As we prepare to return to school this fall it seems to me that the Apollo 11, 40th anniversary which passed several weeks ago (July 20th) should provide all levels of teachers (and parents) with a remarkable learning tool.
In early 1961 well before laptops, ipods, iPhone’s, blackberry’s, President Kennedy challenged the nation…
”I believe that this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the Moon and returning him safely to the Earth.”
We did it. It is just an amazing – amazing – thought. Not just that we landed men on the moon – but that we did it ahead of schedule – and in essence from a standing start.
Do you remember? (I do!) As a child in school – watching the Apollo program – launch, tracking, splash down….these were our hero’s – The Right Stuff!
The country then and now was in conflict – Vietnam, Civil Rights, a new generation…But the Apollo program stayed on course and succeeded.
It is little wonder that Vice President Al Gore begins his slide show/movie An Inconvenient Truth with images of the earth taken from the Apollo program. The images are beautiful – they show our home – the show the only place that human life comfortably exists. The images show how small and in a way fragile our home/planet is.
The challenge of Climate Change and Climate Education – is so important.
How do we convince young people that we are in fact up to the task? How do we get our leaders to think of changes in energy policy – now – not 20, 30, 40 years from now.
We know that the technology exists today to stop using coal, and oil. We know – yet we do not have the will to act.
We need leadership – President Obama – stay firm – even with the many other important issues we face – like President Kennedy – challenge the nation to make dramatic change.
And – teachers – use Apollo 11 – tell your students that anything can be done. We can go to the moon and back. We can meet the challenges we face from Climate Change – and we need our young people to stand up and be prepared to help and lead.
(And – thanks NASA for the photos!)
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