These stories are a collection of educator professional learning experiences and opportunities provided by ESD, CBO and Tribal School partners.
Four CBO partners make up the Teaching for the Climate Collaborative: Common Threads Farm, Nooksack Salmon Enhancement Association (NSEA), RE Sources: Sustainable Schools, and Wild Whatcom. The four CBO partners who specialize in school gardens, salmon recovery, natural resource conservation, and nature immersion provide experiential education that gets students outside, keeps lessons place-based, and teaches hope and resilience, respect, and conservation of nature.
It’s difficult to see hope and resilience when glaciers are melting, salmon populations are dwindling and sea levels are rising. But there are efforts to make our planet more resilient all across the planet and right in our own backyards. And that is a reason for...
The blustery winds of October, the ice encrusted fields of February, and the pelting rain of March and April, provided the backdrops for the Teaching for the Climate Collaborative's four stand-alone Teaching Outside workshops. Ironically, the weather was the perfect...
On a beautiful fall morning in October, twenty-three educators joined the Teaching for the Climate Collaborative at Alluvial Farms in Whatcom County. The tour showcased local engineering solutions the farm institutes to mitigate the effects of climate change. Teachers...
By now, many know that the colonization myth we learned in school doesn’t tell the whole story of how the Americas were settled. In 1492, Christopher Columbus sailed the ocean blue, but what he discovered was not a “New World” — it was once inhabited by millions of...
What’s your favorite meal? Is it macaroni and cheese or pizza? Arroz con pollo or oatmeal? No matter what the food, where it is grown, or how it is disposed of, there is an impact on the environment and people. These facts were made evident to elementary school...
While working through the Teaching Outside module teachers were asked to spend some of their own learning outside. “Having to be outside for a required assignment was wonderful. I have felt so cooped up the past few months, and so much of my work requires me to be...
Storytelling, a powerful art form that allows for the passing of knowledge, tradition, and different ways of being. Storytelling can grasp the creative reflections of thought, emotion, and the interconnectedness of it all. Environmental Storytelling Can Help Spread...
The Washington state program ClimeTime, which is facilitated by the state’s nine Education Service Districts (ESDs) and community partners, was recently cited as a popular and effective model for educator education in climate science. The Journal of Science Policy and...
Written by Kiana Jenkins, Common Threads Food Educator, Spring 2020 As an AmeriCorp member here at Common Threads, I’ve had the opportunity to take part in ClimeTime, a series of professional development workshops for Whatcom County teachers. The primary focus of the...