Above: American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten, September 7, 2019. Source: Marc Nozell, Merrimack, New Hampshire.
How can unions educate their members about climate change? The American Federation of Teachers (AFT) just provided a sterling example. The entire current issue of its magazine American Educator is devoted to teachers and climate change. It is available free online.
Several articles indicate ways to teach about climate change, not only in science classes but in language arts and other fields. “Science Teachers in the Hot Seat” describes the difficulties faced trying to teach this controversial issue—and how to deal with them.
The introductory article by AFT president Randi Weingarten evaluates youth climate strikes as “A Beacon of Hope on Climate Change.” She writes, “In the fight for environmental justice, much of the leadership is coming from students—and their teachers couldn’t be prouder.”