Religious Educator's Memo by Sierra-Marie Gerfao

[Memos from Rev. Barbara Merritt and Rev. Tom Schade]

R E L I G I O U S   E D U C A T O R’ S   M E M O
Note: This is the second memo in a two part series. Please see the October
9th memo for the first part.

A number of years ago, I came across a review of research on environmental
education in school settings. This piqued my interest because my own public
education occurred at the beginning of the era of environmental education in
schools. I have vague memories from as early as first or second grade, of
participating in activities such as a tour of the city’s water treatment
plant and discussion on water conservation. At the time, this type of
education was groundbreaking!

The review of research was relatively thorough, and it struck me that not
all the research on environmental education indicated positive outcomes. In
fact, I was surprised by the amount of research which demonstrated negative
outcomes from environmental education programs. Several very important
studies showed that no matter how positive the curricula had been regarding
the difference a single person can make in helping to “save the earth,”
children who participated in these programs were more—not less—likely to
have negative attitudes about earth stewardship. Many young adults who had
gone through these programs reported feeling overwhelmed by environmental
problems, which led to the perception of an inability to make a difference
through individual action. In other words, kids who had gone through these
programs were not necessarily growing up to be stellar earth stewards.

Of course, the research is somewhat conflicting, but the reviewer concluded
that we might benefit from rethinking how we deal with global issues when it
comes to kids. My older siblings and I grew up also during a time when many
Unitarian Universalist congregations were extensively involved in social
justice issues related to global peace-making. The congregation I grew up in
voted to become a symbolic “nuclear free zone” during my childhood, and we
also erected a peace pole (a pole with prayers for peace in a number of
languages) in the church yard when I was nine or ten years old. I even
remember, as a part of Sunday School, writing anti-war postcards to senators
when I was just a beginning writer.

Kids in my childhood church understood that people of faith were called to
act in ways that would better the world. I don’t regret that in the least,
though we certainly
could have healthfully been exposed to more of our congregation’s political
diversity. Social justice was a formative part of my religious education,
and it is consistent with the principles and purposes of the Unitarian
Universalist Association of Congregations. Yet, there is a part of me that
thinks it could have been done in a way that better served our developmental
and ministry needs. There is a wounded part of me, exposed to adult level
problems too early, and hurt by the grieving I did over what I perceived to
be “earth’s doom” before I had more time to simply enjoy it.

Developmentally appropriate social justice education means that children are
given a solid foundation upon which social justice principles can later
rest. Though it absolutely should be supported by congregational
communities, to be developmentally appropriate it must take place largely
within a family context. Time spent walking through a natural outdoor area
is development-ally appropriate environmental education for young children,
especially if the child is free to stop at will and observe the water bug
skating over the surface of the pond, the light and dark spots of sunbeams
coming through trees, the tree stump with a fresh baby tree growing out of
it, and the “rolly polly” bugs living under fallen branches. People take
care of things they value, and children will grow to practice stewardship of
the earth once they have learned to love it. We can do more harm than good
if we put the cart before the horse. Outdoor play is the one type of
environmental education nearly universally supported by research. When
paired with adults (especially family members) who model earth stewardship
in daily life, it helps children grow to both love and care for the earth.
Is there still a place for families to participate in cleaning up litter
together, or saving electricity, or helping neighbors recycle? Absolutely,
but we don’t need to pound the perils of the earth into our children’s heads
in order for these experiences to be valuable ones. We can simply and
matter-of-factly tell them that we take care of the earth, and together do
it.

This pedagogy can be applied to all types of social justice issues. I invite
your thoughts!

Warmly in faith,

Sierra-Marie


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