69´«Ă˝

Opinion
School Climate & Safety Opinion

Here’s What Student Activists Need From You

By Somya Pandey & Annie Qin — October 15, 2019 2 min read
BRIC ARCHIVE
  • Save to favorites
  • Print
Email Copy URL

Have you ever seen a house on fire? The majority of people standing around will gawk at the blaze, waiting for another person to put it out while the flames eat away at the house’s structure. In the climate crisis, many adults, even educators, are doing just that: gawking at student protestors who are trying to save their home. But it doesn’t have to be like this. If educators and students work together, we can magnify our power and pass meaningful climate legislation to save our planet from the clutches of the climate crisis.

According to organizers, more than 7 million people protested around the world during the week of last month, many of whom were students advocating for a better future. The strike, which is now the largest climate strike in history, was galvanized by high schooler Greta Thunberg. So many of us students see ourselves in Greta’s reflection—a young, almost cynical generation whose future has been stolen for the profit of big oil and gas execs. Profit-driven corporations have polluted the environment to the point that the United Nations has given us only 11 years before we cause “irreversible damage from climate change.” 69´«Ă˝ like Thunberg saw this and decided to act, which led to the Global Climate Strike, which occurred in at least 100 countries.

To supplement the Sept. 20th Global Climate Strike in New York City, local strikes were organized—including by Alliance for Climate Education Fellows like us—that same day. Held during school hours, many students had to face the dilemma of missing classwork or protesting for their future. Some of them had the opportunity to choose to protest with their school, but others did not. If young activists are to continue their work, educators must be willing to provide the resources and opportunities to do so. 69´«Ă˝ must be encouraged in taking a stand for an issue they believe in. In the long run, the value of real-life experience of fighting for our rights will always outweigh completing a worksheet. Making sure that students know the influence of their opinions will allow students to leave school with a mindset of self-growth and critical reflection.

Organizations like ACE can also give young activists a voice in our current, chaotic political landscape. Educators should encourage all students, and not just politically minded ones, to join social organizations to make real change in the world. By doing this, educators can inspire students to transform entire fields, mobilizing entire continents to do something about the climate crisis.

In giving students and young activists the means to act on our biggest threat to survival, you’re letting us do something about our dismal-looking futures. Right now, the climate crisis is poised to cause worldwide human suffering from , levels, and increasingly , among its many other effects. Educators and mentors must also have a role in ensuring a future for the next generation. By empowering student activists and partnering with them to do something while our house is burning down, we might actually be able to put out this fire.

A version of this article appeared in the October 23, 2019 edition of Education Week as Stop Gawking at Student Protesters

Events

School & District Management Webinar Crafting Outcomes-Based Contracts That Work for Everyone
Discover the power of outcomes-based contracts and how they can drive student achievement.
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
School & District Management Webinar
Harnessing AI to Address Chronic Absenteeism in 69´«Ă˝
Learn how AI can help your district improve student attendance and boost academic outcomes.
Content provided by 
School & District Management Webinar EdMarketer Quick Hit: What’s Trending among K-12 Leaders?
What issues are keeping K-12 leaders up at night? Join us for EdMarketer Quick Hit: What’s Trending among K-12 Leaders?

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.

Read Next

School Climate & Safety How to Judge If Anonymous Threats to 69´«Ă˝ Are Legit: 5 Expert Tips
School officials need to take all threats seriously, but the nature of the threat can inform the size of the response.
3 min read
Vector illustration of a businessman trying to catapult through stack of warning signs.
iStock/Getty
School Climate & Safety What 69´«Ă˝ Need To Know About Anonymous Threats—And How to Prevent Them
Anonymous threats are on the rise. 69´«Ă˝ should act now to plan their responses, but also take measures to prevent them.
3 min read
Tightly cropped photo of hands on a laptop with a red glowing danger icon with the exclamation mark inside of a triangle overlaying the photo
iStock/Getty
School Climate & Safety Opinion Restorative Justice, the Classroom, and Policy: Can We Resolve the Tension?
Student discipline is one area where school culture and the rules don't always line up.
8 min read
The United States Capitol building as a bookcase filled with red, white, and blue policy books in a Washington DC landscape.
Luca D'Urbino for Education Week
School Climate & Safety Letter to the Editor School Safety Should Be Built In, Not Tacked On
69´«Ă˝ and communities must address ways to prevent school violence by first working with people, says this letter to the editor.
1 min read
Education Week opinion letters submissions
Gwen Keraval for Education Week