By arguing for "putting science education in its place," this essay cautions against overstating the role of science education with respect to global crises with technical components, like climate change. At the same time, it challenges the assumption that science education has no role in addressing equally urgent and widespread problems of oppression, like white supremacy. Putting science education in its place implies considering the potential contributions of science education to the unfinished field of critical pedagogy. This essay takes up this potential in discussion with three contributions in the special issue of this journal commemorating the centenary of Paulo Freire. By highlighting science curriculum that is organized around generative themes, this discussion emphasizes transdisciplinarity as a feature of transformative science education. This discussion also points to counternarratives where cultivating critical consciousness and moving toward collectivism are sources of hope and inspiration in the face of overwhelming challenges to our collective well-being.