Deb Freitag
I went into teaching for several of the wrong reasons. However, it was my minor in geography that pulled me towards working with kids and loving it. I have always enjoyed learning about the world’s rich variety of physical, cultural and historical geography and then sharing that passion with others. Nearly three years ago I discovered the Institute for Humane Education through a small ad in Ode magazine, and my life hasn’t been the same since! After arguing over the rigor, relevance and validation of the Humane Education Certificate Program with my public school district in Wisconsin for nearly a year, I finally received full approval to take the program and have it officially recognized as the powerful and valid curriculum that it is. As a social studies teacher of world geography, I feel the most significant thing I can do for my students is to expose them to the critical issues of the world today (in an age-appropriate manner), and then help them develop the mentality that solutions can and do exist, but we need to work together and outside of the traditional methods of globalization to develop these solutions. Not only has the HECP opened my eyes and educated me on a wide variety of topics (flaws in our current approach to education, environmental awareness, animal protection, culture and consumerism, and human rights) but it has inspired me to develop lessons for my seventh graders -- and sometimes even family, friends, and colleagues –- to challenge their perspectives and the status quo.
When an assignment in one of the five main courses of the program hasn’t seemed to fit ideally into a middle school framework, the instructors have always worked with me to make modifications that will meet my needs and benefit my students or the future for my own two children, Macey and Drew. Although I have already completed undergraduate and graduate degrees, none of the feedback I have ever received from faculty has been as thorough, encouraging, or genuinely helpful as the incredibly detailed and perceptive comments that come back interwoven throughout every piece of coursework I have submitted. As a teacher myself, I can only imagine the countless hours invested in each and every humane education student that comes through one of the IHE programs.
There have also been a couple highlights in the program that I would like to add. First, the five-day residency in Surry, Maine, is exceptional! To have a chance to meet and learn from these powerful, yet humble models (if not founders) of humane education is truly a gift! Second, I am currently using the knowledge and insight I have gained from the HECP program to rewrite the curriculum for a nine-week course that I started called “Project World.” The original goal of Project World was to help seventh-grade students explore and discover their unique interests and strengths, and then find ways to put those attributes to work making a positive difference in their community. Although the course is constantly morphing into something new and different, that goal hasn’t changed. However, I am continually weaving in new activities that help students explore complex, humane education issues and become “solutionaries” instead of mere observers. For my practicum, I am working on rewriting the objectives and curriculum for the course to more thoroughly include the critical aspects of humane education. I still want students to volunteer in the community and build meaningful relationships within our class, but equally important, I want Project World to expose them to global issues and help them to begin formulating their own ways to work for change! As heard in the documentary Darius Goes West, “Idealism is the signature of youth!” If that statement is true (which I believe it is), when we focus the vast majority of our attention on math, science, reading and writing in all their years of public education, we are doing students and the world a great disservice! We need to leave them educated about the global issues facing their futures and, equally important, inspired to create change and empowered to know their lives can make a difference! That’s what IHE has moved me to believe.
Watch and share IHE President, Zoe Weil's TEDx talk -- an inspiring vision of how to create a just, compassionate, healthy world for all through solutionary education.
Teaching for the 21st Century Humane Education Workshop
April 28, 2012 - 8:30 am to April 28, 2012 - 5:00 pm | Location: Nightingale-Bamford School
How can we best prepare our students for the important roles they must play in meeting the challenges of today's world? How can we help youth to become creative and critical thinkers who embody the qualities of wisdom, compassion, and integrity and who focus their grea...
Read More
April 28, 2012 - 8:30 am to April 28, 2012 - 5:00 pm | Location: Nightingale-Bamford School
How can we best prepare our students for the important roles they must play in meeting the challenges of today's world? How can we help youth to become creative and critical thinkers who embody the qualities of wisdom, compassion, and integrity and who focus their grea...
Read More