I'm Patrick Malley, superintendent of Haslett Public Schools, and you're listening to Haslet Voices. In this episode, I get to sit down with Bridget Booth, an eighth grade science teacher at Haslett Middle School who also advises two student clubs that are focused on environmental sustainability and leadership. About a year ago, I got invited to meet with one of those clubs, and I was immediately struck by the high level of student talk in the room. I was equally struck by the way that Mrs. Booth was talking to students. She was very clearly listening and letting them lead.
So months later, when I was launching our strategic planning effort, I reached out to her. I had noticed all this energy across the district around climate and sustainability. See, we have environmental student clubs and initiatives at every school. So I asked Mrs. Booth if she'd help me understand what was happening. In our conversation, we discussed student voice and agency, first through the lens of climate and environmental work, but more broadly on providing students with choice to build engagement in the classroom.
We dig into what's different about middle schoolers right now, what we should be celebrating about them, and what teaching and learning can look like when we trust students to show us what they're capable of. It's a great window into what's happening in our classrooms and why it matters. First, thank you for your willingness to do this. I wanna start by talking about what I recall is our first meeting when I was hired by the district in July. I believe I was invited by Associate Superintendent Diane Lindbert to come meet with you to talk about a fellowship that I think you had just participated in.
Yeah. So a couple years ago, I was invited well, I applied to be part of a fellowship called the CEE Change fellowship, c as in c e e, for civic environmental education. And this was through an organization called the North American Association for Environmental Education. So kind of an international environmental education organization. You know, I've been in environmental education for a long time, actually ever since I started teaching.
I got started at a nature center and went back to school and got my certificate. And so ever since I've been a science teacher who really integrates environment and outdoor education into how I teach. This particular fellowship was really got my attention because it focused on climate education. I've been teaching climate ever since. I've been teaching science, and it's obviously changed a lot over the decade.
The resources that I started with weren't available. Now there's a lot more that we know and a lot more kind of pedagogy around how to teach about climate change. The fellowship was around developing a community action project that addressed climate change in some way. And so mine was to work on a cross curricular climate education model for middle school. Thinking about the fact that climate change is such a big problem that it's not just for science class, that it's something that we should be talking about and kind of integrating it into other subject areas.
And so, yeah, I was one of only two formal teachers that were chosen to participate that year. There were 30 of us. And I was in a group of amazing people from around the world doing all kinds of projects and and things dealing with climate education in different capacities.
Yeah. And so I kind of just jumped in with that personal connection. But why don't we go back to what you teach at the middle school as as well as how that fellowship shows up in in practice in those classes that you teach?
So I teach eighth grade science Mhmm. Team eighty one. I've been so this is my seventh year, I think, at Haslet Middle School. The fellowship really allowed me to talk to my other team teachers who were 100% on board from the very beginning.
I just can't say enough about about my team and the eighth grade teachers in general, all the teachers really at Haslett Middle School, but I just love the eighth grade team. And they were so willing to to try it and to integrate it into their subject areas even without really, you know, having much experience teaching climate, they were open to it.
I think that I've seen at one of the building level staff meetings that you've had an opportunity to talk to the entire middle school staff just about some of this.
Yes. So when I got the fellowship, Paula Dobson was really great at saying, yep. And the thing with the fellowship was I had to miss like the first week of school to go to this leadership training to be part of the fellowship. She was very gracious about letting that happen. Diane Lindbert was also one of the ones that was really super supportive, always has been, of the environmental education work. So there was that, but they were also very much like, okay, we support this endeavor. And so I was able to talk to the staff, get teachers on board who are willing to kind of help me think it through and pull all the parts and pieces together.
And, yeah, it ultimately ended up being a teacher student partnership. So, you know, a lot of times we think about developing lessons and new, you know, new ideas for how to integrate different concepts into our subject areas, and we think we have to kind of plan it all out ahead of time. But when the students are part of that process, it became this this really meaningful experience like a partnership for students and teachers working together. How do we start talking about climate change in school? You know, with that model, the students were able to really tell me what they needed.
What do they need to know to feel like confident and to be able to handle all the emotions that come with talking about a changing climate and all of the things that means for the, you know, for the future.
Sure. And I think one of the things that I've picked up on since coming to the district is that that issue feels very important to our student body. But I just wanna start at kind of the basic level because I know you you lead two clubs that are sustainability related, SEA and SEAL. So I was just hoping you could just talk a little bit about those clubs and what's different about them and what's the same.
Yeah. So when I started at Haslett, Ben Panetta actually was the adviser for the conservation club and did a great job. But he was, you know, doing lots of clubs. And once he, you know, kind of learned about me and my background, he was so gracious and was like, you should you should be in charge of this club. So I kind of took that over, and it was the conservation club for a while.
And I really wanted it to start having, more of, like, an action oriented feel. And his, you know, was was that way as well, but not just limited to ideas around conservation, but just about environment in general. The student environmental action team is what SEA stands for. And that name change happened actually as a result of the SEAL group, which is student environmental activism leadership.
And that actually came from that fellowship. Because like I said, one of the one of the things I really wanted to center was student voice in developing these these cross curricular climate lessons. And so I tapped some high schoolers that were freshmen at the time that were in my eighth grade class and were SEA Club members previously then the conservation club. And I knew they would be interested in helping. And so they immediately became advisors to the eighth grade team that was helping me develop these climate lessons.
Gotcha.
But then took took this this environmental action to the whole next level, and they're the ones that came up with the SEAL acronym and really embodied the leadership. That's when I changed the name to SEA Club with the idea being that there is now a bridge between the middle school and the high school. And when they're in the high school, the L is is that leadership component that they're really, you know, leading in in lots of different ways.
So I think my second meeting with you was an invite to a SEAL meeting. And and one of the things that that first stood out for me was the high level of student talk in the meeting. It was it was just different, you know, from from other settings that I've seen in schools throughout my career of like, these students were were talking about some of these challenges at a level that is just immediately noticeable to an adult when you hear it. It's impressive, I think is what I'm trying to say. But then also what got me was just how you showed up in the room for them and with them.
You weren't talking at them. You weren't overly directing the the agenda as we sometimes can do as adults. You were you were really on level with them. And so I wanna talk a little bit about where that comes from.
I think it's kind of always been sort of my strategy, my style as a teacher, especially in these extracurriculars. You know, like you want student buy in. And so when when you're there and they're they're there on their own time, it's not part of the school day, really making sure it's a meaningful experience for them. But especially in the realm of climate education, like when you look at climate change, like the movement behind, like getting people to understand and learn about climate change, it's really a youth driven movement. Like you think of the leaders and you think of like Greta Thunberg and these these young people who are really like stepping forward saying that it's not okay what's happening, and that we need to really start having more meaningful conversations.
And so, you know, I think it's it's easy for adults to talk over kids and to, you know, kind of direct them in certain ways. But when you can sort of sit back and let go and listen, like I am constantly just impressed and amazed at what what kids will do when they are given the space to show what they know, and they feel respected enough to share their ideas. They feel listened to. Like I said, that that group, that small group of high schoolers that started the SEAL Club has moved in directions that I would have never anticipated. And I think that that comes from sitting at the table with them and not like standing over them.
Yeah. We talk a lot in education about the concept of agency. Right? It's like this this idea that we want students to be the agents of their own learning, of their own life. And it can be hard to provide opportunities for students to do that if we're not letting go a little bit. and I but I imagine that also shows up in in your lessons. Mhmm. It might look different for a sixth grader than it does an eighth grader
Yes. It does
a senior. Right? There's always this this this natural release we wanna give kids Mhmm. To the ownership of of their learning and and the extracurricular environment versus the classroom environment. Right. And did they want to do it or did we ask them to do it because it's in the curricular
For sure. I mean I think it's a challenge. Think I think probably you get a group of teachers in a room and they would all agree that that students are gonna thrive when they have some choice, when they're, able to use their skill set to demonstrate what they know. And unfortunately, I think we do get kind of stuck in a rigidity sometimes in a classroom setting. And, you know, in part because we have certain things we have to teach in a certain timeline and that can that can constrict.
And we we can all think of those students who maybe are disengaged because that style or whatever it is you're asking them to do doesn't it doesn't work for them in whatever way that is. So when we are able to develop opportunities, think, for students to think about, okay. Here's what I'm tasked to do. And so for the climate action days, you know, they got these cross curricular lessons. And then at the end of the year, it led into this experience that they did together.
In the first year, it was a climate solutions museum where they all created an artifact of some kind, and then that turned into an opportunity for them to share their knowledge with younger students in the building. And then last year, the year that you saw, was a little different. We just did it as like climate action days. Like, what are some concerns we have? What are some environmental or sustainable topics that are related to climate in some way?
And develop, like, a proposal. Like, what could we do about it? When it's a little bit more open and there's obviously things that they are required to do. Sure. But they can decide if they want it to be more artistic or if they want it to be more technical.
Mhmm. If they feel comfortable presenting in front of a large group or if they need to kind of talk to a smaller group. So I just think students can really thrive in an environment where their skill set is being tapped to be able to learn a little bit more themselves, but then also share what they learn with an authentic audience. You know, asking students to do a project that then doesn't really leave the classroom isn't as meaningful as asking them to do something that has the potential to like change the school or help the district in some way.
Yeah. You know, and I don't know, I didn't see the rubric or how you set up the expectations for students, but it was very doable. I think what the students were proposing, they were at a level where students could have an impact through their advocacy to say, you know, whether it is like, hey, why are we still using Styrofoam trays in our lunchrooms? You know, think one of your groups had done the cost analysis of what it would cost to bring in dishwashers to get rid of the Styrofoam trays and and have reusable trays every single day. Mhmm.
And, you know, so I would imagine that at some point that involved researching the cost of commercial dishwashing units.
Yep.
Right? And so, you know, whether or not that translate directly to knowledge that they're gonna use now, like, you're building agency by just having them go and look up like, hey, you may not know now, but you can know. You know it's out there, it's on the internet, find out Yeah. What it costs.
Exactly.
Anyway, I just think the the general idea of moving moving a big idea forward in a small way has some power to it. Right?
Absolutely.
We're not asking these eighth graders to solve big world problems, but we're asking them to solve small local problems that will Yes. Have an impact at the larger scale.
Exactly. Does that
makes yeah.
Right. We don't want them to have to worry about solving climate change. They can think about climate impacts and like how can we minimize those here in our area? And that place based component is hugely important. And that civic engagement piece, you know, they start thinking about who would I need to talk to to make change in the cafeteria?
Okay. So we need to talk to the people that are in charge of the food service and the people that order the food and the so it really gets them thinking about the community scale of something. And and those are the skills that we want them to have outside of school to be able to think about, here's a problem in my community, whose voices do I need to hear to be able to like make positive change?
Well, and that in order to have a position, you need to have perspective and that requires and research and you've got to put in the time and that they all are capable.
I wanna fast forward a bit to February, I had just launched with our board of education strategic plan initiative, we were trying to get input from teachers and students in the community about where we're headed as a district. I had noticed that there were a lot of environmental and sustainability clubs across the district, that there was energy amongst our student body around climate change conversations, and it felt like something that mattered to the community that I wanna make sure that I dug deeper in. So I reached out to you specifically to ask for help to pull together a district group to have these conversations. And I just wondered from your perspective, what's the power and potential of that district group since it was formed last late winter spring?
Oh, I think there's a there's really great potential. I'm really excited about it. In part because it was also one of those things that came from hearing those student voices, know that SEAL team that really you know that that first year of the climate the cross curricular climate work and that was you know before you officially started they actually addressed the school board and talked about being a green school. So Haslett Middle School is a certified green school with the state of Michigan. We're at the Emerald status.
We have other buildings in Haslett that are also green schools. And this year we're working towards all of our schools getting that green school certification. But it requires, you know, a certain amount of work and a certain amount of people who are, you know, dedicated to that. And so, yeah, having the students really think, like, how could we kind of start connecting the work that we're doing between the buildings?
So we could identify, yeah, that there were environmental groups from, you know, the littles all the way through high school, but we all kind of felt a little isolated from each other. You know, Hazlett Middle School had gotten the green school certification, but like, you know, Ralya right next door that's doing a ton of environmental work wasn't quite able to get the, you know, the application done in time. And so we started thinking about what if we kind of helped each other, you know, we start connecting this work and really also start making some goals as a district for how we can really prioritize sustainability and like reducing climate impact and all of the other things. So thank you again to you for being so open and helping that idea happen. But now we have this district team that has staff from every building represented and members of that SEAL team.
So we have our student leaders that are part of the conversation also and who are really helping us, you know, move our goals forward. So I think that the potential for this group is to really think about sustainability as, you know, not just the work of certain individuals in each building or just the the work of these environmental clubs, but like how do we just really integrate it into what we do and who we are and how we exist as a school district. So that when you walk into Haslett Schools, you can see that we prioritize sustainability, that really working on minimizing our environmental impact and that we're, you know, we care about our grounds and that we want students to be able to learn outside and have beautiful places to go explore and do some outside lessons.
And so I think this team is is really working now on analyzing our outdoor learning spaces, thinking about how we can set some goals for, you know, making continuous improvements, kind of aligning with community partners that might support us in that work. And also really start thinking about how we can support teachers who are wanting to do more of that place based environmental education that can still be connected to standards and still connected to curriculum, but with a really place based component to get kids to connect with their community. I think that this group is is really gonna hopefully make those those goals be attainable by doing the doing a little bit of the the background work to make it easier for for Haslett staff, teachers and staff to be able to make those shifts.
I think it was said in a past meeting that, you know, with the Green Schools Initiative, all of our schools are already doing the work to meet that basic level of green status. It really is just a matter of doing the application. Then once everybody has a designation as a green school, it comes to those statuses that you talked about as like a benchmarking of like Yes. You know, what next? Like, how we how do we make sure that we continue to to improve in this trajectory?
And I said to you and the group many times, like I do consider myself a student of this work, definitely not an expert, and so I really appreciated just being a participant. I especially enjoyed our last meeting at Wilkshire to walk through the Wilkshire Courtyard.
Yeah. Lovely.
Because I know miss Merton does such a nice job. And as a superintendent, when I walk through it and I see some of the things, I don't understand the intentionality of it. And so having her walk us through that explain to us, you know, what different components are and and how she uses that to teach students about the outdoors and and the just trying to apply that to a five year old. Right? Yes.
Like what does that look like and how do you Right. How do you have these types of conversations? It was it was yeah. It was great just to see that composting and rain capture. Mhmm. There's just so much so much there that you wouldn't know if you just looked at some of this
space. Right.
But but yeah. I look forward to to that. I also noticed, and and you and I didn't talk about it, so this might be a good chance to do so, that the students took a different role in this last meeting. They were they were out front. And I wanna talk a little bit about that. What was the conversation that you had with the SEAL team before coming into this meeting about their role and and taking more of a leadership role of us adults?
Yeah. Well, it actually came from, you know, we had our our previous meeting and that was an agenda that I set and Mhmm. You know, we had some conversations and I did a quick debrief with the SEAL team after. And one of those members, Maya, was basically like, hey. Can we run the next one? And I said, yeah. That would be great. So because I've got a lot going on so would love that. And what's great about that is that they have had so many experiences now that I knew by saying yes that they already had a sense for what to do and where to go.
And that's in part because of what I had been doing with them that previous year.
So I don't know that just any student would be able to do what they did at the last meeting like lead a district team in a discussion for setting goals and figuring out what we want to do this year. But they have you know they've really gotten a lot of great leadership training over the last year especially in this environmental realm. They've been able to talk with the executive director for the Michigan Climate Action Network. They, like I said, they've already addressed the school board multiple times. They co presented with me at the Michigan Science Teachers Association about doing this kind of work.
They attended the Michigan Climate Summit this past fall just in September, and they actually, Maya and Harrison, spoke from the Capitol Lawn. And so they are accumulating all these experiences and so it makes sense for them to to play a bigger role in how we approach sustainability in the district because they're kind of right there in in the movement.
I also liked and appreciated that they're thinking about how to bring the next level of leaders along because they know they'll be graduating, right? They're not gonna be with us forever.
I know.
And there's there's some real intentionality on their part and probably on your part too. Right? In terms of just making sure that they're bringing bringing up additional Students. And so, yeah. I know Harrison and Maya are very impressive. I just appreciated seeing them upfront and I think that the rest of the group did as well.
We're sitting in a room talking about sustainability together. Know, they're not students that are that are sitting there thinking they don't they don't have a voice. It's a partnership.
Yeah. So Yeah. And I know that it translates into other aspects of their lives as well. I know we talked about that earlier but like I just can't help but think whether it's about climate action today or advocating to a professor at college later needing help about something Absolutely. These are skills that are transferable to a bunch of stuff. So, yeah. I love seeing that in students and I love seeing students lead other students because then they they see that as models.
Yes.
I've got a few questions here that are just just a little more general. Not so specific to the to the work we've been doing or the work that that you've been doing in class. As a superintendent, I don't get to sit in classrooms as frequently or even in the same way that I once was when I was a teacher or a principal. And so I'm just curious what you're noticing with middle schoolers right now. I wonder what feels different for you compared to even a few years ago.
And I also wonder what hasn't changed. Like what's the same with with middle schoolers, you know, kind of thinking about what kids still need and what they've always needed.
Well, middle schoolers to some extent are always gonna sort of feel like middle schoolers. But there's always so much going on in the brain of a middle schooler. And I've taught all three levels, sixth, seventh, and eighth. And I really do love eighth grade. You know, they're they're getting to this point where they're you can see the high schoolers in them, you know, they're really starting to mature.
But they're still they still appreciate like doing fun kid like things like playing with play doh or doing some stuff with sidewalk chalk outside, you know. They still like that stuff and so that makes it a pretty fun combination. They're still social. You know, they still prefer to be in groups with each other. They still like to learn from each other.
So giving them lots of opportunities to to have that social interaction, but also to challenge them to look beyond their friend group. Right? So that's something I'm constantly doing is trying to get them to work with different people in the room. You know, some things that I think are that are different, I notice a lot more anxiety. I had kids that are just seem to just to have a lot going on emotionally that could point to a lot of different things, but that seems like something that's increased over the years. Kids that just feel like they need a little bit more support just to to sort of be comfortable in school.
What from your perspective or from your colleagues perspective should we be celebrating about middle school kids right now?
A ton. Like I just, it's funny, I talk to the kids all the time how when I tell people I teach middle school, like the standard response is, oh my gosh. Bless you. Or like, how do you do that? I don't know how you do that.
Or there's a spot for you in heaven, whatever. Which is which is funny to me, but I I think there's much to celebrate about this age group. I think that they are they are so focused on, like, justice, like what's right, what's what's what's fair. And so it's a really great time to talk with them about, like, just equity and, like, how can we all make sure that everyone has a place at the table. They're really great about about thinking about problems and being able to dig in a little bit more than you might think.
And they really do appreciate authentic opportunities to apply knowledge to to real things. So I think to the extent that we can, and I know that we're limited in in many ways, just giving them opportunities at school to do the real work, to feel like their knowledge, their skills, their their smartness. Right? Because that takes a lot of different forms. It's not always gonna translate on a test, but that they have these this capacity to make meaningful change just by embracing who they are.
And, you know, I don't know. I just always have this vision of like, how could school be different? Right? And school is great in many ways, but I still think that there's there's some things we could do to to change how we do school a little bit more so that maybe we would start seeing that there are gonna be less less anxious kids. And kids that are, you know, are the neurodivergent kids that are just are not going to do as well in a class where they have to sit for a long time.
Know? So I think that we're kind of we're challenged with a lot of things as teachers, but especially to think about like how can we how can we do what we're doing in a way that makes it so that that maybe kids are feeling less anxious to come to school and that when they're in school they're feeling like they're doing something real and meaningful and that it's an opportunity for them to show what they're good at.
Before we wrap up, I've got a lightning round of questions I wanna ask everybody who I interview. So I ask five quick questions that'll just help people get to know you a little better. Okay. No right or wrong answers. Whatever comes to mind first, let me know.
Okay.
What's your favorite season and why?
I think it has to be fall. I'm not an extreme temperature person. I like the the cooler, spring and fall are my favorite. But I think I just love trees so much and they are just in their glory in the fall. I love a Michigan fall.
Alright. What's your go to restaurant or food spot in the area and what's your order?
My favorite restaurant is the People's Kitchen on Michigan Avenue. The menu changes with the season because it's a very farm to table type restaurant. I don't know that I have a standard order, but they do a fantastic brunch. So if you're ever gonna try it, brunch would be a good good one to try. You know
why I'm asking this question of everybody. I just want I just want recommendations.
Gotta know where to go next.
That's what I'm looking for. Morning person or night owl?
Night owl for sure.
Beach vacation or mountain getaway?
Mountain getaway, I love the mountains.
And what's your favorite way to spend a Saturday?
I sleep in because I'm a night owl. I would love a day where I can just get up and drink coffee while I read a book. Reading is one of my great pleasures in life and I feel like I have less and less time to do that lately. An outdoor adventure of some kind preferably in the woods or near water. I love being by a river. And then live music in the evening.
Ah, nice.
That's also my favorite thing to do.
Well, that's all I've got. I wanna sincerely thank you not only for doing this, but also, you know, just being a partner with me and trying to think about what we can do as a district. Your your leadership with kids, everything you do in the classroom. I just really appreciate you and thank you for the opportunity to to have this conversation in front of microphones, so that way we can share a little piece of what it's like to be a teacher and what and what your perspective is for kids in our district. So thank
Well, you. It was really I felt honored to be invited.
See? Easy enough.
Easy.
Alright. Now back to class. Right?
Yes.