Laura Oslik tells her students that they won’t know what they can accomplish if it isn’t tried.
TheGreencastle Antrim High SchoolScience teacher used that lesson to her advantage and was able to attend the 11ThWorld Environmental Education CongressIn March, with National Education Association Foundation funding to pay for her trip to Prague in Czech Republic.
According to the congress website the WEEC congresses are the best experience of connecting all stakeholders at the international level in environmental education.
Oslik was among educators, government officials and representatives of international businesses March 14-18 in Prague. Zeke Flores, a G.AHS science teacher, was also able through NEAF funding to attend the event virtually.
The congress’ theme was Building Bridges in Times of Climate Urgency. It featured sessions, field trips and discussion with experts from around world.
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According to the website, it also promotes active, informed, and responsible citizenship as a condition of a peaceful, fair, and ecological human society. It also guarantees an equitable access to natural resource and harmonious relationship between human beings and the earth.
The war in Ukraine was a backdrop to the peaceful gathering. The WEEC was located at the Prague Congress Centre. Its first floor has been converted into a refugee intake centre. Oslik was shocked to see children and women from Ukraine when she arrived at the Prague Congress Centre to register.
She said that people were coming from all over, and that it was happening all around them. During interactive art sessions, Congress-goers created images in support of the Ukrainian flag in yellow and blue, which were displayed in windows and then given to refugees.
Oslik stated that everyone who spoke mentioned the conflict and all said something similar to “We cannot live in a sustainable universe where these kinds of attacks against democracy exist.”
From Greencastle to Czech Republic
Oslik said, “I feel like I’m in a district where teachers can grow.” Teachers are encouraged and supported to think about their needs and what they would like to learn.
Oslik understood that this meant more professional growth in her particular field of environmental education. She saw the WEEC to be meaningful for herself, her district and her students.
It was something that I kept looking at, and I felt more motivated to do it, she said. Oslik acknowledged that she had low hopes of receiving a NEAF grant. She attributes her success to Meagan Brockway, a G-AHS teacher, as well as Caroline Royer (G-A business manager), who helped her apply.
Oslik is a strong ally to Eastern Europe. While it may seem daunting to travel alone, many people find it daunting. Miroslav Oslik, her husband, is from Slovakia. She lived and taught there for 2 years in her early career. She has been to Prague numerous times and has traveled extensively in Europe.
Laura Lindgren was born in Waynesboro. She graduated from Shippensburg University’s 2008 program and worked as a long-term substitute in Greencastle. Before moving to the United States, she lived in Waynesboro for one term. She and her husband were married in 2010 and have three children. He teaches special education at Waynesboro High School.
Oslik, who also holds Wilkes University’s masters degree, has been working in a G-AHS classroom 12 years. She teaches environmental science, but her classes include anatomy and physiology, science enrichment, biology, and science enrichment.
Environmental education in the classroom, and beyond
She gained many ideas from WEEC, not only for her science classroom but for the entire school district. Oslik and Flores could only attend a small number of sessions, but they have access to the entire congress online for one year. They can also build networks by continuing to interact and network with other participants.
Oslik’s expectations for WEEC took into consideration the competencies the school board adopted in early 2021 to fulfill the district Portrait of a graduate. These competencies include critical thinking and social responsibility, creativity and innovation, literacy and communication, physical and emotional health, and general knowledge and academic preparedness.
Oslik stated that I knew what I wanted. I got all of that and more.
She was interested in the European approach to sustainability education. It includes many of those same competencies that G.A cultivates in its graduate students.
One panel discussion focused on the rapid turn to virtual instruction and its consequences due to COVID-19. Some felt that the instant access is great, but others argued that the focus can now be on one device and not the entire environment.
Another great session was on why nature is important for 21stCentury students. Oslik stated that the G-A School district already values outdoor activities and offers them opportunities to do so. She explained that studies show that kids who take chances when they’re young, such jumping from rock to rock for fun, are less likely than those who take more risks later in life.
Students will feel connected to the natural world if they are exposed to it early in their lives.
Oslik has information on transdisciplinary possibilities so that we can live on this planet as long and as possible without running out.
She’s already in touch with G-A teachers and plans on offering them professional development about how sustainability is integrated across disciplines.
To get kids thinking about the world around us, it can be as simple as asking math students how many acorns make up a tree.
She would also like to see experiential learning. One example would be the study of Conococheague Creek to see how it affects water quality and sedimentation.
Many children feel connected to the waterway as they spend time fishing, floating the Jig, or playing in it.
Oslik stated that if we can get them involved in their community, it will have a lot more meaning.
Shawn Hardy works as a reporter at Gannett’s Franklin County newspapers. She has more that 35 years of journalism expertise. Reach her at [email protected]
