It looks like New York may soon be one of the states attempting to include climate change in their curricula.
Last month, Kristy Neumeister, the third-grade teacher at Public School 103 in the north Bronx, led a reading discussion while the students sat on a rug.
Children who reside in a rural area of Chad, a nation in central Africa, are the subject of the novel “Rain School.” Their school has to be rebuilt every year due to hurricane damage.
“And what’s causing all these rains, storms, and floods?” asked Ms. Neumeister. “Carbon,” eight-year-old Aiden stated, his face solemn.39 primary school teachers from all throughout the city, including Ms. Neumeister, took part in a four-day summer training program titled “Integrating Climate Education in N.Y.C. Public Schools.” Its objective was to familiarize educators with the subject so they could incorporate climate change into their lesson plans.
The summer workshop might only be the start of things. The first state to require climate change education, New Jersey, implemented the curriculum in its public schools last year.
A number of related legislation are being examined in New York; one of them, backed by more than 115 educators and nonprofit organizations including the National Wildlife Federation, calls for teaching climate change in all subject areas and grades.
Democratic state senator James Sanders Jr., who represents areas of southeast Queens like the Rockaways that are susceptible to flooding and sea level rise, declared, “Climate change is not a future threat; it’s a present reality.” Another bill that would cover the subject in science schools is one that he is a sponsor of.
According to Glenn Branch, deputy director of the National Center for Science Education, certain states, including Texas, Virginia, and Florida, have rejected the active inclusion of climate change in their curricula, while New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, and California are doing so. He cited antiquated scientific norms and societal pushback in more conservative areas as contributing factors.
