We are borrowing from our children
Hello and welcome to my follow-up blog of the last week of blogging. In this blog I would like to touch on this week’s content that was covered on Courselink, which is how we can be responsible educators and protectors of children - our hope, our future generations.
A Native American saying that has stuck with me since I was a freshman was “We do not inherit the Earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children” (Gilbert, 2015). Unfortunately, not everyone lives by this saying, and often those with the biggest, heftiest invisible backpack of privilege tend to be the ones who “borrow” the most. We often see corporate giants of all sorts of industries in first world countries such as Pepsi, Coca-Cola, H&M and Shell operate without much regard to the environment (Riley, 2017). The plastic waste, the oil spills and the gas emissions found in all habitats from soil, air to ocean is causing irreversible damage to ecosystems on Earth (Young, 2019). This happens because in the end, the ones that are most affected by the horrible consequences of climate change and natural disasters are the vulnerable developing countries. These are newly industrialized countries, where technology has yet to reach a point where it could combat extreme weather events, and people barely have any privileges.
While I can see how much our generation is trying to save the planet, voicing our opinions and protesting against the horrible things that are being done to our only home, those companies don’t seem to hear us, or if they do, they are not making changes fast enough. Therefore, I believe that means we need to expand our duty from fighting for our present, to protecting our future. The foundation lies in how we can educate and inspire young children because they are our hope.
Beck et al. outlined certain tips that would definitely come in handy when we need to effectively communicate with children. The most important one to me, is to focus on the process (Beck et al., 2018). The end result is just a bonus, it is extremely vital that us educators help children fall in love with the process of nature interpretation instead of trying to make them do whatever it takes to achieve the end result. Like Rachel Carson had said, “It is more important to pave the way for the child to want to know than to put him on a diet of facts he is not ready to assimilate”. The next important tip is to get down to a child’s level and interact with them personally whenever possible. Getting down to their level can both mean to bow down so you’re on their eye level, giving way for effective communication, but it can also mean you’re speaking to them in a language that appeal to them and that they can understand (Beck et al., 2018). Just like what we did in the first podcast assignment, this can be challenging at times, but in the end, the effort is all worth it because we are doing this for the sake of our planet’s future.
There are many other tips that are helpful for communicating with children, which one do you find most helpful? Do you also think like me, that we all have the responsibility to preserve current resources for the future, or it does not really matter in the end?
References
Gilbert, P. (2015). Inherit the Earth, or Borrow it from our children? National Recreation and Park Association. https://www.nrpa.org/blog/inherit-the-earth-or-borrow-it-from-our-children/
Young, A. (2019). Coca-Cola, Pepsi highlight the 20 corporations producing the most ocean pollution. 24/7 Wall Street. https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2019/06/17/20-corporations-behind-the-most-ocean-pollution/39552009/
Riley, T. (2017). Just 100 companies responsible for 71% of global emissions, study says. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/2017/jul/10/100-fossil-fuel-companies-investors-responsible-71-global-emissions-cdp-study-climate-change
Beck, L., Cable, T.T., & Knudson, D.M. (2018). Interpreting Cultural and Natural Heritage for a Better World. Sagamore Publishing.
Hi Robin!
I’ll be honest; I couldn’t help but stop and read your post because of the captivating title. The course content for this week really resonates with the saying that we don’t inherit the earth from our ancestors; we borrow it from our children. This is actually something I learned about in one of my previous courses when we talked about sustainability. The truth is that living sustainable lives just doesn’t mean that we should be doing something for the environment. In reality, sustainability is meeting our present needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs. I believe that people are only interested in sustainability if they are educated about it and if its overall importance is effectively communicated. I resonate with this so much because, as I said, it was just a semester ago when we were introduced to this hot topic in one of my environmental science courses. It’s been stuck in me ever since to raise awareness whenever possible.
To answer your question, nature interpretation is a privilege that provides us with the tool to teach others how our use of the environment affects sustainability and how we can ensure that adverse effects are minimized and in return emphasize behaviours that positively impact the environment. Thus, we all have the responsibility to preserve current resources for the future so they can enjoy nature’s gifts as well.
It’s more important than ever to teach our children about appreciating the environment and sustainability. It won’t be possible to pass this information on if the current generation is uneducated. I believe that teaching one child will result in fewer plastic in landfills, fewer marine animals in danger and even fewer dollars present on oil. Showing children how they can have an impact will help raise a generation that is more environmentally conscious than the generation before them (Beck et al. 2018).
Another tip to help communicate with children would be applying the cognitive development theory. This theory simply suggests that people learn according to their level of cognitive maturity, and at some stages, children will focus attention on one characteristic at a time (Beck et al. 2018). As a result, if interpretive programs are designed for children according to their age group, it will help them comprehend the information presented. Additionally, offering the information in an engaging delivery method and more straightforward language with enthusiasm can further aid their understanding and relevance. As stated by Ralph Waldo, to the young mind, everything is individual, stands by itself… later remote things coherent and flower out from one stem (Beck et al. 2018).
Additionally, stages of ‘flow learning’ such as awakening enthusiasm, focusing attention, directing experience, sharing inspiration, combining art forms, visuals, personal connections, technology, hands on experience, activities, providing a sense of comfort, love, attention, respect, passion all help affect communication and bring the message across. Retrieval practice is another effective strategy for learning, which means recalling facts or content from events or memorable experiences (Beck et al. 2018). This way, learners hold onto the transmitted information and are fascinated by the passion for being protectors of their surroundings. All of this requires a lot of work, but as you said, the result makes the effort worth it.
I also just wanted to take a minute and reflect on the knowledge we gained this semester. I knew I had a connection with nature which somewhere was lost because we forget to set priorities beyond work and school. We learned so much from this course and integrating everything that stood out to me in one post was challenging, but I guess the simplest way to put my experience is that: If we nurture nature, then nature nurtures us 🌻.
Thank you for sharing I really enjoyed reading your post!☺️
Farheen D.
References:
Beck, L. et al. Interpreting Cultural and Natural Heritage for a Better World. 2018. Sagamore Publishing.
Hi Farheen,
Thanks so much for reading my post and the valuable inputs!
The definition of sustainability being us meeting our current needs without compromising those of future generation sounds oddly familiar to me, I cannot help but think is it from the course FARE1400? I remember learning a lot about environmental laws in that class in first year.
Thus, I think you are absolutely right, that it is so important to teach children to love nature, to connect with nature on a spiritual level. It is our duty to help them see that their future lies in the way that they live. If one child understands the significance of the issue, that would be one more child who limits the use of plastic, who chooses to buy an electric vehicle, who remembers to turn off the light and water taps when not in use, and the list goes on.
Although communicating with children is a challenging process, especially this topic which could be quite heavy at times. We might get discouraged, when they seem to get distracted or loose interest. However, we must never give up. They may not understand now, but as they grow older, the words will stick with them.
I hope all of us who are taking this class this semester becomes wonderful nature interpreters and educators in the future. Hopefully I get to see some of you guys in the field! Good luck with the rest of the semester.
Cheers,
Robin Nguyen.
