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Glaciation isn't rubbish to teach: the power of high quality teaching



This is probably a geography thing.  And it's got nothing to do with myself spending loads of time on Alpine glaciers (the photo above is during crevasse rescue training, I think I'm actually down the crack).  Or that I hail from Wales, a land of glaciated valleys.  Too many geography teachers tell me that glaciation is rubbish to teach.  That it's difficult to get children to relate to it or that the mechanisms are too abstract.
Putting aside my personal view that these landscapes are beautiful and awe inspiring, this view, especially from Geographers, is bonkers.  It's not like asking ICT teachers with no background in coding to suddenly teach Python.
This is why it's bonkers:
1. The KS3 National Curriculum for Geography sets no prescribed content.  It just mentions key glacial processes.  It's up to departments to decide what these are.
2. The huge glacier on top on Greenland or Antarctica melting and flooding the whole world could be considered a key glacial process.  Yes, probably being flippant here.
3. Glaciers melting, resulting in global sea level rises and cutting off water supply to regions in the world is a pretty important geographical issues affecting the world and young people's understanding of the process behind that is therefore important.
4, The sinking of the Titanic captures children's imaginations and was caused by an iceberg, that calved from a glacier.  Calving is a key geographical process.
5. I'm assuming that teachers who find the key processes around glaciation difficult to teach also have trouble getting young people to relate to other geographical issues of which they have no direct experience of. Such as ecosystems, being a refugee or living in a desperately poor country.
Thing is, it makes me sad because it suggests that Geography teachers are either unable or unwilling to change.  Unable to think creatively around the national curriculum corset (it's easy to wriggle out of) or unable to make a fundamental issue exciting and relevant.  Unwilling is even more difficult to understand.  Are we saying that it's not our responsibility to ensure that young people have at least some grasp of the glacial processes that are making significant changes to our world?  What will happen to skiing once the Alpine glaciers and snow have gone?
Thing is, I, along with those I work with, have an unshakable faith in the power of high quality teaching.  I know that great teachers are able to polish any turd delivered by the Secretary of State and make it hugely engaging, relevant and  fantastic.  Trust me, I've been teaching about Ox Bow bloody lakes; urban models and waterfalls for years and even added housing tenure recently.  
And don't even get me started on those that are against Maths in geography......
Anyway, would be good to have some people argue with me about this.  Am I totally wrong here? 
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