Education or brainwashing?

I am a science teacher and a leaseholder. Part of my school year consists of teaching about both energy resources and the environment. I was a bit taken aback when I received an email from our assistant superintendent that suggested we talk to our students about fracking and then gave us a lesson plan with a resource. The resource was from 2001 and completely bias against the gas companies. There was only one side of the issue presented. Then I did a little research to find out how we are teaching our children about this resource and I came across http://mrwynne.blogspot.com/2011/01/very-informative-video-on-hydra.... While I applaud the teacher's use of technology in the classroom and his innovative approach, I also found that his blog was one sided. Another site I found was http://www.thinkbeforeyoufrack.org/ that was made by teenagers in NY.

 

I believe that this one-sided approach hurts students by not allowing them to think critically about a complex subject such as fracking. There are so many variables that need to be considered when deciding whether one agrees with drilling or not. Although I have no doubt that these educators are well intentioned, I fear that they have only shown one aspect of the discussion. It is not until we look at an issue from all perspectives that we can intelligently determine our position. What a missed opportunity for these students.

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Permalink Reply by KSM on April 26, 2011 at 7:22am

we're being offered $2,000 per acre plus royalties (though i haven't heard what that figure is yet -- this is through a pool that our neighbors are putting together).   we don't have THAT much land so it's not exactly a windfall, but tens of thousands of dollars still seems like a nice sum given the circumstances. 

 

however, i just wonder how much of that we should bank in the event we want (or are forced) to move.  i hear it isn't exactly "nice" to live in a gas field.   I certainly won't depend on the companies to make anything right if the pond or drinking table gets soiled, or if we get sick, or if the neighbors cows get out (as they always do) and come over and slurp up some of that used fracking water being held in my backyard.     i ain't starving yet to the point where i feel i have no other choice than to give up the ONE thing that's actually mine for a few bucks and so that maybe our gas prices will go down.  plus, word is that we don't even have enough down there to make a difference in the speculator's minds about gas prices. 

so now i have my $30,000 leasing bonus.  okay, great.  but now i have to move somewhere else and go in debt to buy a new house with similar acreage that i once had and i'm STILL buying gas for $4 a gallon?   and in 10 years that supply will run out and we're back to foriegn oil again.  i don't now.  i'm still not sold on this being the silver bullet to solve all our woes.  sounds like we may be causing *more* woes for some people out there.

 

0jw0dsu4txfuvPermalink Reply by 0jw0dsu4txfuv on April 26, 2011 at 7:29am

Despite what some people and the media say the gas/oilfield are good neighbors and we put money in landowners banks and provide jobs for people willing to work. You PA people need

to appreciate this opportunity and stop all your things are so bad attitude. This state was what 10 billion in the red before Marcellus drilling started. Also the younger generations work ethic and the social programs of The Commonwealth are terrible.

Permalink Reply by KSM on April 26, 2011 at 8:26pm

i find it interesting that concern for my home and neighbors makes me a whiney liberal.  it's actually pretty conservative on the political spectrum to want to keep people (including corporations and govt) off my land and question things when companies come to the doors of simple country folk, some of which are hard on their luck right now, with the promise of rainbows and unicorns if they just "sign here".   there's a LOT to consider as a homeowner/community in this matter and to suggest that we should all just shut up - quit asking questions - and just be appreciative of this opportunity is about as insulting as it gets. 

Permalink Reply by Ann Ticopa on April 20, 2011 at 3:47pm
Why not design/teach the unit as geology?  Fracking is only one part of a process for extracting shale gas. Fracking as a process is fact;  no reason to politicize it.
Permalink Reply by Sherry on April 21, 2011 at 1:46am
Simply brilliant.  Sometimes it's answers such as yours that make some of us sit back and realize just HOW contentious this issue has become and how we can lose sight of the goals.
0jw0dsu4txfuvPermalink Reply by 0jw0dsu4txfuv on April 23, 2011 at 8:30am

As I have offered in discssion on GMS if any of you want honest answers to questions related to the drilling and fraccing process feel free to ask me in discussion.

Happy Easter

Homer Smoth

0jw0dsu4txfuvPermalink Reply by 0jw0dsu4txfuv on April 23, 2011 at 10:48am
When asked questions I do.
0jw0dsu4txfuvPermalink Reply by 0jw0dsu4txfuv on April 23, 2011 at 12:34pm

To Joe,

I know what I am talking about. Check out my posts. I won't answer any of your questions.

Permalink Reply by Elnathan Cory on April 26, 2011 at 2:58am
Global warming is scientific fact! Scientists have been measuring Earth's temperature for a long time and the planet is heating up. Oceans are rising and glaciers are meting away. The cause of this is still being investigated and it will take a long time to sort through all the evidence and obtain more evidence. Meanwhile if the cause is human by way of CO2 it may be too late to do anything about it. If it isn't too late and we reduce our carbon emissions maybe we can roll back climate change to some degree (no pun intended). Volcanic activity over the last 4.6 Billion years has changed this planet considerably and in fact created our oceans in the beginning by outgassing H2O among other things. That doesn't mean that we humans can't be responsible for what is happening since the industrial revolution began. I would rather err on the side of environmental responsibility. Natural gas instead of oil and coal is a step in the right direction. Science teachers are very careful to present only science in the public school system.
Permalink Reply by craig on April 26, 2011 at 5:47am

Elnathan, I agree with most of what you are saying, however I believe the first sentence should state that "Climate Change" is a fact, not Global Warming. By definition, global warming is the warming of the entire planet, which is definately not a fact. There are numerous official temperature recorders throughout various parts of the planet that are not registering warmer weather over time. The phrase global warming was irreputably harmed by the now infamous Al Gore and will bring a negative connotation when used in public forums, especially when one can go look at the raw data and find out the whole planet is not warming. 

One must also remember that our planet is basically a living organism, which we do not fully understand by any stretch of the imagination. 

Erring on the side of being responsible planet inhabitants is the smart thing to do, as long as it doesn't include spending/wasting massive amounts of $$'s on technology that won't be economically sound for some time.

Natural gas is the most easy/financially sound alternative solution in the mix of things we need to be doing right now. 

On a side note about solar energy: This past winter we spent some time in the Carribean where I was talking with the owner of a large hotel chain. I asked him why they are not using solar energy at the properties. His answer was....."at this time it is not economically feasible, we have looked into it extensively" Now you tell me, if solar isn't feasible in the Carribean how in the world can it be feasible anywhere. Of course the answers are subsidies and tax credits. 

 

Permalink Reply by Elnathan Cory on April 27, 2011 at 2:21am

I agree climate change is the correct term. However on average it is global warming.

 

Spending massive amonts of money on technology that is not economically sound is like the space program. It is not a waste!

 

Natural gas is a great stepping stone to the future. The future is solar, wind and unknown.

 

The Caribbean lives off tourism. If we don't get our country moving in the right direction the Caribbean will soon have a lot of empty hotel rooms.

 

There are two ways to get a future that is energy independent.

1) Let the market decide.

 

2) Have a plan.

 

The market does not work in crises. We are in a crisis.

Plans take government intervention/action. We should have started the plan many decades ago but were not willing. It is not too late. The T Boone Pickens plan or something like it would be a great beginning. Even this great entrepreneur sees the reality in having the government involved. He is not a socialist by any stretch.

 

Meanwhile we are stuck with higher and higher energy costs and billions of dollars going out of the country. :-(

 

 

 

 

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