 23 and created podcasts to discuss their interpretations while Diane Jackson’s French 4A class created and delivered presentations to 6th graders.

These efforts are a step in the right direction, yet most students graduate from Lab without receiving any consistent education on climate change. At a community-wide strategic planning retreat in January, middle school earth science teacher Tony Del Campo and I made the case for adding climate change education to the Laboratory Schools’ mission statement. By amending the mission statement, our stated promise to students, we show climate education is a top priority as we create environmental stewards and global citizens.

Additionally, we should add a graduation requirement. Like the service-learning requirement, students would be required to take a course that discusses climate change. These courses could be offered in all departments, not just science, and would dive into primary sources, allowing students to refine critical reading skills while also learning about a topic of increasing consequence.

Moreover, pushing for climate education could unite our school behind a single topic. We need something to unite teachers, administrators, students and families. We need to pick a destination and focus our energy on making sure we do everything in our power to get there, and climate change is the perfect target. If we act now, we can help ensure today’s lower school student grow up to be responsible environmental stewards who can finally solve the problems created by generations of neglect.