"Education is the passport to the future, for tomorrow belongs to those who prepare for it today."
|
|
|
Turning Education Inside Out
By Sarah Milligan-Toffler
|
|
Choices made in response to change can transform crisis into opportunity. The outbreak of COVID-19 across the globe has radically impacted our lives, creating significant shifts in routines and behaviors and upending our ideas of a “normal” we can never go back to. From the climate crisis, to a global viral pandemic, to protests erupting around the nation in a fight to end systemic racism, it has never been more critical to invest in education that supports well-being, justice, and resiliency for students, teachers, communities, and the natural environment which sustains life.
COVID-19 has taught us we are capable of rapid change. The closing of school buildings and the move to online learning last spring was tremendously challenging for many families to navigate. While there are many benefits to online learning, especially for older students, teaching and learning happen best in relationship with others and the rest of the natural world. Now is the time to leverage the momentum of this time of massive disruption to shift to a more mindful, sustainable, and equitable model of public education that addresses new and deeply embedded threats and injustice.
We can start by turning education inside out. Green schoolyards, forest preschools, and outdoor early childhood programs have been around for decades, but now their practices seem prescient: they call for ample outside time, natural play, and exploration, all of which support the physical distancing measures that will be needed moving forward. Outdoor classrooms also help children learn in and from nature, a critical skill as we become more keenly aware of our interconnectedness with nature and the need for thinking ecologically – to understand how nature supports our health and how we can support the health of the natural world.
We have the land we need. Public schools are one of the top three land holders in most communities. This points to a great and often underutilized resource that can be reimagined to support student achievement and community well-being, as well as mitigate the effects of climate change. School grounds and the natural infrastructure that exists in every community can be activated for effective learning, dovetailing with professional development for teachers and school staff on how to move learning effectively and safely outside.
We hope the resources below inspire you and your schools to explore or expand the use of schoolyards and outdoor spaces as extensions of the classroom during the pandemic and beyond.
|
|
|
While there has been much discussion around the mask or anti-mask debate, one perspective has been missing from the national conversation: the voices of the disabled. This article discusses the concerns parents of children with disabilities are feeling sending their children into schools without mask mandates.
|
|
|
|
The WIN Network believes that we should always listen to people with lived experience. This article from the New York Times uplifts the voices of several students heading back into in-person classes for the first time in a year.
|
|
|
|
Artwork and Poetry to Build Well-Being
|
|
I woke myself up
Because we ain’t got an alarm clock
Dug in the dirty clothes basket,
Cause ain’t nobody washed my uniform
Brushed my hair and teeth in the dark,
Cause the lights ain’t on
Even got my baby sister ready,
Cause my mama wasn’t home.
Got us both to school on time,
To eat us a good breakfast.
Then when I got to class the teacher fussed
Cause I ain’t got no pencil
-Joshua Dickerson
This poem, entitled 'Cause I Ain't Got a Pencil, tells the story of a disadvantaged youth's attempt to get him and his siblings ready for school, only to find his teacher was angry that he wasn't prepared with school supplies. This poem is an incredible reminder that children living below the poverty line have so many concerns beyond homework and tests.
|
|
|
School's Out
Allan Rohan Crite was an artist who believed his mission was to report on life as he saw it. Here, he depicts the end of the school day in Boston's South End, where he lived. This painting reminds us that for so many children, school comes along with a strong sense of community.
|
|
Conversation Weekly:
This week on The Conversation Weekly, they’re discussing how to keep kids safe as they reenter in-person school.
During this episode, they speak to both Brandon Guthrie, an associate professor of global health an epidemiology at the University of Washington in the US and Laura Abou Haidar, a professor of linguistics at the Université Grenoble Alpes in France.
|
|
Commons Good Podcast:
One of the biggest concerns for children heading back to school is a lack of food resources.
Our friends at Community Commons spoke to Ricardo Salvador, Union of Concerned Scientists and Paula Daniels, Center for Good Food Purchasing about the building blocks of our food system and how we can use it to build equity for future generations.
|
|
Worker cooperatives prove your job doesn't have to be hell:
This short documentary dares to ask the question: do we really have a worker shortage in the United States? Or do we just have a shortage of employers who put their workers’ safety first? This report follows the story of 8 co-ops in 4 different states to show that an organization that takes care of the safety of their workers is one that will never see a worker shortage.
|
|
TOOLS TO BUILD WELL-BEING
|
|
|
Have you checked out the resources that our friends at Children and Nature have to offer on their website? At Children and Nature, they put an emphasis on how spending time outdoors is essential to children’s development.
|
|
|
|
The Alliance for a Healthier Generation, a WIN Network Partner, has this awesome tool available on their website. It’s a product calculator that helps you figure out if a food is compliant with the Smart Snacks School Guidelines. Check it out!
|
|
|
|
|
Dr. Jill Heads Back To School!
America's kids aren't the only ones heading back to school! First lady Jill Biden will begin a 13-week teaching session at the Alexandria, Virginia, campus of Northern Virginia Community College where she'll be teaching composition writing classes.
|
|
|
|
Rise 4 All Special Announcement
The WIN Network, with support from the CDC and in partnership with Chromatic Black, have an exciting announcement coming Tuesday, September 14th about an amazing opportunity for BIPOC communities! In the meantime, visit our website to stay up to date.
|
|
|
|
|
Fall Racial Justice Community Series
Wednesdays 3:30 - 5 PM EST
September 29th - December 15th
The WE/WIN Together Racial Justice Community offers a series of virtual gatherings that aims to provide not only education on the matter of race, but also offers a safe place for others to ask the hard questions.
In today’s climate, it is no longer a question of IF you should learn about racial justice, but when and how.
If you’re asking yourself when to start, the answer is now. If you’re asking yourself how to start, the answer is with The WIN Network.
|
|
|
|
National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine
Wednesday 2:00 PM EST
September 15th
Our friends at the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine are hosting a webinar exploring the relationship between inclusive voters rights and positive health outcomes.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|