Elizabeth Seiffert

In 2020, New Jersey became the first US state to adopt climate change learning standards in all public-school grade levels and across all subjects. While the state provides resources to help teachers adapt their lesson plans to the new standards, Ridge High School social studies teacher Liz Seiffert knew getting classroom-ready on climate change would be a heavy lift. “We teachers definitely need to know more about climate change,” she says. “We need to know where to even begin because it's such a broad topic.”

So, when Liz heard about the Penn LPS Online Certificate in Climate Change from a colleague, she saw an opportunity. “I went to my school district and asked if they would support me in completing the Climate Change Certificate,” she says. “I thought it would be a great way for me to help myself and my colleagues fit climate change into our curricula. I offered to take the Penn classes and then run workshops to help other teachers incorporate the subject into their classes,” she continues. The school district agreed.

Liz started the certificate in fall 2021 with the recommended first course, CLCH 1600: Oceanography. “For me, returning to a program wasn’t that difficult,” she says of balancing the course with full-time teaching. Liz already had experience as a non-traditional student, she explains, having completed her bachelor’s degree and teaching certificate in her early forties. A few years later, while teaching full time, she returned for her master’s degree, too. “I like going to school,” she affirms.

Still, Penn offered her a good challenge. “It was manageable, but it was work. There isn’t any fluff in these courses,” she promises. The asynchronous delivery allowed her to fit school in around her work schedule, teaching five sections of senior Advance Placement human geography. She recalls, however, needing to adapt to the rhythm of an accelerated 8-week term, which included weekly discussion posts and reviews. “I could watch the recorded lectures whenever I wanted, as long as I had them completed before a quiz,” she notes. When she initially struggled with the computations in her second course, CLCH 2200: Atmospheric Science, Liz quickly found extra support from her instructor, Maria-Antonia Andrews. “She met with me on Zoom and was beyond helpful and nice,” Liz remembers.

Beginning her certificate with science-focused courses, Liz says, helped her understand the underlying causes of climate change before diving into her final course choices, CLCH2300: Climate Change and CLCH 3100: Global Environmental Issues. The seasoned educator was, naturally, conscious of the teaching methods, too—recognizing how each class broke down the broad topic of climate change and made it approachable. “The recorded lectures were so informative. I would literally be making a list of what I could use in my own class from a video or an assigned article, or just from how a concept was presented,” she says. Active engagement with classmates through discussion board posts was an important part of the learning process, too. “It was all really well rounded and well done,” she says. “I was happy I was learning so much.”

Liz finished her certificate in fall 2022, just as the new learning standards were going into effect in New Jersey. “With the Certificate in Climate Change, I have a lot more in my tool belt to use in my own classroom,” she says. At the start of the school year, her human geography class also received an updated edition of their textbook, which integrates climate change and human-environment interaction into almost every chapter. “So now I have the new version of the textbook plus what I've learned through Penn,” Liz says, which has helped her bring a richer lesson plan to her students.

“The students are well aware that climate change is an important issue,” Liz explains, “but they don’t know the science. So I’m helping them understand that piece,” she says, in addition to teaching the societal and environmental impacts of climate change. She also makes a point of discussing climate responses and solutions. “I'm mindful of the fact that learning about climate change can seem like doom and gloom, so I frame it in a way where I show the students that it’s not too late.”

To do this, Liz provides her class with examples of people, countries, and organizations across the world making gains in tackling climate change—examples that she’s borrowed from her Climate Change Certificate courses. “Proving that we can all do things to improve the situation makes the students hopeful,” she says. “They’re getting a clearer sense that there is good that's being done to fix the problems.”

As for helping her fellow teachers adapt to the new learning standards, Liz is currently in discussion with her district leadership about next steps. “We have what are called Staff College courses, which are professional development opportunities offered by the district and hosted by administrators and teachers. That said, I plan on developing a climate change staff college session,” she explains. “By taking the Penn courses and putting that knowledge into a concise manner for my colleagues—whether they're teaching economics or government or sociology or any other subject—I can say, ‘okay, here's what you can do in your classroom.’”

This type of colleague-to-colleague course is not only about subject proficiency, but also time. “Having time to investigate a new learning standards topic is a challenge for everybody,” Liz says. “We’re all doing our best and helping each other figure it out.”

In spite of the challenges and hard work, Liz knows the climate change learning standards are important for the students’ understanding of the world and their future. “I think they really care about the environment,” she says. And Liz certainly cares about her students. “They’re great kids. Teaching human geography is fascinating because it helps them learn about politics, migration, population, agriculture, climate change—so many things. I love it,” she beams. “Being an educator is great.”