The Unexpected

• 

• 

When I started writing about teaching kids outside the walls of the classroom, there were two current circumstances that I never anticipated. The complexity of there being little to no formal classroom to teach out of, and the inability to fully interact with the outside world due to safety concerns is a situation that I never imagined during the brainstorming process of how to encourage others to explore the world with their students.

There’s a disheartening and challenging irony in writing this blog now. How can we teach outside of the classroom when the classroom barely exists as a physical space and when the outside world is so limited in accessibility?

It should be made pretty clear that teaching outside of the classroom does NOT mean simply existing in an outdoor space (tent, pod, , but continuing to teach curriculum as planned. These posts have always been focused on teaching children through experiential means, interacting with the world.

We’re often told to expect the unexpected. It comes in many forms, but as this version of the unexpected slowly works its way into our past, we can do our best to facilitate learning that keeps our students curious and engaged while still staying safe.

In the next few months, I hope to grow personally as a teacher and help others do the same as we find ways to continue to teach children using real world interactions and experiences while staying physically safe during what we hope will be a once-in-a-lifetime constraint on our options.

Whether you are a teacher, a family member of a young student or a caregiver hoping to supplement the work assigned by your child’s school, I hope these writings will be helpful.