Goodrich – Sven Anderson is going green and taking his students with him.
‘My goal for my students is to make sure they are educated enough about the world around them to make good environmental decisions for the rest of their lives,? said Anderson, high school environmental science teacher.
Establishing good recycling habits is part of what he tries to instill in his students. ‘If we practice energy conservation and recycling enough, then it will become just a way of life,? he said. ‘We have been recycling here at Goodrich High School for 12 years.?
It is Anderson’s recycle team of eight students that he relies on to keep the program moving along.
‘My recycle team sorts out all of the plastics and helps handle all of the newspapers, catalogs and magazines that need to go into our recycle bin. They work really hard,? he said.
Anderson said he believes global warming to be a very real threat to the climate around the world and said he was disappointed that more questions about global warming were not asked during the recent presidential debates.
‘It has been documented by the entire scientific community that our world is being affected by global warming, yet the United States tends to ignore it,? said Anderson.
Although Anderson feels strongly about the effects of global warming, he said it is important to him not to use his classroom as a political platform. He wants his students to think for themselves. ‘I might ask my students what is causing global warming or what can we do about it, instead of giving my opinion,? he said.
Senior Lauren Warner said Anderson really helps to bring environmental science to life. ‘I really love Mr. Anderson’s class because he likes taking us outside to teach us about the environment. I remember the lesson he taught us about the edge effect. He pointed out the woods and the meadow and how they co-exist together to create the right balance in nature.?
Wading around in the local ponds and streams, Anderson said, is a great way to capture specimens for the microscope that he said can project onto his television. ‘We can also determine what kind of water quality we have,? said Anderson.
Another one of Anderson’s students, Christine Fiedler, said, ‘He has such a relaxed class and treats us as equals. That really makes a difference. Sometimes when there is time, he will just teach us about life.? Anderson said he encourages his students to speak their minds. ‘Students need a friend, and they know I am there for them if they need me for anything,? said Anderson.
Sometimes Anderson said he gets letters from his students thanking him for his class. ‘I got a letter once from one of my students who said thanks for opening her eyes to the rest of the world and that it is something she will carry with her the rest of her life.?
Anderson said he used to be a math teacher a long time ago and said it just wasn’t as much fun and as interesting as environmental science. ‘I like how physics, chemistry and the environment all fit together,? he said.