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In the summer of 2008, Earth Care International held its first ever Sustainability Education Institute for Teachers here in Santa Fe. Over the course of seven days we considered – when measured against the massive environmental and social challenges of our time – “What is education for; what is education called to do?” An overarching theme that emerged was that of releasing authority in favor of authenticity.
Authority. noun. The power to determine, adjudicate, or otherwise settle issues or disputes; jurisdiction; the right to control, command, or determine. “Authority” refers to a claim of legitimacy, justification and right to exercise that power.
Authentic. adj. Not false or copied; genuine; real. Entitled to acceptance or belief because of agreement with known facts or experience; reliable; trustworthy. Synonyms: genuine, real, veritable.
A philosophy of authenticity is a particular way of dealing with the external world, being faithful to internal rather than external ideas. It refers to the truthfulness of origins, attributions, commitments, sincerity, devotion, and intentions.
At the Institute’s closing ceremony, the teachers shared their intentions of how they would work to implement
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education for sustainability when they return to school. As we went around the circle, many spoke about their desire to create a kinder, more authentic and empowering relationship with their students and to make education more authentic by learning from and creating a relationship to place – the social and ecological place we call Santa Fe.
In the teachers’ words:
“[I’ve realized] how much power a teacher really has. I guess I have to really take that potential to heart and take responsibility for it.”
“Most of my ideas are ideas that are imposed by me on the school/students. But I really want to shift that to capitalizing on student energy and student-generated ideas.”
“[I intend to] continue to encourage and support my students to be their most authentic self both in and out of the classroom.”
“Grounding curriculum and school-in-place in a radical way could really drive lessons; create energy in a new way.”
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