Today I want to talk a little bit about the fifth grade trip to Deer Valley. For over twenty years fifth grade students from Penn-Trafford School District have had the opportunity to spend two days and two nights at the YMCA Camp at Deer Valley in Somerset County. The days and evenings are packed with educational experiences centered on environmental learning and team building. I spent a day at Deer Valley this week and I had a blast watching the kids have fun and witnessing the positive interaction between students and adults. Most of you reading this blog know much more about what happens at Deer Valley then I do. Today I just want to share with my reflection on why I think it is such a wonderful experience for our students.
First, the trip is a chance for our kids to experience the outdoors in ways that many do not have the opportunity to in Westmoreland County. I grew up and lived in Tioga County for 38 years. In the short time that I have been gone from Tioga County I have forgotten about the silence that envelopes you when you are away from the hustle and bustle of a large metropolitan area. I was struck by the silence of the camp. I do not know if the students noticed the silence, but I surely did.
Deer Valley also offers a chance for students to participate in experiential learning. I think all education should center on “experiences” but that is hard to do in the current school system. Deer Valley allows students the opportunity to “learn by doing”. In his book Ecological Literacy, David Orr talks about the importance of placing education in the context of the environment in which students live. If all of our student’s educational experiences are contextualized as Orr suggests, then our students will develop a deep understanding of the “place” in which they live. Paul Theobald and Wendell Berry also talk eloquently about the need for students to have instruction and curriculum that is grounded in the places they live. As a matter of fact, John Dewey discussed the importance of experiential learning back in the 1930’s. Deer Valley shows us the value of this type of learning environment. Hopefully we can take the lessons learned at Deer Valley and apply it to our classroom instruction back in the school district.
Finally, Deer Valley is a great community education experience. While I was there I saw how parents, teachers and students were interacting in an educational environment. I often worry that there are imaginary “walls” placed between the community and the schools. These walls prevent meaningful interaction between the learning that students receive at school and the learning that happens for our students during the rest of the day. As an aside, two years ago I had my youngest child stay home for a few hours from school one day so he could help my brother lay pavers for a patio. Richie actually progressed to the point that he helped set the pattern for the pavers and installed a lot of them. This experience was invaluable to him. Now, the question becomes “how can the school system help students, parents, and the community come together and provide meaningful educational experiences” I think the question really boils down to “what is meaningful learning for our students?” Once this is answered, the school system will have to work with the community to make sure students receive this type of meaningful learning. What I saw at Deer Valley was a great start. Parents, teachers and students learning in the same setting is a powerful pedagogical tool. Maybe I am looking too much into all of this and I should just leave it at the fact that kids have a great time at Deer Valley. Let me know what you think.
The amount of work that goes into organizing this trip is tremendous. After all, the school district has this camp booked for an entire week while our students rotate through in two different two day sessions. The volunteers and the instructors should all be commended. At the risk of not mentioning all of those that worked hard to put this together, I do want to point out two people that were instrumental in organizing this trip. I want to thank Mr. Marasti and Mr. Baugh who have worked incredibly hard to assure that this trip is a great experience year after year.
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