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