Ask The Experts: Learning Sustainability

Q: Why is it important for students to learn about sustainability through participating in green initiatives? 

A: “Developing in them lasting stewardship can create a value system they can take with them,” says Martha Schubert, upper elementary assistant at Ruffing Montessori. “They learn about [sustainability] in the classroom, and they learn about it through their work experientially. Experiential learning is a little different from note memorization because there is movement. They’re engaging in real-world activities. They feel the wind on their face, or the raindrops on their skin, or the movement of pushing a wheelbarrow. That lasting stewardship gives them a perspective that will help them be better global citizens. It will inform the choices they make. It could lead them to a job because they know how ecological systems interact.”