Where the Wild Things Are

Trying to catch a glimpse of the fox in its den.

The woods.  Both figuratively and literally speaking, it's the foundation on which Pathfinder sits.  To see a class hiking through the woods on any given day is about as predictable as snow on the first day of spring in Michigan; it's a sure bet.  This aspect of the Pathfinder education is one that may be hard to measure, but whose benefits are indisputable.  Spend just five minutes reading Last Child in the Woods by Richard Louv (2005) and you'll see what I mean.  (Seriously, if you read no other parenting book, get your hands on this book!)

On one snowy afternoon last week, I observed this mystique in action.  I accompanied first and second grade students on a hike with second grade teacher Kate Caliri.  Snowpants, boots, and mittens duly on, we headed out with our mission:  What animals might live in the Pathfinder woods?  How do we know?  What might we look for?  Not more than a few moments later, one child appealed for silence to hear the nearby call of a bird.  A few steps more and another child dropped to the ground, yelling "Tracks!"  All the children immediately circled in to observe and identify the tracks.  Then they continued on their way, nodding in confirmation, "Yep, a squirrel." 

On their bellies and bottoms, the kids slid down a favorite path, whooping with glee.  Thanks to the 22 acre campus, these wild things know the woods well.  Distinctive trees, paths, and clearings indicate their location.  With them as my guide, I could see I was in good hands.  The group traveled as a pack, scanning the snow for tracks, scat, nests and dens.  During the hike, they pointed out not only squirrel tracks, but also those of bunnies, birds, deer, and fox.  The second graders had recently seen Pathfinder's resident fox trotting across the frozen Cedar Lake shore on one of their morning hikes.  Inspired by the tracks, Ms. Kate led the group down the wooded path to the fox's den.  As Kate whispered her strategy, the kids leaned in and listened closely, their silent breath visible in the cold air.  We approached the den with reverence - waiting, watching and willing the fox to come out.  It was a mystical moment.  Having decided our fox friend was also out hiking, we moved on, unsuccessful in our sighting but somehow still satisfied.

We stopped in the Middle of Nowhere Special, where the sun dapples nicely through the branches, and plunked down in the snow.  We shared animal stories old-fashioned style:  aloud, spontaneously, from memory.   One child told a legend of the giant fish as big as a school bus that lives in Cedar Lake, explaining the wide dark areas of the water.  Another child keenly observed an eagle circling in the distant sky, so we passed along the binoculars Ms. Kate had wisely brought.  By popular request, we made our way to The Secret Beach. This is one of a few inside Pathfinder gems known only by its students and staff.  Once there, some played among the trees, others built a snowman, and a few children just sat and quietly absorbed the open expanse of frozen lake and landscape.

As our hike drew to a close, Ms. Kate steered us up a hill leading to the edge of The Hall of Trees.  She explained to me the second graders' tradition of "creating an intention" before entering the narrow, tree-lined passage.  Each child thought of a kind word or deed to reflect upon while moving silently through the passageway, and would exit on the other side with these positive thoughts in the forefront of his/her mind.  It was again, for me and for all involved, a mystical moment.  I finished the hike with that certain clarity you gain from a little exercise and a breath of fresh air.  And I walked "back over a year and in and out of weeks and through a day" (Where the Wild Things Are, Sendak), grateful that my children play and learn where the wild things are.

-- Tricia Moore, parent

Learning with Barb Cain

As a Pathfinder parent, I send my kids for a daily dose of learning knowing it is good for them.  So when the opportunity for parents to have a dose of education, I confess, I wasn't sure that I wanted to focus and learn.  But I recognized that I did have an opportunity.  Not only will I learn, but I will model to the kids that the learning doesn't end after you graduate.  So I headed to the school to spend part of an evening expecting to learn.  What I didn't expect is to take so many notes!  The information was so helpful, that I am inspired to share what I learned.

We were introduced to the concept of introverts and extroverts, and we may have one trait ourselves, and our children might have another.  That opened the idea that we might like to be treated one way, and our kids in another.  So, the first lesson was to consider the difference between ourselves and our kids. 

Those differences may become more pronounced at transitional ages.  As tweens begin to gear up for the transition that teenagers face, they begin testing the boundaries that parents set for them.  For parents, knowing that this phase will happen is helpful, but having some tools to manage this transition can lessen the tension in the house.  First developing a plan on what topics are negotiable and what are non-negotiable is helpful.  We can each draw that firm boundary motivated by safety or house policy, and then allow them choice in the other areas.  That way, when they are given a choice it is a true choice for them to make.

The discussion of boundaries brought up a few questions.  Kids will want things that we will say no to.  Recognizing that kids will want some things is the first step.  Being comfortable with telling them no, is the next step.  And the difficult third step is to see a possible negative affect on the kids.  The example given, was drawing a line on violent video games.  You may be happy with the choice, the child may even understand the choice, but watching when no friends want to come over as a result, is difficult to see.  Drawing the boundary, even unpopular, can be a wonderful model for them to learn from, as peer pressure will affect them in the future if it isn't already.  What we, as a parent, can control is being a safe and supportive parent when our children face dissapointments.

Separating our emotions from theirs can be difficult when they are sad, and even more challenging when they are angry.  But that is another important tool that Barb introduced us to.  They will have emotions all over the map, and we can either be pulled into it, or be the grounding influence as they navigate through this transition.  When they are upset, they may try trigger you.  What will happen in this phase is 'snarky' behavior, as Barb called it.  If we develop or establish our own personal policy and react consistently, it will help reduce this testing time.  What the tweens want to know is if the boundary will change.  Also recognizing that each parent will have their own personal policy can bring peace and acceptance in the house.  There are advantages for the child to learn how to interact with different people and having two different parent reactions, will help them. 

In the end, the answer was simple.  Barb reminded us to be kind to ourselves first.  If we can do that, we are better prepared to interact with our kids with whatever mood they come home in.  Making an effort to find time for ourselves is actually helping those around us.

 

--Cathy Colburn, parent

Eric, class of 2011

Rebeca, class of 2013

Alex, class of 2015

 

Flow

Sierra, 8th grade, pursues an insect in the Pathfinder woods.

It's Sunday, time for our family to regroup.  I attempt to put a dent in the never-ending laundry, get all seven of us together for a hike, and maybe cook something a little special for dinner.  Another Sunday ritual we have is taking stock of any school projects that may be underway.  My daughter, Sierra, has been working on one particular project just about all week-end and is into her sixth hour of it today.  Trust me, it's a good thing.  Read on.

Sierra is experiencing what has been called by psychologists as FLOW:  she is so engaged in her task at-hand that she is completely unaware of the time that is passing.  It is a wonderful state of mind to be in, fully harnessing one's cognitive and affective domains, associated with joy and pure motivation.  Hmm...pure motivation.  Not a bad way for a kid to feel when working on a science project, I'd say.  Today, and over the last two weeks, she has found and pinned 25 insects to a board.  Separately, she lists for each insect the name, its place in the food web, habitat, and counties in which it can be found.  Additionally, she is crafting a poster of the monarch butterfly lifecycle.  She discusses migration and the current destruction of the monarch's habitat.  She has completed three close up pencil drawings, carefully detailed with the aid of a magnifying glass.  She goes on to identify certain physical features of these insects and explains how they have physically adapted to their habitat. She finishes with three questions she still wonders about each.

This is purposeful, beautiful assignment design.  It is a wonderful example of the multiple intelligences approach to learning that is a Pathfinder fundamental.   By running through the woods in search of bugs, kinesthetic and naturalistic needs are met.  Spatial, artistic talents are nurtured through close up pencil drawings and poster creation.   As kids compare their insects and discuss what they see, interpersonal intelligences are piqued.  When they research, analyze, and explain their findings to the class, the logical modality is enabled.

The richness of what Sierra will gain from this assignment goes far beyond entomology.  I have watched her and her classmates proudly sweeping the wooded campus with their bug nets (they carry them throughout the day, not just during science class - you never know when you might spot a good bug). She told me a story of one particular bug pursuit when she didn't have her net. It was exceptionally fast, and most difficult to capture. In the end, the sun revealed the insect's shadow as it hid underneath the leaf's surface, and without further hesitation, her hands cupped and captured it in a fury of victory.  At home she peruses the internet, learning how to sift through the massive quantity of information to find what she is looking for. This not memorizing facts; she is learning to gather information and synthesize it, to consider a topic in connection to surrounding topics, to wonder and find out and make meaning out of something.

Back to FLOW.  Did I mention that Sierra was singing throughout this process?  She would work for an hour or two, humming or chatting with her siblings.  She might get up and get a snack, pirouetting and pas de bouree-ing over to the pantry, and return for another hour or two.  She would move from detailed drawing, to reading on the computer, to tickling her sister, to printing and cutting and gluing...all the while singing.  This is NOT the behavior of a frustrated, angry, or bored 13 year-old.  This is the behavior of a young teen who is enjoying her work, to the point that the work has unquestionably become play, and that is something worth blogging about.

-- Tricia Moore, parent
    

"Just Preschool?" It's Anything But.

Teacher Trisha Short celebrating with kids in their handmade animals masks

    
Hiking in the woods.  Sculpting clay animals.  Building bird houses with scrapwood. Painting faces from homemade, berry-stained paints.  Making mud huts and growing grass on them.  Dissecting a fish.  Building a bridge in the woods with logs.  Yoga poses.  Measuring and taping out the size of a giraffe to determine whether it could be a class pet.  Crafting paper mache masks of woodland animals.  Blazing a trail with snowshoes. 

     This is Pathfinder preschool (also referred to as pre-k around here).  We've spent the past three years with Trisha Short, pre-k teacher extraordinaire.  Pretty safe to say you won't ever find Pathfinder's youngest squirming in chairs coloring a worksheet.  These kids get their hands (and faces, and -gasp!- new school clothes) dirty. They are not only permitted, but encouraged, to throw themselves fully into the learning process.  By way of best practice in early education, Trisha allows the children to construct their own knowledge on the topic at hand, crafting opportunities for exploration and discovery, guiding their understanding with keen attention and open-ended questions.  She even "wastes time" (read: invests time) by allowing them to make mistakes, letting them figure out for themselves what works and what doesn't - and why.  You'll hear her say something like, "So, what do you guys think?  How do we do this?"  And the kids, empowered by an adult who takes them seriously, will eagerly suggest idea upon idea - creative problem solving at its best.  And Trisha will respond confidently, "well let's try it!" 

     I've often heard this stage of education referred to as "just preschool."  At Pathfinder, or anywhere else, there couldn't be a worse label than this.  With all the brain development that takes place during the preschool years, it's like telling a pregnant woman not to worry about what she eats or does during those nine months, because, well, it's "just pre-natal."  See what I mean?  What could be more important than the foundation on which the rest of life's learning sits?  In my humble opinion, the preschool teacher should be among our highest regarded professions. 

     The other side of the coin is the "academic preschool."  Those two words probably shouldn't occur in the same sentence.  Please be in the know:  early education models that boast academic curricula are not following best practice.  On the contrary, play-based education creates the strongest foundation for later learning.  Trisha is committed to this, and as a result, her students play the leading role in daily activities.  She talks with the 8-10 children who are in her class that day, often with one or two of them on her lap, taking their cues on what intrigues them.  From this she pulls out the thread of a topic, and the exploration begins.  This is called emergent learning.  It will turn and twist in ways that she can't imagine and no two days are alike.  You can bet she has no file marked "September."  Every class is different, so every year is completely different. 

     Last year, for example, Trisha noticed that many of the kids were enthralled by horses.  Trisha brought a couple sawhorses up to the room, and the adventure began.  Through hammering and sawing, cutting and sewing, wrapping and painting, the 3-5 year old kids designed and built a horse that was big enough and sturdy enough to sit on.  They visited a horse ranch to feel (and smell) the horses.  They grated carrots, chopped apples, and stirred in oatmeal to make cookies that a horse might like, then baked them in the oven at school and ate them warm.  They found fallen branches in the Pathfinder woods as tall as themselves, and made hobby horses from old woolen socks, even sewing on their own buttons and ribbons.  They told cowboy stories, made clay horses, and eventually got interested in rodeo.   And so, naturally, they created their own bull to ride from a barrel strung up outdoors.  The kids planned a hoe-down, and all the families dressed in western clothing and brought a dish to pass.  There was a campfire, lasso-ing, square dancing, bull riding, guitar sing-alongs, and amazing camaraderie.  Oh, and that's" just preschool" at Pathfinder.  ;) 

--Tricia Moore, parent

Vienna, pre-k
Glenn, 1st grade
Mariah, 3rd grade
Sierra, 8th grade
Ariana, 2012 Pathfinder graduate
    



    

    

Blossoming Outdoors

Today is another “snow day” in a recent series of them; it has been an odd winter.  This day is unique because the trees are absolutely loaded with snow, and I know the Pathfinder campus is particularly beautiful just now, its too bad the kids will not see it today.  Maddie, our 5 year old is chomping at the bit to get back to Pathfinder, be with her friends and begin the new course of study and experience that her teacher, Trisha Short is developing.

Maddie is in her “graduate” Pre-K year with Miss Trisha, her first two years were spent with Paul Ward, and all three have been truly positive for her.  She’s really blossomed this year, and has developed a wonderful sense of anticipation for the years ahead at Pathfinder. 

 I attribute some of Maddie’s desire to be there to Trisha Short’s willingness and ability to develop the curriculum on the fly.  Trisha follows the developing interests of her kids’ thinking, and incorporates those interests into the teaching and experience gathering that take place daily.  By necessity, this style requires of the teacher a solid grounding in the fundamentals, careful observation of the kids’ progress, and a lot of flexibility.  It’s fun to watch, and it works beautifully.

 Recently the kids have moved from a study of birds to life in ancient Egypt (including of course, MUMMIES!) and now to Native American culture.  Along the way Trisha has brought in local expertise and blended the teaching with experiences the kids have while outdoors at Pathfinder. 

The outside at Pathfinder is part of the allure for us as parents, the physical plant may be a bit rustic, but do you think the kids notice?  The campus is a beautiful place, and its layout forces the kids to be out of doors a lot.  The faculty has done a great job of leveraging this, and Pathfinder students do a lot of learning while outside.   This aspect of Pathfinder is unique to our region, and under Karl’s leadership, is getting more emphasis.

I think I look forward to Maddie’s years ahead at Pathfinder just as much as she looks forward to getting back there tomorrow. 

--Kevin Malone, parent

Bring on the Bumps and Bruises




7th graders playing on snow mound together.

It's 3:00pm.  School's out.  Heavy backpacks slung into the car, my five kids pack in.  The older two are still laughing and shouting to friends as we pull away.  The volume steadily rises as all five simultaneously share the day's stories.  My 14-year old daughter throws her feet up onto the dash, baring her shins.  "Where did you get those scrapes?"  I ask.  She laughs as she tells me about playing Capture the Flag in science that day.  "I was sprinting through the woods (laughing...), and Kimberly was chasing me (still laughing...), and I jumped over this log and fell.  Look at this one," she adds, showing me a bigger scrape.  "It was so fun!" 

I smile, picturing it all: long hair blown back by sheer speed, the snap of twigs and leaves crunching underfoot, arms wildly swiping away branches, heart pounding with the body's flight.  Without a doubt, there's screaming.  And laughter.  Listening to her story, I feel so fulfilled and grateful that my kids go to a school that embraces play as a solid foundation for learning in all grades.

Everyone expects the little ones to be playing at school.  And they certainly do.  But the wonderful thing about Pathfinder is that the play continues on through middle school.  There is Predator and Prey, football in the snow, and homemade hovercraft rides.  There is Rome in Playdough, standing on chairs painting the art room ceiling, and acting out the digestive system.  There is snowshoeing across campus, slipping and sliding on frozen Cedar Lake, and mucking about when it's not.  There are Mad Libs, puppets, and wild drama class Saturdays.  There's a lost and found fashion show, wonderful weekly pizza lunch mayhem, and bow and arrow flinging.  There are pipe-insulation marble rollercoasters, kids building fires by the lake, and preschoolers dancing with teenagers in Tapestry.  There's singing for food, pitch black nightwalks, and whispering across the sandbowl at beautiful Pyramid Point.

This is all pretty good stuff on its own, tweens and teens playing around.  But the notable thing here is that alongside all the play, high level academics occur - and flourish, because of it.  This year my 7th and 8th grade daughters have studied the Columbian Exchange, the Silk Road, and The African Slave Trade.  They've learned about the Roaring Twenties, The Great Depression, and The New Deal.  They know about the Renaissance, Baroque, Classical and Romantic Periods.  In math they factor, graph, convert and interpret.  They study genetics, plant systems, invasive species, and a slew of scientific concepts I can barely pronounce.  Right now, the 7th grade class is reading Shakespeare's Julius Cesar.  And getting it.  I dare say every single day in every single class, middle school kids are working together in pairs or in groups of some design, talking, laughing, and learning from eachother.

So I say bring on the bumps and bruises.  This is living!  This is learning!  This is Pathfinder.

-- Tricia Moore, parent

Ariana, 8th grade
Sierra, 7th grade
Mariah, 2nd grade
Glenn, kindergarten
Vienna, pre-kindergarten

A World of an Education

Sitting in my hotel room in Budapest, Hungary, my husband on his computer, the kids in the next room, I replay the events of the day in my head.  Today, they learned about history.  Not only the traditional information of dates of events, but they also saw sights that help them to visualize how the culture lived then, and how it is now. 

Thinking about this, I am reminded of their education.  I'm not talking about the typical kind in the classroom.  I am talking about one on the road.  We spent the last two days walking in the snow in the castle district, walking in Hero Square, and seeing buildings, some still with bullet holes from World War II.  We took a break from the cold and popped into the modern shopping mall, and then walked back through the park, just drinking in the architecture with cannons lining the castle walls.  We saw the terror museum dedicated to telling the story of the Nazi occupation sitting among stores like Louis Viutton, and Gucci, displaying how the country has recovered from that era.

The days here have reminded me of our two years on the road learning from guides and museums the sites histories.  Actually being told at the pyramids, the area's history does more than teach them history, it puts a reality to it.  They can not only picture it better, it creates a curiosity around it.  The kids can picture life by the Colosseum in Italy, or in Machu Pichu in Peru.  Then the curiosity spreads to other areas.  Learning became not just interesting, but real and fun.

Returning from our travel years meant finding a school that would continue that philosophy.  We wanted a school that would create an environment where the kids could not only learn, but have fun and enjoy the lesson.  We found a school that not only fit the dream, it exceeded our expectations.  We found a school where the kids can play, enjoy a beautiful setting and not just learn, but be inspired to learn.  The Pathfinder school creates this atmosphere of creativity, responsiblity, and exploration. 

 The kids not only want to come to school, not only don't want to leave at the end of the day, but they are more curious about the world.  After a few years at Pathfinder, I still see the wonder and curiosity in the kids eyes during our week in Budapest.  I see the spirit and fun as they throw snowballs and run in the park.  Back in the hotel they are working on homework from school, I see the same zeal for learning is even stronger than before.  Pathfinder not only kept the curiosity alive, it allowed it to flourish.

- Cathy Colburn, parent

- Eric (Pathfinder alumnus)
- Rebeca (7th grade)
- Alex (5th grade)

“You can teach a student a lesson for a day; but if you can teach him to learn by creating curiosity, he will continue the learning process as long as he lives.”  ~Clay P. Bedford