Climate Courage in action
We've spoken to nine pioneering educators who took their schools in new directions to better prepare young people for the reality of our future.
Meet the teachers already changing up how their schools teach the climate and nature crisis and learn how their innovative, emotionally-informed approaches to climate and nature education build resilience and hope.
Explore their stories below – and let us know if you're doing similar work yourself. We're currently seeking funding to expand this project. Telling as many stories as possible is crucial, because climate education is as varied as the contexts it needs to happen in.
The Year 1 teacher who turned an overgrown garden into a living classroom
“It's not difficult to say, I'm going to take my class outside today to read a story rather than inside. Small things can make a big difference.”
The headteacher who learned children need conversation to process climate change
“As a school leader, you've got to create a culture where climate change becomes everybody's responsibility. Because if we don't do it now, who is going to do it?”
The school where everyone pauses to breathe – three times a day
“We see our job as connecting the children to themselves, others, and the natural world through collaborative action.”
The primary school leaders building a curriculum of hope
“Our vision is wise, compassionate citizens with the power to make a difference. We are very much a school where our vision and values are lived, not laminated.”
The English teacher who turned climate fear into letters that actually got sent
“We must give our students hope and we must give them truth. And those two things are so hard to marry sometimes.”
The primary school that added climate resilience to its safeguarding policy
“I don't think it should be a choice whether the schools decide to weave climate change in or not. It needs to be part of the statutory curriculum.”
The teacher who made emotional literacy the foundation of climate learning
“I just felt that, as a geography teacher, preparing students for what will be a very uncertain future was the most important thing that I could do.”
The secondary teacher tackling climate apathy by making action visible
“I did feel despair before I started doing this work. I think just taking action is in itself healing.”
The lecturer helping future teachers face climate reality before they reach the classroom
“Our children need us to be well in order to do this work. We need to take a close look at how we ensure the wellbeing of our teachers.”
You asked, they answered
Question:
How should teacher training change to meet the reality of the climate and nature crisis?
Question:
How has being an educator changed your feelings about climate and nature?
Question:
How has your work on the climate and nature crisis affected the young people you work with?
Question:
What's one piece of advice you have for other schools just starting this work?
