Hot Ideas For A Cooler Planet

Students travel from around the world to use the valuable cultural resources in NYC. Sometimes we take it granted how much educational wealth we have to take advantage of for our students to learn. We get caught up in the routine of the classroom or experience the pressure of test scores/ evaluations leading to class time feeling more valuable. Other times we just don't want to spend the time or go through the hassle of permission slips, coverages, or placing students not attending in other classrooms because it is time consuming and tiring. Knowing students learn best from seeing first hand and experiencing, as opposed to the monotony of just reading and writing about a historical site, work of art, or architectural landmark, pushes me to get students out of the classroom as much as possible. I learn the best that way so some of my students probably do too.
Just strolling around the local neighborhood around Richard R Green HS I encounter many of these awesome resources within a square mile of the school; Battery Park, Statue of Liberty, Fraunces Tavern, Staten Island Ferry, Brooklyn Bridge, sculptures by Kieth Haring, Alexander Calder, Jean Debuffet among many others, The Jewish Museum, 9/11 Museum, The Museum of the American Indian, African Burial Ground, and Trinity Church just to name a few within walking distance.
Taking advantage of the warm December weather I decided to take my advisory to the Hot Ideas for a Cooler World exhibit in Battery Park. Each student was assigned an artist's globe to write about. They focused on the way the artist displayed how we can conserve energy as beings on this planet. There are around 15-20 globes at the outdoor exhibit. We were back within a 50 minute period. Every student showed a willingness and curiosity to learn more. This exhibit is done by different artists in NYC, Chicago, Washington DC, San Francisco, San Diego, Geneva, Amsterdam, Vancouver, Boston , Houston, Copenhagen, and LA. For more info go to coolglobes.org. Here are some pics from our local field trip.
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