A Story of School and Nature

Abstract

When I founded a small democratic school in New York City 12 years ago, I was not aware of the term outdoor education, let alone how to offer it in the middle of Manhattan! All I wanted was a place where children were trusted to direct their own learning in pursuit of their own happiness. We simply provided a loving, peaceful space for the children to be and intentionally left it for their brilliant minds and bright souls to chart our course. I share our story of how, and possibly why, the children turned their school into an outdoor school, with the hope that it inspires the creation of more such programs and that, in turn, they serve to challenge the prevalent disconnect between school and nature.