Why I Chose IslandWood ...

After just completing my first week of solo teaching, I know I made the right decision to come here to IslandWood. To be completely honest, the transition into graduate school has been challenging. Busy schedules, homework, very little free time... Moving to IslandWood has been an incredible lifestyle change for me, especially after spending the past year in Latin America where time moves quite a bit slower. Yet, after waving goodbye to my first round of students from the School Overnight Program on Thursday afternoon, I knew that my choice was worth it.

Since graduating college, I have been working with students through experiential education programming with a focus on global citizenship and community development. Most recently, I spent the past year working as an instructor for Where There Be Dragons, facilitating learning adventures for students across rural Latin America. It was abroad, spending time in and trekking through small agricultural communities, where I realized the incredible interconnectedness of human and ecological communities. I discovered the ripple effect of my actions as a North American and their full impact on my friends abroad. I learned to share these stories to inspire my students to take action.

 It was through this work that I realized I wanted to pursue education in the United States, to make these communities and connections come alive to students. I care passionately about empowering our youth with the skills they need to make a difference. I want them to explore the world around them and see wonder, inspiration, and solidarity. Working abroad helped me teach to those values. Every day my assumptions and worldviews were challenged and changed. When looking for a graduate school, I wanted to find a program that would support me in teaching this way.

I chose IslandWood because of the school’s emphasis on integrating stewardship and community into education, and in particular, environmental education. In the future, I believe that we must create a more holistic curriculum that focuses on empowering students to be community minded citizens and global activists. IslandWood’s unique vision stood out to me amongst the many M.Ed programs I was looking at. In fact, IslandWood’s way of doing things spoke to me so much that it ended up being the only graduate program I applied to. It seemed like my perfect program.

And now that I am here, I know that it is the perfect program for me. I look forward to sharing the delightful moments, the reflections, the wonder and inspiration, and the many challenges I will experience this year with you all. And please, feel free to ask questions in the comments if you would like to hear more about anything in particular or have questions about what we’re doing. I would love to hear from you! 

Abrazos, 

Emy

Education Through Outdoor Adventures

Visiting intertidal creatures at Blakely Harbor, inspecting macro invertebrates at Mac’s Pond, investigating fungus in the forest, answering questions about flora and fauna, and looking over the bog from the tree house are just a few examples of the adventures experienced while leading a team of ten fifth graders through the 255 acre campus.

The adventures in the forest, bog, marsh, pond, estuary, and stream are only accents to our purpose as graduates because we are also instructors while in the field.  Islandwood’s Education for Environment and Community (EEC) graduate program is going strong with a new group of graduate students, and I am very excited to be part of the 2014 class. 

I am originally from Texas, and I have lived in Seattle for a little more than a year.  After graduating from Texas Tech in 2008 with a major in Kinesiology and minor in Education, I taught eighth grade science for a couple of years before relocating to Seattle.  I am certified to teach middle level science in Washington State, and after completion of my Masters in Education from the University of Washington, I plan to return to the classroom. 

A focal point for my blogs will be on the experience and instruction at Islandwood as they intersect the outdoors, science, art, and theory.  I am particularly interested in the connections between Islandwood's outdoor instruction and the application of educational theories.  

This will be an amazing year, and I am very excited to share it with you through the EEC blog.

Jennifer

Onward & Upward!

My ten-month IslandWood experience has officially come to a close.

Throughout the past week, people have repeatedly asked me what my highlights have been and what this experience has meant to me. In those moments, my mind resembles a freshly erased chalkboard. Each particle of chalk embedded in the eraser, floating through the air, or clinging to the board is a memory or an experience. Some of these particles I will never forget, others will be carried away and forgotten.

What surprised me the most in these moments of reflection was my refusal to process an experience that was still taking place. Deep down I knew and I now know that my IslandWood experience is over, even if it doesn’t feel that way. Yet, I know that I will have the support of these people for a lifetime.

As my post-program reflection period begins, I find myself facing an enormous challenge. How do I communicate my gratitude to these people, to this place, and to my community with my blank board of a mind?

Honestly, I don’t know that I can. I don’t think I will ever be able to communicate just how much this experience and these people have meant to me. What I can do is to take the lessons, skills, challenges, memories, and experiences I have had and have developed and use them to spread this community far beyond the borders of IslandWood.

This feeling of, “how can I give back?” is what this experience has meant to me. It is on repeat in my head and speaks to just how incredible this experience has been. My ten-month IslandWood experience has officially come to a close and all I want to do is to give back.

I hope that you have enjoyed reading each of my entries. Sharing my experience and this place with you through written word has meant the world to me.

Riley