Why I came to IslandWood.

I chose to come to IslandWood because once I heard about the program, I couldn’t imagine myself anywhere else.  I had been doing basic graduate school research and had several options I was interested in, but then IslandWood came along, and I was set on my #1 choice. Knowing that the graduate classes were small, I tried to keep my expectations realistic and had backup plans in mind, because I couldn’t imagine that I would be one of the lucky few to get to pursue this opportunity.  Obviously, I ended up exactly where I wanted to be.  IslandWood seemed to me to be the perfect place for me to connect my passion for educating children with my lifelong love of the environment.  Coming from a traditional education background — my undergraduate degree is in elementary education — with varied outdoor interests, I wanted to find a way to blend those two fields in a way in which both would enhance each other.

This goal is especially important because I see children as the key to creating a planet & society in which we all prosper (environment included).  If we can educate them on how to be environmental stewards, then we can reformat the way we look at the world as a culture.  Instead of arguing about whether or not climate change is “real” (spoiler alert: it is), we can focus that energy on coming up with solutions to problems and improving the planet.  I have interacted with so many people (adults & children alike) who just have no concept of what harm we are doing to the planet, and no respect for the environment and the natural world.  If they had been exposed to nature more as children and taught why it is important, it could have reshaped their entire worldview. I think this reshaping is so important with the political climate the way that it is, and with the environment going in the direction it is going.

Ultimately, I think my goal lends itself well to teaching in an alternative environment, such as an outdoor school. I would love to one day open my own outdoor school or direct an outdoor education program, in order to spend my time working with children to develop a respect and appreciation for the world and people around them.  I could also see myself going back to classroom teaching and using the knowledge I gain here at IslandWood to create a more experiential, hands-on learning environment in a traditional classroom.