Alliance for Climate Education

Last Wednesday I got a message from a school administrator on the east coast concerning the Alliance on Climate Education (ACE). ACE had proposed to do a presentation for their students and the administrator, being responsible, checked their web site and found that they had us listed as a school that had hosted them before. She was interested in finding out how I felt about the ACE presentation before she committed to them. Below is the text of my email to her…

We had the Alliance on Climate Education present in the fall. Our science staff is split on their feelings. Some of my teachers feel it was an excellent presentation and would take their classes again. Several others feel (like I do) that the presentation was very light on science and very heavy on propaganda. While I would not oppose them returning, I would not be bringing my classes to see the presentation.

Specifically, I was disturbed by the speakers request that our students get their cell phones out and send a text. I do not recall the reason he gave, but it was clear he was attempting to generate a "call list" that could be accessed later. I believe that he intended, later, to contact everyone on the list and ask them to contact government officials, industry, the media .....in order to influence their actions. I am very non-political, and this tactic bothers me to no end--they are children. After the first period presentation I warned two other classes I was bringing not to send the text when asked, and decided not to bring my Advanced Placement students, feeling it would be a waste of their time.

On the other hand our students enjoyed the presentation--it was well done and very professional. It might be more appropriate for a "Social Justice" class than a "science class." I hope this helps. If you have any other questions feel free to reply.


She got back to me about 30 minutes later with this reply . . . .

Thank you so much for taking the time to respond to my inquiry. I agree with your feelings about putting students in a situation where they might be used by an organization. This information is very helpful to us and I will share it with our teachers.
Best regards,

Tens of thousands of children, poised to become part of the “solution” to the environmental crisis when contacted to do so is a powerful tool for those who want to influence the debate. I have no feelings one way or the other whether they allow ACE to present at their school. I do though have feelings about the insanity surrounding the current debate on global warming, and the immoral tactics employed by both sides. The insanity is so deep-seated that anyone who even suggests that there is a debate will be angrily denounced by both sides as a dangerous extremist, each side insisting that the evidence is overwhelming for their point of view. The ACE presentation our students were exposed to treated the “fact” of global warming as so undeniable that someone would have to be a very bad person, stupid, or possibly a Republican to deny it. I have seen presentations by the other side as well, and they are equally loathsome.
How do I feel? I don’t know. The debate has been so corrupted by lying and exaggeration on both sides that even someone like me, who was trained in science, doesn’t know who to believe. Falsifying data and intentionally instilling panic in the populace can’t be excused because you had some higher purpose. The politicians and scientists involved in this circus have no one to blame but themselves. To paraphrase; the pursuit of money is the root of all evil, and, no doubt, whoever is successful will make a fortune. And in either case, that fortune will come out of your pocket and mine.

The Permanent Solution to a Temporary Problem.

In thirty five years of teaching at my present school I have unhappily experienced the tragic death of students on several occasions. Two young men died at athletic events; both times because of an unknown heart condition. Back when I taught Biology, I lost a student to a severe brain infection. There have been numerous car accidents that unfortunately took young people’s lives. To date, no student has been murdered. I don’t know the exact number, but I would estimate the total in 35 years as around 20.

The death rate among people 15-24 is about 0.08% per year, about 15% of those are suicides. Our average student population predicts we should experience about 1 death a year, and we are a little below that number. These statistics do not dull the hurt of any single incidence, especially when the young man involved is your former student.

Last week at school we were in crisis mode because of the suicide of one of our seniors. The principal sent out a group voice message to all faculty members last Sunday night announcing the tragedy; and the next morning we had a meeting before school to apprise us of the facts, as they were known at the time, of the incident. My freshmen and sophomores were relatively unaffected by the news, very few showing any signs of grief. Most of them did not even know the young man. Many of the staff, including the principal, were visibly shaken, including one of his present teachers who could not stop crying. For me, it was difficult to get through first several periods as he was my student two years before. I remember him as a quiet, but gentle young man. He was a very good student, an athlete, and had many friends. He was dating a young lady at that time who I also had in class. Apparently, they had been together for almost three years before they broke up last year, remaining friends. I passed her in the halls just after the faculty meeting and, surrounded by friends, she was visibly sobbing. Word has it that he had been going out with another young lady and they recently broke it off. It would be easy to assume that this might have been the trigger that pushed him over the edge.
Not getting into too many details, he shot himself. The family is rumored to have several guns in the house and the word is that he shot himself with his own weapon. Over fifty percent of teen suicides used a gun—80% of those are males. Information also has surfaced that he was taking “something” for some unspecified “problem” and had recently gone off his meds. The combination of an untreated emotional/physiological problem with access to guns is a prescription for disaster.

Personally, I find it difficult to believe that he shot himself. I still suspect that it was an accident, thought everybody else thinks I am completely wrong. I can’t imagine how devastating this has been for his parents. As a parent myself it fills me with fear and panic—it could happen to anybody. At the wake, the line of students and parents was out the door; some reporting a wait in line of 40 minutes. The funeral at a local Parish filled the church to capacity with his grieving classmates, teachers, and administrators from school.

Our school community has always rallied to the challenge presented by a tragedy. In the week after this heartbreak almost twenty students came forward to report their concerns for a friend who they feared might be on a similar path. Each of these students were seen with their parents in order to inform them of the concerns and offer assistance getting help if it was deemed necessary. I hope I never have to see this happen again.