Living in a world of opportunity and responsibility. Why is it that 'school' so often seems to get in the way of the learning we find most meaningful and important?

I've had amazing opportunities to cross-country ski at the national level and embark on extended canoeing expeditions. I've lived in Cuba and Norway and I have one of the largest carbon footprints of anyone I know. I'm deeply concerned about our deteriorating connection with the environment and not least in Alberta, where we are both the most culpable and the most capable of addressing climate change.

The classroom so often removes us from the natural world and isolates us from our communities. We can barely squeeze in the life-giving things we love and it seems there's no choice but to abandon efforts for change to instead write papers and exams. It may not be easy, but we can always make time for the things we decide are most important.

In addition to the Skolē of Thought movement to transform education, I am involved in a project called Responsibility for the Land, the aim of which is to foster meaningful multiperspective dialogue about Alberta's oil and gas economy. Visit www.albertavoices.ca to see our work and to watch films about Albertans who have been impacted by 'fracking' and oil and gas development.

My own hope for education is that it can be recreated in a way that encourages students both to embrace the amazing opportunities that surround us everyday and to respond to the deepest needs of our own communities. And change is slow, but the place to start is with ourselves – how do we live our own lives from day to day?