EDUCATION
Alexandra McDonald EduCCate Global Climate Change Teacher Interview by Ned Kelly
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ailing from England, Alexandra McDonald took a couple of weeks off her job in London, completed a TEFL and was in China less than a month later. That was almost seven years ago, and she hasn’t looked back. She met her husband here, and her two sons were born in the country. Alexandra was also the first teacher in China to become a UN accredited EduCCate Global Climate Change Teacher, and is EduCCAte Global’s China Campaign Leader. As Urban Family’s latest columnist, we thought an introductory interview was in order.
What does it mean to be an EduCCate Global Climate Change Teacher?
One would hope that if you are an educator, you are passionate about informing our children – the leaders and consumers of tomorrow – about how to get on in the world, how to make good choices and make the world a better place. There is no greater threat to all of us than that of climate change. Most people I speak to want to do more but don’t necessarily know how. By becoming an EduCCate Global Climate Change Teacher, you learn so much and are given a mountain of information so that you can answer the questions you will undoubtedly be asked. You are part of a global platform of climate change teachers from all around the world, with access to thousands of teaching resources – projects, English corners, initiatives - to use in any way you see fit in your school. It can easily be integrated into an already existing curriculum – you are encouraged to take the knowledge and do what you can with it. You will also be accredited by the United Nations; not only will you be helping the children, this accreditation is beneficial for you. Oh, and this is all FREE!
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What are your targets?
We’re currently on Phase 1 – our aim is to get one EduCCate Global Climate Change Teacher accredited by the UN in every school around the world. We have leaders in many countries and areas around the world. The course is being translated into 25 languages, and is already becoming compulsory in the UK, Italy and Dubai. In many places, our ambition of one teacher in every school is turning into one teacher in every classroom.
What sort of initiatives have you rolled out in China already?
There are around 250,000 teachers around the world who have either completed, or are in the process of completing this course – 600 of them are in China. We have a teacher in Shenyang (me) who is setting up school trips for schools in the city with Xian Er, a passionate environmentalist who has the land, passion and resources for tree planting and sustainable food growing trips.
Phase 2 involves sponsorship and introducing vocational courses. Many schools in the UK want a teacher in every classroom so as to be able to prepare their kids for the ‘Green Economy’. Parents don’t want their children to struggle finding a job.
A teacher in Beijing, Oliver Wessely, runs outdoor education programs, environmental field trips and is working with the British Embassy to run an environmental awareness project (as well as many other initiatives that I will discuss in a future column).
The jobs of tomorrow will be different from the jobs of the past. We need environmental engineers, city planners, green accountants to name but a few. There are currently over a million vacant green jobs in the UK because the citizenry just don’t have the skill set yet.
A teacher in Guangzhou, Michelle Myra, organizes swap shops, campaigns to save the polar bears and is working, with others, on ZeroWasteGuangzhou. We encourage our teachers to do what they can in and out of their schools, and to think big!
We are also looking to partner with a Chinese NGO or Government organization to help us move forward.
