Our Schoolship programs have been sailing full speed ahead since early May, welcoming classes from across the Great Lakes states aboard our schooners. Students get to step into the shoes of scientists and sailors during their time with us by raising sails, observing weather, taking samples and discovering freshwater critters. But there’s another, perhaps less obvious role they take on while on board: that of a steward.
Stewardship is a cornerstone of environmental education. It’s more than a buzzword, it’s a powerful teaching tool that invites young people to form a deeper connection with the natural world. By encouraging students to care for the environment in hands-on, meaningful ways, we help them see themselves as part of the ecosystems they explore.
For many of our students, their time on the Schoolship is the first time they’ve ever been out on one of the magnificent Great Lakes. It’s hard to care about something you’ve never experienced and that’s exactly why impactful environmental programming matters. We work to empower these young stewards to carry their experiences home with them: whether that’s sharing stories about the incredible plankton they discovered or picking up garbage in their neighborhood.
With that spirit in mind, we recently asked our Schoolship students two simple but powerful questions: Why do you care about the Great Lakes? And why should others care too? Over the past few weeks, we posed these questions to students before and after their time on the water. Their responses were as thoughtful as they were amusing to hear, so we thought we’d share a few of their words of wisdom.
Before the program, we heard lots of classics like:
“I love swimming in them!”
“They give us food.”
“They’re good for fishing.”
Many of the answers were human-centered, focused on the personal joys and resources the lakes provide. That’s not surprising; some students had never been on the Great Lakes before, or even on the water at all. Understandably, without firsthand experience, it can be hard to feel a real connection to such an immense and complex ecosystem. Some students looked puzzled when asked, replying with an honest, “I have no idea.” One group even shrugged and said, “I don’t care about them.”
But others surprised us. A few clever sixth graders pointed out that pollution threatens the lakes, which in turn affects us, so we need to care. Another student remarked that “the lakes were here before us, so we should keep them clean”: insightful words that definitely made us smile.
Other common themes in their answers were simply that the lakes are beautiful and that beauty alone is reason enough to care. One student even brought in another sense, saying they care about the Great Lakes because “they smell good.”
After just a few hours on the water digging through benthos, peering at plankton, and confronting some hard truths about the state of our lakes, those same students began to see things a little differently. Their answers reflected a deeper understanding of, and appreciation for, the environment they had just been immersed in.
Many spoke about the importance of keeping our waters clean not just because the lakes offer us recreation and resources, but because they are habitat for countless fascinating creatures. Students enthusiastically explained the significance of a stable food web, starting with the very cool phytoplankton they discovered below deck. Some even touched on how invasive species and pollution are throwing that balance off.
One of our favorite responses came from a thoughtful fifth grader who said people should care about the Great Lakes because we should imagine being a tiny plankton trying to “swim” through plastics and other garbage. It was a heartwarming answer that captured an essential element of stewardship: empathy. Kids have a special way of looking at the world and the living things in it. It was a joy to hear their fresh perspectives on the critters we’re lucky to observe every day here at ISEA.
Another student put it simply but powerfully: “Because it’s our home.” What a beautiful way to sum it all up.
In the end, this felt like more than just a reflection on our work: it was an eye-opening experience for us too. As educators and researchers, it’s refreshing to see the Great Lakes through a child’s eyes. They remind us that while the science of these ecosystems is complex, caring for them doesn’t have to be.
We hope everyone who steps aboard our schooners walks away with not only new knowledge, but also a sense of stewardship for the freshwater systems that sustain us all!
This blog post was planned and written by ISEA Spring Education Intern Cassidy Beach. If you want to contribute your own Great Lakes story, please contact marketing@schoolship.org.
