Day 51
October 6, 2009
Today we were planned to go to the Teton Science School (TSS). Shane the F.O.D had us wake up around 8:00am to eat, get our things ready, then head off to TSS, which was about 10 minutes away. When we arrived, we were greated by a man named Joe Petrick. Joe explained the philosophy, and history of TSS, and then took us on a tour of the school, while answering lots of questions along the way. The TSS’s mission is simply: people, nature, place, education, and trying to make connections between these four words with their students. The school teaches from pre-school up to senior year of high school. The teachers and teachings are set apart from any other school because, not only do they teach the regular curriculum, but they also use experiential learning and Outdoor Education to help the kids learn through holistic. For example if a teacher is in his/her classroom, teaching a subject and suddenly an animal walks past their window, then that teacher will stop what he/she is doing, focus in, and have the kids learn about that animal. Then they will go back to normal teachings. Some other things the school does is; go on wildlife expeditions through safari rides, teach winter ecology, flora and fauna, teach instructors from other schools that don’t use this style of teaching, and they also have a Journey School where the kids are involved in a two to fifteen day camping expedition in the backcountry. The school has a supply room so the students can be prepared for the elements before they head out on their journey. TSS was very interesting to me. As I was walking through that place all I kept thinking about is: why didn’t I have a school like this when I was growing up? But who knows, maybe some day I’ll end up coming back and working here. Only time will tell.
Jacob Boyer
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