“It’s not just the climate outside that is changing—the climate in my classroom is too!” said one Florida teacher recently at one of CEE’s Bite of Science speaker sessions. He was referring to Florida Governor Rick Scott’s direction to state employees in the Department of Environmental Protection to avoid using the phrases “climate change” and “global warming” because use of the phrases indicated agreement with the theories behind them—a directive that has already had consequences for one employee.
Teachers at the dinner event were eager to discuss the governor’s decision with the speakers, one a marine science professor and one from a local biofuel company. “It’s creating a strange culture in science classrooms, when kids are seeing adults stifling discussion and devaluing scientific research,” another teacher commented. Both speakers agreed and added that the situation, and others like it around the country, highlights the need for strong, talented, committed STEM teachers who can navigate students through difficult and confusing issues.
Teachers’ frustrations included feeling anxiety about discussing climate change issues in the classroom for fear of “opening up a can of worms” and politicizing what should be simply a science lesson. “But I suppose there really is no ‘simple’ science lesson,” one teacher added; “everything we teach is complex and affects us all directly.”
Still, how to teach about hot-button concepts while avoiding extremes of “preaching” or “being overly politically correct” was a large concern for many of those Florida teachers. “How do we maintain our credibility as educators while at the same time never making anyone uncomfortable?” one teacher asked. “It’s kind of an impossible task.”
Similarly, at another recent Bite of Science event in Texas, conversation turned to restrictions on field trips due to logistical issues, costs, the need for more standardized test-prep time, administrators’ preference for limiting trips, and other obstacles. Teachers expressed the desire to show STEM students the breadth of opportunities that await them when they graduate, and to engage them in real-world applications of what they are learning about in class—but said often, they end up drowning in red tape whenever they try to take students out of the school building.
How do you, and other STEM teachers you know, navigate the minefields and red tape that so often seem to come with the territory of high schools? Teachers at our recent Texas session began brainstorming and decided to try to invite more speakers and guests INTO the classroom, rather than taking the students out—and our speakers were eager to visit or to recommend colleagues. (Our Lab Bench has wonderful videos you can also use if you can’t find a speaker you want locally!)
The Florida teachers encouraged each other to realize that “we’re all in this together” and that it’s important to keep discussion open and respectful in science classrooms, and not to “cave in” to a mindset of anxiety. “We have to model the way we want our students to engage with scientific issues—thoughtfully and studiously,” one teacher said. “Especially when they’re not seeing that kind of discourse from other adults around them.”
Do you have advice for fellow teachers about avoiding red tape and navigating complicated discussions, while keeping your academic goals intact? How do you remain motivated in the face of those challenges? We would love to hear your thoughts in the comments.