Phillip Kinstley

Bio: Phillip Kinstley taught in the Grand Prairie Independent School District for the past 17 years. He has also served as a Texas Stream Team Water Quality volunteer for 15 years and has been involved with GM GREEN in Grand Prairie, Texas, since 2009. He believes his extensive integration of the youth engagement into his classroom at Jackson Middle School gives the students the power to positively affect their environment in their community. It also gives them a "hands on" way to apply the concepts that they are learning in science, math, English, technology, and Social Science.

He has been awarded the Staples Teacher of the Year award, and in 2011, his Earth Force after-school program won the Staples Urban Environment Challenge award for the Southwest. A strong believer in youth engagement in learning, he has incorporated Earth Force programming into the curriculum of all seventh grade classes within his district and plans to continue to volunteer with GM GREEN in the future, even though he is newly retired!

Master Skills: Engaging Partner Support, Youth Voice

Phillip Speaks:
Hear Phillip in his own words!

How do you set up a forum for group decision making?

How do you incorporate civic engagement into the educational experience?

Do you have an 'aha' moment that sparked your interest in environmental civics education using youth driven active learning projects?