Explorative Play in Nature

For some time I have been contemplating different ways of learning. At times, I believe our modern day society tends to focus so heavily on mental learning. For example, there tends to be a focus on memorizing facts, dates, math formulas ect. as if our brains are computer programs. What about the magic of creativity and getting lost in that precious flow state that a computer could never achieve? We could benefit from more fully embodied experience from my perspective - more holistic. 

Throughout my own k-12 educational experience, and I can only speak from personal experience, I was rather starved for creative expression and peace, particularly starting in middle school. I was a perfectionist, and I often had a nagging sense of “Do I have the right answer?” permeating my consciousness in places even beyond academics. It wasn’t until my late teenage years when I discovered yoga, artistic expression, journaling and poetry writing that I made a positive pivot internally, breaking free a bit from the anxiety of “Perform! Get the A+! Do I have the right answer?” Mindset.

I fell in love with creative exploration. We need our youth, and quite frankly many of our adults too, to get excited about exploring ideas, nature, movement and to be self-empowered no matter the grade on the math exam. Our worth is inherent, no matter our academic abilities, and we need to know that we all have a place in this world. This exploration can be in every subject of course, but just yoga, visual art, and writing. 

I am currently reading a book titled: We Are the Middle of Forever- Indigenous Voices from Turtle Island on the Changing Earth. What an enlightening read! I highly recommend this book, and I am being nourished by the wisdom in this book that is so holistic. The book is a series of interviews edited by Dahr Jamail and Stan Rushworth. 

The connection to the land, to Spirit, to the waters, to the trees, to doing good for one’s community, to story telling, to community and to the animals, is something that, in my own way, I have been doing my best to embody more and more of. This embodiment of deeper connection has changed me from a cellular level and I have a more enriched experience of life than I ever have had before. 

This deeper embodiment of connection with all of life and the world around me, has shifted my focus from “I want to get/ I must achieve” needs to “I give and I am connecting, I am blessing in prayer, and also I am receiving the blessings. I am in this moment” reciprocity. 

In addition to working as an artist and poet, I work in education, having worked at over fifteen k-12 schools of various demographics. I have worked in suburban schools and inner city schools throughout Minnesota. I will say that some schools that I have worked at are doing better than others. In all of the schools however, I have seen and felt  at least some good, and the children are the most special beings. The children are our world’s greatest treasures. I want to do right by these kids, and I have this intuitive naming inside that we need to update our educational systems for the youth to better serve and prepare children. 

As our world evolves, isn’t it logical that our schools and educational models should evolve too? I am happy to say that I do not have “the right answer” this time(my inner child I hope is okay with this!) Perhaps there isn’t a right answer, but many. I truly feel that we must act and shift. There are some themes that I feel we could as a whole lot emphasize more in our US educational models. 

- community involvement

-explorative play

-Connection of all kids)

-Connection particularly with nature

-Innovation

- circles for world solutions and peace building

-healing 

-selfless service

-healthier food 

-time to just be free (in nature!?) 

Do you have any other ideas of what society could benefit from changing in our schools? I want to hear your ideas!