Who's Teaching Our Children? (continued) Will we turn over our public learning centers to those who see our children as pawns in the game of quarterly profits? We are facing the prospect of creating a generation of apathetic and jaded young adults, with little interest in social or political issues, believing that corporate technology will save the day and activism is for someone else. What are the solutions? First, the environmental community must call corporate America on its sham. I can't imagine, for example, why the North American Association of Environmental Education (the largest environmental education group in the world) has endorsed Project Learning Tree. We must refuse to make "alliances" with those who try to manipulate our children and remove corporate polluters from their board of directors. We must take a stand and work for what is right, not what is politically feasible. At a recent conference, an environmental education activist told me that we need to be more centrist in our approach to solving this problem. But I can't take the middle of the road on this one. My children are not salable property. Would good parents compromise on the welfare of their child? Industry isn't centrist, but we environmentalists try to avoid conflict. And that is why we lose. As long-time forest activist Mike Donnelly often says, "We have compromised this baby so many times, we are down to the toenails." The frontline warriors in this winnable war must be the parents. They must demand that any curricula provided by corporate sources be reviewed, just like the textbook adoption processes. They must challenge their local boards of education to keep their local schools commercial-free. They must ask their children to share the materials they receive at school. Corporate predators in education are no different than those who peddle tobacco to our children. They must bear the scorn of society and be stopped in their tracks. Most importantly, we must highlight the wonders of true environmental education. There are thousands of excellent teachers enlightening their students every day. They need funding, and it is incumbent upon society to see that schools don't have to go begging to industry. And teachers must begin to comprehend what I call the "teachable moment": that indelible moment when data and caring and insight all merge as one, representing all that is good about ecological sciences in public schools. This moment does not require a slick video, fancy equipment or corporate funding. Just students and teachers, exploring the natural world. From discussing A Sand County Almanac in the classroom, to hiking in the giant cedars of Opal Creek; From identifying invertebrates in our majestic tidal pools to exploring Mell Creek on our campus, I've seen children connect to their world. This year alone, I've watched over two dozen seniors choose environmental topics for their senior projects. Three boys are examining the breaching of the Snake River dams. Another young man is painting a mural on our school. Education emboldens young citizens to commit their accrued knowledge to action. Children care, and they expect us as adults to lead, to represent their best interests, to protect them from exploitative commercial influences. To make America safe for childhood again is a battle worth fighting. page 3 of 3 back