Teaching In The Woods ABOUT A 2 MINUTE READ –  2020 was a rough year that seemed to only get more challenging after trees lost their leaves, sunlight faded, and the cold seeped in deep.  As we begin 2021, even though the hours of sunlight are finally lengthening, winter is just starting in earnest and nothing less than a global pandemic still has us firmly in its grip.  Sweetness will come out of hiding We don’t just talk about resilience, we are surrounded by it. Just walk around our campus and you’ll see the ever-greens of hemlocks, pines, and firs. Tracks in the snow give away secrets of wildlife adapting and persevering.  Bright red berries, conspicuously uneaten, might also catch your eye. The berries of the local viburnums (otherwise known as American Highbush-Cranberry) taste and smell so bad that even the hungriest creatures this time of year say “no thank you.”  If you were to smush one between your fingertips and smell it you might say it smells acidic, sour, or musty. You might say it smells like a body part with a name similar to...

Benefits Of Residential Life Faculty: Lessons From Superheroes ABOUT A 2 MINUTE READ –  I’ve loved reading comics (either in book form or in the Sunday paper) since I was just starting to read on my own. The stories varied from intergalactic space battles involving both sides of “the Force”, to teams of superheroes fighting supervillains, or just tussles with a madman in Gotham. But they all had an overarching theme: superheroes, either with their abilities thrust upon them or sought after, they were working with their brains and brawn to make their little corner of the galaxy, planet, or neighborhood better than it was before they got there.  Heroes aren’t going to be around forever… Sometimes frustratingly, I’d see that the hero removed the threat or villain from an area temporarily, but this didn’t help the humans in the long run, because what if the threat came back? The Caped Crusader and the Earth’s Mightiest Heroes aren’t going to be around forever, nor could they be in all places at all times. The humans needed to learn that they...

About a 3 minute read – Benefits of Small – Small schools can offer benefits that go beyond academic achievement and address the deeper personal and learning needs of students. The full experience of “school” can be dramatically different depending on the sense of community, the ability to form strong relationships, and class size, allowing the process of learning to be one full of wonder and joy. 

About a 3 minute read – Student Ownership For Improved Outcomes The process of schooling is not a race to the finish line. It is not a hoop through which we jump.  Instead, it is a practice that instills a habit of curiosity and a life-long enthusiasm for learning. Schooling is about learning how to learn, so life can keep growing long after our school days have ended. Creating this greater understanding as to the purpose of schooling is essential to improving outcomes for students and society.

About a 1 ½ minute read –  As we move into a new year, as well as a new decade, it’s an obvious time for reflection, but also for looking forward. With that in mind, we’ve rounded up some of our favorite blog posts of 2019 – all of which were technically written in the past, but can certainly be helpful in the new year!