February 25th, 2013

Hello Everyone! This Institute seems like an exciting opportunity to explore ideas which have, thus far, remained subliminal to my teaching. There’s always a movie like The Last Mimsy or a novel like Hunger Games (and many, many classics) pushing the envelope of how we consider our foreseeable future. I’ve always wanted to push the requisite research paper a little bit further than the typical English 101 paper on “Global Warming.”  As an English teacher, it’s empowering to realize that there are implications among the Grand Challenges for composition, literature, communications, and many others; through these courses we have the opportunity to enrich and enhance student understanding of the Grand Challenges and move these ideas forward. At the community college level, we have the opportunity to work with students “from all walks” as they begin their professional journey and encourage them to “better understand the factors shaping individual behavior, values and perceptions of threats and risks” (15) as it pertains to global change and collective action. Teaching students to think, to be proactive, and to think beyond their immediate sphere of influence is a challenge – putting these ideas into a context such as sustainability makes it that much more interesting and engaging. I’m looking forward to this Institute as an opportunity to grow and explore. --Amanda Eason, SLC participant.