We held an Environmental Conference at my school on Earth Day this year. This was a conference totally organized by the students, which I attended.

Unbeknownst to me, while they were organizing this conference via video chats every Friday after school for weeks, they also formed an organization called Langley Youth Environment Action Network. They even made an Instagram account (see link below).

During the opening hour, they had ice breaker activties that included a round table discussion on what each person's greatest environmental quest would be. I sat and listened and knew that it had to be recorded.

Their's is a message that globally, the people need to hear. But it is a message that locally, teachers need to hear. This is your audience, these are your students, hear what it is that they are thinking about and what they want to learn more about.

The world is changing faster than ever and it worries me that schools are changing the slowest. So try this simple test...if your classroom and your lessons and strategies were the same ones you used 20 years ago, or were used on you as a student 20 or more years ago...it's time to change it up. Students today are far too aware, far too connected, far too passionate to be treated as if it's 2003 still. To me, that is the greatest message coming out of this episode.

Reach out to me on Twitter: @astrostephenson or email: astrostephenson11@gmail.com and let me know your thoughts on this theme I'm stating. I'd love to know the thoughts of the greater mass.

And find this student group on Instagram: @lyean.sd35