Snow in the classroom today. This is what’s possible when we treat nature as an asset to our education, not an impediment.

I’m not saying it’s easy. I’m not saying it’s for everyone (I honor diverse choices). I’m not even saying it’s better. I’m merely suggesting it’s possible.

My students consistently report to me that they feel empowered, engaged, and proud of schooling outside. We stumble. We have rough times. And yes, we get cold. But we have a lot of joy and laughter too.

And multiplication. Tons of it. Books. Science. Crafts. You name it. In the snow. Desks that rust. Nothing is waterproof. Because we’re studying how water impacts us - our pencils, our emotions, our focus, our determination.

It’s such a worthy addition to the three R’s. Not a replacement. An addition.

Why have we sheltered ourselves so deeply from the very thing we’re studying - the earth and it’s peoples? If everything were hunky-dory, then there’d be little reason to question prevailing modes of education. Considering the political, economic, and environmental challenges our children face in the coming decades, it’s worth considering why we think we have to remove ourselves from the discomfort of nature in order to learn.