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Just a few months ago, the acclaimed wildlife photographer Aaron Gekoski came to our school as part of our much celebrated Science Week. During his time with us, he spoke with students of all ages, sharing his evocative photos, his moving stories about the animals he has encountered, and his passion for wildlife conservation. On the last day of his visit, after the students had been dismissed, he gave one last talk to the staff, and although attendance was optional, our lecture theatre was packed.

He made a huge impact. There were tears. There was applause.

But then, at the end, my colleague and friend turned to me and said: “That was amazing. I would love to have a job like that – where I could really make a difference.”.

Her words shattered me. This woman, a wife, a mother of four, a dedicated teacher who runs our junior school’s student council, who organizes a fundraising week every year, collecting thousands of dollars for students with special educational needs, wasn’t proud of the work she was doing.

We live in Brunei Darussalam, a tiny sultanate on the island of Borneo, and we are surrounded by the beautiful flora and fauna of a tropical rainforest. Like me, my friend loves to get out into the jungle and is fascinated by the creatures she discovers on her walks. She rescues stray kittens from gutters and gifts her friends with plants she’s grown using cuttings from her garden. When we taught together in the same year group, our team created countless learning opportunities for our students: visits to our school’s Outdoor Discovery Centre, planting projects, hikes and bike rides, beach clean-ups, workshops with local NGOs, and trips to nearby farms and markets. When I approached my colleagues with the idea of rewriting one of our unit plans using the Compass Education VISIS Pyramid, my friend and the other teachers in our group embraced the idea and supported me. With this model, we have given our students the tools they need to better understand complex environmental issues, and we have empowered them to develop their own projects to become change agents.

My friend cares a whole awful lot. And she’s not alone, as I could plainly see by the number of people in the lecture theatre that afternoon.

Listening to activists and journalists like Aaron is so disquieting because we are faced with the hard truth about what we are doing to our environment, and we wonder what more we can do to help. Sadly, at times, when we are confronted with these harsh realities, it can also make us feel hopeless and inadequate.

However, as systems thinkers, we know the key lies in changing our mindset and mental models. If we think differently, we will begin to act differently. And as educators, we are especially privileged because our whole profession is based on teaching children about the world around them and helping them develop the skills they will need later in life. We are uniquely positioned to change the way young people think, and thus, change the way they behave.

Of course, we get frustrated. Change is slow. We know our learning environments don’t necessarily reflect our ideals and there are policies, bureaucracies and old assumptions hindering our progress. But as Donnella Meadows wrote in her article Dances With Systems, we have to expand our time horizons.

Day in, day out, I watch how my colleagues make a positive impact on our students’ lives. Whether it’s the Nursery assistant who started a vegetable garden, the English co-ordinator who developed opportunities for writing about environmental issues, or the Science teacher who worked so hard to bring Aaron to our school, they have all made a difference. They teach their students how to appreciate nature, to watch carefully and look for patterns, to confidently and articulately express their ideas, to listen to other perspectives, and to collaborate and care for one another. And hopefully, above all else, they teach them how to imagine a brighter future.

I don’t know exactly how much of an impact my friend and I have had on our students over the years, just as I’m sure Aaron Gekoski wouldn’t be able to say exactly how many animals he’s helped through his investigations and photos. We can become discouraged because the effect we have on others is something that may take years to reveal itself, and it is nearly impossible to measure. But I believe our actions as educators “radiate out for decades to come.”

We may not always be recognised or applauded for all our contributions, but if we keep our vision of living sustainably at the heart of what we do, we have a compass and a clear direction. We will continue to learn and grow, and we will encourage the people around us to do the same.

So when my friend looked at me and told me she wished she could make a real difference, I gave her the only answer I could. “You already do,” I said.

Our smallest actions can be powerful and meaningful. Why not reach out to a friend or colleague to let them know how they have impacted you, or others in your community?