Philosophy Statement

 To begin, I would like to lay out my positionally.  As an educator, I believe it is important to understand the context from which my opinions and thoughts originate.  I recognize that as a cis straight white female who grew up in an urban area with an upper-middle class family, I have been given privilege and power that many others have not and that experience plays a part in shaping who I am.  I am a daughter, a sister, an aunt, and a dog-mom. I was the caregiver to my father who has since passed away.  I am a child of divorce.  I am a world traveler, outdoors woman, and adventure sports enthusiast. I was private school educated until college where I was lucky enough to have support from my parents. I was a high school exchange student in New Zealand my senior year and I spent 19 summers of my life at camp and consider that the most defining part of my life thus far.  I recognize that I come from a place of privilege, which is not to say it was without hardship, but these are what make me into the person and educator I am today.

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To me, education means an opportunity for development and growth.  This can be within the traditional school scaffolding or, where my interest lies, in outdoor education in a camp setting.  While I do see the benefit and the role of traditional classroom education, I don’t feel like that is where my calling is as an educator.  If I fully lean into what excites me, it is camp!  Outdoor science camps offer an opportunity for learning and connection that cannot be matched in a classroom or even a school yard program.  They provide a unique opportunity for connection with nature and experiential learning.

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I envision my future as designing programming for residential (sleep-away) camps.  Not only do I want to get my students outside of the classroom, but I want them to be in a fully new environment together while they learn.  Camp settings are unique as they are a place where many kids step completely outside of their comfort zone and have the opportunity to grow as individuals and gain independence.  As we discuss the idea and importance of the whole student in education -- especially looking at their identity and culture -- I think about my own experiences at camp growing up.  Camp is a culture of it’s own and it welcomes all to fully participate.  In my experience, many kids feel the most truly themselves when they are at camp - a place to fully embody their identity and who they want to be seen as.  It's safe, inclusive, inviting, silly, and fun. It’s a place to stretch boundaries and grow.  It’s the perfect place to learn about who you are and your place in the world.  As mentioned above, I have spent 19 summers of my life at camp and I give it nearly all of the credit for making me who I am today and for being the core of what has developed my connection and interest in science and nature. 

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One reason I am excited and inspired to be an informal outdoor educator is because I believe we should be working to eliminate the boundaries of learning and play that are often built in traditional school settings.  Outdoor education has always been a leader in this concept and I want to be a part of expanding that reach.  Although my long-term interest is in residential camp, I believe there is significant opportunity for connecting with students in other outdoor education settings.  For instance, in Designing for Family Science Explorations Anytime, Anywhere. Science Education, the authors expand on this concept by discussing the new realm of learning they hope to create.  “We envision this new realm as one that focuses on scientific sense making through collaboration and playfulness” (Luce, M. R., Goldman, S., & Vea, T., 2016).  I am excited about helping to connect students with science through fun and interactive activities.  I believe these are much more effective for sense-making than textbooks and lectures for most students. 

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While my calling is outside of the classroom, I do believe school is important.  School is a way to try to create a societal knowledge base that begins with foundations such as reading, math, writing, and branches into more specific and in-depth subject areas as a student moves through the schooling system and selects the areas which pertain to their future goals. It is a systematic and collaborative way of learning which typically involves a teacher or knowledge holder passing that knowledge onto the students.  In younger learners, it also serves to create a basis of societal norms and standards.  I see it as a framework from which students can stand upon to then launch their learning in other areas where they find more personal interest and connection.  That being said, I also believe there is a lot of work needed to change and improve our current school system so that it is doing this job most effectively for the most students.  This is something that we as educators need to recognize and take action on.  “Prospective teachers need to know from the start that they are part of a larger struggle and that they have a responsibility to reform, not just replicate, standard school practices” (Blair & Cochran-Smith, 2011).  Unfortunately, though, this is not a once-size-fits all solution (which would be easier to implement).  This active critique and reform must happen by teachers willing to invest in understanding their school’s particular problems and taking action on that local level.  “Teaching against the grain is embedded in the culture and history of teaching at individual schools and in the biographies of teachers and their collaborative efforts to alter curricula, raise questions about common practices, and resist inappropriate decisions” (Blair & Cochran-Smith, 2011). It is something that requires strength and boldness.  While I see this as vital to the improvement of a system that touches nearly every child in the United States and I wish to support the effort, I do not see myself as being in the role of a classroom teacher.

 

My experiences at camp were the core of my development and interest in the outdoors and education.  However, I want to recognize that it is not a place where most children have equal opportunity to attend.  Summer camp is historically very expensive and predominantly attended by white, abled students.  While there are organizations that are working to change that, the barrier of entry is still strong.  Further, while I do strongly believe that the experience is good for all kids - including the white kids who come from high socio-economic backgrounds - I want to expand it to those students who may not have the same amount of opportunity.  BIPOC kids, kids from lower socio-economic areas, kids with disabilities, and - another area I am specifically passionate about - kids who are in the judicial system. As outdoor educators we need to not only look at ways at increasing equitable access to our programs, but also understand how to recognize and celebrate that diversity and to incorporate it into the curriculum. In the text Rethinking Schools, Rethinking Learning, we the author discusses that “learning settings must provide multiple entry points and diverse pathways for learners and consider the histories of knowledge systems and practices other than those that have become normalized and privileged in the United States and the Western world" (McKinney de Royston et al). This is an area where I see huge opportunity for growth in the world of outdoor education.

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Recently, I watched a documentary titled “The Orange Years: The Nickelodeon Story”.  For the first time after feeling rather lost in the abstract deep sea of education theory lately, I felt inspired and excited about education and working with students. The founders of the first ever children's television network, Nickelodeon, had a vision that content for kids should be created from their point of view -- it was created to have a voice that respected kids and without talking down to them. I loved Nickelodeon growing up and, although their goal was not education, this same concept of belonging and using the lens of the child can be applied to learning environments.  If we want to reach kids, we should be on their level.  I have only ever been interested in being an informal educator, and therefore I believe my teaching should be done informally too. My teaching style has always been more on the casual side and I try to be a partner with my students in a form of collegial pedagogy.

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 Another take-away I learned from Nickelodeon is the idea that kids are capable of learning and handling conversations at a higher level than we often give them credit for or allow them to participate in.  They are young, but they are also active participants and humans living in today’s world and are affected by today’s issues.  For example, “Nick News” with Linda Ellerbee brought real world and tough-topic news to children in a very honest and digestible way.  A great example of this is when Magic Johnson stepped down from the NBA after his HIV diagnosis.  He sat down with Linda Ellerbee and a group of diverse children, several who were also HIV positive, and discussed what it means and the importance of safer sex.  Another example is when Linda explained the tragedy of 9/11.  When it comes to tougher topics, especially those which affect kids and adults alike such as climate change or pandemics, I believe we need to include kids in these conversations.  As an environmental educator and camp staff, I believe I am especially in a position where I have the opportunity to have tough conversations with kids that matter - whether they be about the environment or other hard topics that affect their lives.  This also ties directly to the idea we have discussed throughout readings in class - that science is not apolitical - especially when it comes to the environment.

 

I am motivated to do this work because outdoor education and camp shaped me as it has and will continue to be a turning point for kids for years to come.  For many young people who have the privilege to attend, camp is where they first find a true connection to the natural world.  It's a place for fun, silliness, authenticity, and growth.  What better place to engage in learning?

 

References:

Barber, S, Sweeney, A. The Orange Years: The Nickelodeon Story. 2018. 

Blair, H. E., Cochran-Smith, M. (2011). Thinking about schools: A foundations of education reader, Proquest E-Book Central, New York

McKinney de Royston, M. M., Lee, C., Nasir, N. I. S., & Pea, R. (2020). Rethinking schools, rethinking learning. Phi Delta Kappan, 102(3)

Luce, M. R., Goldman, S., & Vea, T. (2016). Designing for Family Science Explorations Anytime, Anywhere. Science Education, 101(2)