Journal #5 - Managing the Environment

            The natural world around us is only one aspect of the environment, we also create our homes, schools, communities and even our internal spaces. This is something I am reminded of as I consider the topic of Managing the Environment through the lens of this HFLE course. My knowledge of environmental management has grown as a result of this course which has put it at the center of youths’ holistic health and well-being rather than just recycling bins and cleanup days.

            Throughout this course, the emphasis on life skills has been one of the major changes in my thinking. I now see that environmental management is a set of skills that need to be purposefully taught and practiced. Students must come to see themselves as change agents whether that change takes the form of resource conservation, maintaining safe and clean personal spaces or taking action on local problems like waste management or pollution.

            As a teacher, this method calls on me to set an example of ecologically conscious behavior and incorporate these principles into my lessons. It also calls on me to recognize the environmental issues that students might already be dealing with like dangerous neighborhoods, restricted access to green areas or even inadequate school facilities and to establish a learning environment where students feel empowered to react positively rather than helpless.

            This course has also forced me to consider the connections between social justice and environmental issues. Environmental neglect frequently affects marginalized communities which include many of the students I teach at a secondary school of focus. Thus, teaching environmental stewardship involves more than just science, it also involves advocacy, responsibility and equity. I now recognize the pedagogical value of emphasizing student-centered, experiential, environmental education. Beyond theory, lessons must incorporate discussions, projects and community service. Students internalize the value of their contributions and realize how their actions matter when they take part in environmental management activities such as garden cleanup campaigns or awareness campaigns.

            Above all, this course is assisting me in developing the competence and self-assurance necessary to become an HFLE ambassador capable of setting an example. Environmental management is essential to preparing students for life not just an add-on to education. Along with helping students develop self-respect, teamwork abilities and a stronger bond with their communities, I am also promoting environmental awareness responsibility and activism. In the future I want to give my students the chance to not only understand the environment but also to influence it by making decisions that will benefit their health, their general well-being and the world they will inherit.