For Parents

Education Beyond the Classroom: The Role of Outdoor Adventure in Shaping Young Minds

By Betta Hanson, GOAT Co-Director & Residential Faculty at Annie Wright Schools

In a time when screens and schedules dominate our daily lives, outdoor education programs are redefining how students learn and grow.

• By blending academic learning with real-world outdoor experiences, these programs effectively foster resilience, leadership abilities, and a deeper connection to nature.
• The concept of outdoor education dates back to the early 20th century as educators sought ways to engage students beyond traditional methods.
• Early efforts initially focused on direct, experiential learning in nature but later evolved to incorporate academics, collaborative skills, and a focus on environmental responsibility.
• Outdoor education today equips students with critical life skills, preparing them for the world beyond the classroom.

This video offers an overview of Annie Wright Schools.

Why Outdoor Education Matters

Outdoor education provides benefits beyond the immediate thrill of adventure.

• Students develop important skills such as resilience, leadership, and environmental stewardship by participating in activities that push their physical, emotional, and intellectual limits.
• The impact of outdoor education goes far beyond the surface.
• It promotes curiosity and creativity, encouraging students to approach problems from various angles.

Outdoor education also builds a sense of community and collaboration.

• Whether summiting a peak together or navigating a kayak through uncharted waters, students learn to communicate effectively, trust one another, and work

Ideally, a private school education is a partnership. The school, parents, and student comprise this partnership. What makes this partnership unique is that all partners must work together for the best interests of a young person. In addition, each partner has a specific role to play and items to take care of. So, let's examine the three partners and their roles and obligations implicit in this arrangement, which makes a private school education a good value.

This video discusses effective parent-teacher communication.

School

Motivation Obviously, the school wants the partnership to work for several reasons. First, successes enhance the school's reputation. The academic marketplace is always competitive unless, of course, the school happens to be located ten miles from the James Bay. Word of mouth within a community spreads word of both successes and failures. I realize that some will interpret word of mouth as gossip, but most parents do their own diligence. They can distinguish between those with an ax to grind and the truth. Furthermore, parents visit schools and see for themselves and ask questions.

Contractual The contractual agreement the school signs with parents spells out its obligations. Private schools are unique. So, the contract you signed at another school will be very different from the one your child's current school requires you to sign. Review it carefully, and, if warranted, have your legal advisor review it.

Academic Academics, the curriculum, and how

2020-2021 have been unusual, depressing years as we all coped with the COVID-19 pandemic. Yet, notwithstanding all the gloom and doom, there was some good news in 2021. Several announcements of major gifts to private schools have lifted our spirits and given us, and the recipients, hope.

In October 2021, Berkshire School in Sheffield, Massachusetts, announced that an alumnus had left a bequest to endow three faculty chairs. Also in October, the Frederick Gunn School in Washington, Connecticut, reported that a current trustee and his wife had endowed a faculty chair. The munificence of these donors supports the stated mission of these schools.

The Berkshire School's mission statement notes:

"Rooted in an inspiring natural setting, Berkshire School instills the highest standards of character and citizenship and a commitment to academic, artistic, and athletic excellence. Our community fosters diversity, a dedication to environmental stewardship, and an enduring love for learning."

This video offers an overview of Berkshire School.

In its mission statement, The Frederick Gunn School states:

"In 1850 Frederick Gunn established a school based on the belief that strength of character was the goal of education. Today, The Frederick Gunn School rests on the four cornerstones of character: scholarship, integrity, respect and responsibility. Character is forged in a cohesive, diverse community informed by a challenging college preparatory curriculum, a

Disclaimer: I am not a health professional. I am a concerned parent and grandparent. This article draws attention to some of the questions I have about sending my grandchildren off to boarding school. ~Rob Kennedy

Getting your child ready for school in the summer of 2020 is a nerve-wracking experience for parents. We have always been concerned about our children's safety both at school and at home. We have taught safe behaviors since they were tiny tots. Sending them away from home to a residential school always posed issues of separation and homesickness that you and I were able to deal with more or less successfully. But sending them off to boarding school in the middle of a global pandemic? Well, that's something else again, isn't it?

Suddenly, all those familiar scenarios of dropping our children off at school seem so benign and distant. This COVID-19 pandemic is unlike anything you and I have seen in our lifetimes. The virus seems to attack people of all ages. It seems to lurk in hosts and find new hosts via droplets that hang in the air. It lives on common surfaces such as doorknobs and stair railings. It spreads to its new host when he touches his face. Worst of all, there's no vaccine for the COVID-19 virus. Scientists are scrambling to create vaccines, but it doesn't look as though anything will be available before early 2021.

I have listened to This Week In Virology podcasts for

Graduates of boarding schools end up doing all sorts of things. Many of them become distinguished leaders in their chosen fields. Almost all of the alumnae and alumni selected below have also chosen to return time, talent, and treasure to the schools that gave them such a solid start to their careers. They serve on boards of trustees, raise money for their schools, and act as stalwart supporters of these institutions.

That's the point of this little piece: the dream of being something when you are young. Attend a school that will help you realize those dreams by giving you the skills, confidence, and belief that you can accomplish whatever you set out to do. That is the essence of a boarding school education.

Now, I hear you thinking everyone on this list is or was fabulously wealthy. Indeed, some are. But many were not quite well off when just starting out. All of these graduates share one thing in common. They had families that valued the sound, balanced approach to education that the schools they attended afforded them.

Audrey McNiff, Goldman Sachs (retired), Lawrence Academy, Groton, MA

Arthur Bunn, Bunn-O-Matic Corp., The Lawrenceville School, Lawrenceville, NJ

Betsy Licht Turner, Northern Trust Investments, The Madeira School, McLean, VA

Bette Davis, Actress, Cushing Academy, Ashburnham, MA

Betty White, Actress, Horace Mann School, New York, NY

Chelsea Clinton, The Clinton Foundation, Sidwell Friends School, Washington, DC

Dan Brown, Writer,