Science I'm ashamed. High schools are no longer teaching kids about climate change or politics?

My wife’s gone through menopause. We don’t need a periodic table anymore.

 

Back when Exxon knew all about it and were trying to figure out how to cover it up rather than how to be responsible.

 

In my HS a required senior class was modern problems.
If you were fortunate to get a teacher with hair over the ears you could get into some great conversation about the current political & civil issues.

 

The best way is for parents to supplement their children's education outside of school..use library resources and get the right books. Parents are where the buck stops for education. Teachers have too many parameters to cover everything usually.

 

But if parents are uneducated they don't go to libraries.

 

When I was in school in the 80s, we talked about Reagan, Mondale, the ozone layer, and styrofoam cups. They also told us how bad smoking is for you. I simply can’t understand why, 40 years, anyone still smokes.

 

I don't think that's necessarily true...my father had an 8th grade education yet I was encouraged to read and go to the library...my father was uneducated formally but well read and experienced...Parents who are apathetic, no one can really address that. Some kids have parents who aren't present for a variety of reasons or addictions, etc. I have found a lot of uneducated parents who really push for their children to have it better than they did...sometimes the most educated parents are the least present in their children's upbringing

 

Alright. So what is out there that will interest a teenager in climate change? I'm open to suggestions. I've had conversations with them. But I'm just dad. I was really hoping the schools would have my back on this.

But the kids are apathetic to it.

"Everything is already effed up, so why stress out about it?"

 

Maybe pivot into a more solarpunk mindset, focusing on local (a step up from personal) change. Personal responsibility around climate change is table stakes but also corporations do so much polluting that personal responsibility won’t fix anything. And since systemic change is also out of our reach, you gotta act locally. Bee-friendly gardens in your yard, tear out your grass lawn, shared veggie garden for you and your neighbors.

If you live in a place where this is going to be discouraged or is against the rules, maybe that’s part of why your kids are nihilistic.

 

Great suggestion! I'll try to expose them to some solarpunk media. They enjoy reading, etc.

That wouldn't be discouraged or against the rules at all here. We did a bunch of that kind of thing (had a huge garden, did little projects, etc) before the kids got into basketball... since then we just haven't had the time. Every weekend is full of tournaments and nearly every weeknight with practice or training. We take one day off of basketball every week, but it's enough time to get caught up on laundry and other chores.

I appreciate the suggestion!

 

Genius!