image credit | Tyler Lagalo

Season 3, Episode 24: For Teachers: An Existential Tool Kit

This episode is dedicated to teachers and educators of all kinds. Thomas and Panu discussed the new Existential Toolkit for Climate Justice Educators and the emotional, political, personal and pedagogical challenges faced by teachers in the context of climate change.  The conversation delved into the history of the Toolkit project, the lingering impact of COVID-19 on education, and the unacknowledged and inequitable impacts of climate and weather disasters on students, teachers and school systems, worldwide. Panu and Thomas reflected on their own schooling in Finland and the US,  their personal teaching experiences, and advice on how to remain creative and to cope with fatigue and burnout. 

Sound Bites

• "Teachers are under a lot of stress to give accurate information to their students about the state of the world, which can be quite troubling."

• "The existential toolkit fills the gap in providing emotional tools for teachers and educators dealing with difficult topics like climate change."

Links

• Jennifer Atkinson and Sarah Jaquette Ray (2024, Eds.) The Existential Toolkit for Climate Justice Educators: How to Teach in a Burning World

  • See selected Resources from the tool kit

• Elizabeth Haase and Kelsey Hudson (2024, Eds.) Climate Change and Youth Mental Health: Multidisciplinary Perspectives
  

See Previous Climate Change and Happiness Episodes

• Season 2, Episode 3: Coping on Campus with Sarah Jaquette Ray

• Season 1, Episode 16: Varieties of Hope with Guest Elin Kelsey

• Season 3, Episode 12: On Literature and Activism with Matthew Schneider-Mayerson

Transcript

[The Climate Change and Happiness Transcript is on holiday.]