Who Will Hold Science Teachers Association Accountable?
    By John Borowski
    t r u t h o u t | Guest Contributor

    Thursday 25 January 2007

The world's largest science teachers association has rejected "An Inconvenient Truth." Who will hold them accountable at their annual national conference?

    Occasionally, a simple story engages people, inspires them to believe that participation in an act of concern can make a difference. I am watching that story unfold - from the inside. A piece published by Truthout on November 28th, 2006, was the initial salvo. Now it has grown into a three-part story with the first two acts completed. We await Act Three, a culminating curtain call: a trip to St. Louis to the March 2007 conference of the National Science Teachers Association to speak on behalf of hundreds of angered parents, teachers and citizens.

    The National Science Teachers Association (NSTA), the world's largest organization of science teachers, is not stepping up for children, and they will not "just say no" to corporate curriculum.

    Actually, Act Three is playing out now as I write. This story began simply enough, on the pages of this web site. Light shone brightly on the NSTA's refusal to distribute 50,000 free "An Inconvenient Truth" DVDs. That part of the story was easy: I was aided by Laurie David, Hollywood celebrity and climate-change activist who contacted me to gather information on the invasion of public schools by the likes of the American Petroleum Institute, Exxon Mobil, Monsanto and Weyerhaeuser.

    The ten-year battle to bring this story to the forefront was far from easy, though. Having watched my steamer trunk of dishonest curriculum from corporate profiteers fill to the brim and spill over, I often wondered why I couldn't crack a national audience. The high visibility of Ms. David, and her subsequent writing of an opinion piece in the Washington Post, created leverage for me to pen Act One.

    I bear witness each school year to field trips sponsored by the world's worst clear-cutters, an energy curriculum mailed to schools that actually intends to deceive children about the reality of climate change, and a disheartening, dishonest "ecological curriculum" that is so brown that even the slickest Madison Avenue propaganda cannot paint it "green." I have traveled to NSTA conferences and collected big coal, big timber and big oil's deceitful and disingenuous "ecological curriculum."

    Since the first piece appeared in Truthout on November 28, 2006, and another on December 13th, hundreds of emails have greeted me every morning and afternoon as I arrived home from school. In ten years of writing about the Trojan horse of corporate misinformation, I have never experienced such an avalanche of support and follow-up on a simple request: voice your outrage. Apparently, hundreds of emails have also been sent to Gerald Wheeler, the executive director of the NSTA, ranging from expressions of outright disgust to requests from NSTA members to drop their subscriptions. On the NSTA's own web site, there has been an open rebellion against the aiding and abetting of climate despoilers by the NSTA. At the conclusion of this piece, please read some of the emails I continue to receive today and emails sent to the NSTA.

    Teachers are writing to me to request free DVDs (Laurie David provided me with 200 to distribute) and ideas on how to educate children on the science and solutions of this impending climate-change disaster. Unfortunately, the NSTA has still refused to distribute the DVDs. Laurie David is now making the DVD available for teachers. Trish, my wife, gave me some money right before Christmas to buy gifts for our two older daughters; I spent it on postage, sending free DVDs to teachers, concerned parents and students. My daughters understood perfectly.

    Act Three of this story will only be completed if we attend the NSTA conference and bring the concerns of thousands of parents, and the best interests of millions of students, to St. Louis: we will not tolerate dishonest curriculum in our schools.

    This past week, letters started to arrive. People who read about the issue in Truthout decided to help us. Close to $1000 in donations showed up, accompanied by letters urging us to fight for kids and help their teachers. These letters call for us, the Native Forest Council, a small grassroots organization, to challenge the likes of Exxon Mobil and Weyerhaeuser at the NSTA conference. We don't have the deep pockets of the fossil fuel cartels, and some lament that their war chest can outspend, out-spin, and bury us. Monsanto and Shell know that they can try to buy the truth. Yet, if we can get to St. Louis in March, we can tell thousands of teachers the real facts and provide them with the insights to teach environmental science, and not industry propaganda.

    We are hoping and praying we can achieve a miracle in the next three weeks: raise nearly $12,000 to pay for a 10 by 10 booth in the "belly of the beast." Weyerhaeuser and other corporate entities have triple booths and materials brought in by the forklift-load every morning. We can't duplicate that effort, but, we can distribute DVDs on climate change and forests, give teachers the truth about "corporate education," and challenge the multinational companies to gain a conscience. Most importantly, we can expose the dishonest and deceitful manipulation of children by some of our nation's biggest Fortune 500 companies. We can keep the story alive, and to the chagrin of the likes of Exxon Mobil and the American Petroleum Institute, we will expose their desire to debunk climate change.

    Big environmental groups are missing in action at the NSTA convention. My requests for them to show up or to fund educators like me has fallen on deaf ears. I know that Exxon Mobil, Project Learning Tree and other corporate powers are hoping that we fail to raise the needed funds; they want to buy the truth and manufacture consent among teachers by filling their bags with their materials. Industry sees the 55 million children in schools today as future consumers, numb and mindless participants in business as usual. They fear an educated citizenry: educated people refuse to be lapdogs.

    Early last week, I will confess, I felt very low. We live in a society where money is often needed for basic access to even begin a good fight. But, this story is far from over. A lack of resources is no excuse for us to capitulate to the power of corporate money. Climate change headlines are screaming for action daily in our newspapers. This generation of students needs to become the most ecologically fluent and ecologically civic-minded citizens ever.

    Cynics tell me that one person, especially in today's world of money politics means nothing. If that is so, then why did a senior in my marine biology class email me this week and tell me that he was going to write a letter to the editor after our climate change unit and that the unit had "a profound effect on his life?" Knowledge is power, and conveying to our children that they have the knowledge to implement climate change solutions is paramount.

    We at the Native Forest Council owe our children the best possible fight against those who wish to teach lies to protect their bottom line: profit at any cost. I am blessed, and never, ever take for granted the responsibility of being a caring educator and elder. Please spread the word about corporate miseducation and the Native Forest Council's efforts to get to St. Louis this March.

    What will Act Three bring? I can only ask caring citizens and parents to make that decision. We will represent your interests in St. Louis, fight for your children, and prove that the truth cannot be bought or sold. The American Petroleum Institute and Exxon Mobil are watching this very, very closely: they fear the curtain going up on a final act. They cannot pay for or buy a happy, corporate-spun ending.

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    John F. Borowski is a teacher of 26 years and advisor of the Native Forest Council's Honest Education Program. More information at forestcouncil.org. Feel free to email John F. Borowski.

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    Please read some of the emails we have received:

    Letter sent to Gerald Wheeler:

Dear Mr. Wheeler,

I am writing to express my dismay over your refusal to distribute DVD copies of the Al Gore film "An Inconvenient Truth" to the science teachers in your Association, as described by Mr. John Borowski. I can only presume you and your corporate "friends" in the American Petroleum Institute, big oil companies, corporate timber concerns, and other businesses whose profits are derived from exploitation of fossil fuels, old growth forests, and other similarly ecologically questionable pursuits, find his truth too inconvenient to teach to those whom we are grooming to lead our country and the world in the future.

I understand that you have gone so far as to attempt to censor his and the Native Forest Council's statements on matters of fact that put your corporate sponsors in a well-deserved bad light. One hopes you are aware that your actions in their support illuminate you in the same bad light. It is incomprehensible to me how someone entrusted with the support of science teachers could behave in such an unscientific manner. It would seem you were not educated as a scientist ... perhaps you have an MBA.

Your slavish acquiescence to the needs of Big Business, at the expense of teaching our children real science, may pay handsome dividends at present but is, in the long run, prohibitively expensive. It is, in fact, civilizational suicide. As the executive director of an organization of science teachers I should not have to point out to you the need for budding scientists to be taught the truth and how to discern truth from lies. That you knowingly choose to promote dishonest teaching materials when excellent resources (such as Al Gore's film) are available says some very unflattering things about you and your values.

I sincerely trust you will move to rectify your errors in the immediate future.

    Letter sent to Gerald Wheeler:

Dear Mr. Wheeler,

Assuming the Truthout account is correct, I would recommend you reverse course promptly to avoid national ridicule. Your organization has lost some stature already. I expect a major uproar if you persist in hiding science.

    Letter sent to John Borowski:

Dear John,

Excellent article in Truthout! I sent my email requesting that they reconsider. I wonder how they might respond to letters from science students nationwide reminding them of the NSTA's mission?

    Letter sent to John Borowski:

Dear John,

The DVDs arrived today - thank you, and I promise we will make good use of them in spreading the word about global warming.

I am going to get in touch with the NRDC - they just called last week for some funds - I asked if it was going to global warming - "he" said yes. Now, I want to know why they wouldn't support your excellent plan to be at the NSTA. Also, if you have a leaflet or info on Native Forest Council it might help me to try for some funds - not sure they would be on time for the end of January, though. Can you attach the info - sounds like a great group!

I will be sending you a little donation, John, though I don't have much - we are a not-for-profit group here in the Woodlands that operates on a shoestring budget!!