Climate anxiety: a generational plague

Climate anxiety: a generational plague

Author: Ethical Schools January 22, 2023 Duration: 36:31
We speak with Lian Zeitz, co-founder of the Climate Mental Health Network, which promotes wellness in light of the climate crisis. According to a recent survey, 70% of young people are fearful for their future due to climate change. Teachers can foster wellness by interweaving insights into their curricula, and by instilling habits of hope and resilience. The Climate Mental Health Network prioritizes input from students, working with a Gen Z advisory board. Overview 00:00-00:37 Intros 00:37-02:49 Climate anxiety: what it is and how it is affecting young people 02:49-04:04 “To heal the planet, we have to collectively heal ourselves” 04:04-06:22 When is anxiety about a real threat healthy and when not? 06:22-06:39 Components of wellness 06:39-08:33 How teachers can foster wellness with students 08:33-11:11 Integrating SEL and mental health dimensions, including climate mental health into mainstream curriculum 11:11-13:59 How Climate Mental Health Network supports teachers and administrators 13:59-17:01 K-12 environmental justice curriculum in Califortnia 17:01-19:48 Whole school mental health transformation 19:48-23:04 Gen Z leadership roles 23:04-25:50 Non-medical-centered model 25:50-28:32 Learning from Indigeneous communities without co-optation 28:32-30:47 Individual choices and promotion of wellness 30:47-33:10 How students’ different life experiences have an impact on their degree of climate threat and on ways of supporting them

Conversations about education often focus on test scores and curriculum, but there’s a deeper layer that truly shapes a student’s experience. Ethical Schools digs into that layer, exploring what it means to build a learning community grounded in integrity and care. Each week, hosts Amy and Jon sit down with educators and innovators who are actively reimagining schools. You’ll hear specific, grounded discussions about the practical work of creating environments where every student feels safe and respected. The dialogue frequently addresses how to support young people dealing with trauma, moving beyond theory to share actionable strategies that teachers are using right now. More than just problem-solving, this podcast highlights how to empower students themselves to become advocates and changemakers in their own communities. It’s a series that connects philosophy with daily practice, looking at the social and cultural structures within schools through a lens of ethics. For anyone invested in the future of education-whether you’re a teacher, administrator, or simply a concerned community member-this podcast offers a thoughtful and necessary perspective on the foundational values that make education meaningful.
Author: Language: en-us Episodes: 100

Ethical Schools
Podcast Episodes
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We speak with Elizabeth Steiner, education policy researcher at the RAND Corporation, about diversifying the K-12 teacher workforce. Data consistently shows the benefits, especially to Black and Latiné students, of learn…
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We speak with Dr. Anne Smith, longtime music teacher in Northern Virginia, about accommodating cultural differences. Dr. Smith created an alternate curriculum for students whose traditions don’t allow secular music-makin…
The purpose of education: Educating for a solutionary future? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

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We welcome back Zoe Weil, president and co-founder of the Institute for Humane Education, to speak about her recent Psychology Today column on the purpose of education. Although the official goal of many school systems i…
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Duration: 22:00
We speak with Dr. Justin Reich, director of the MIT Teaching Systems Lab, and host of the TeachLab podcast, about education technology. Hailed by some as the great equalizer, the beneficiaries of ed tech tend to be white…
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Duration: 17:30
We speak with Dr. Leigh Wedenoja of the Rockefeller Institute of Government about the benefits to students of having a teacher for more than one year. Test scores improve, behavior problems subside, absenteeism decreases…
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Duration: 40:45
We speak with Dr. Cecelia Traugh and Dr. Cara Furman, co-authors of “Descriptive Inquiry in Teacher Practice: Cultivating Practical Wisdom to Create Democratic Schools.” Descriptive inquiry is a structured, collaborative…
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Duration: 50:11
We speak with Dr. Linda Nathan of the Center for Artistry and Scholarship and the Perrone-Sizer Institute for Creative Leadership about her experience in creating progressive schools. Dr. Nathan says all teachers, no mat…