I’ve spent the last three days stranded in a technologically desolate wilderness in northern California. My cell phone flirted with me daily, showing a bar of service every now and then, but I never was able to make a call without the dreaded “signal faded” message a ring or two into a call. Any dream of connecting to the Internet was exactly that. And I had to drive 15 miles of winding, mountain roads before I found an outlet to charge my camera battery. After three days, I barely remembered what a flush toilet was. If this doesn’t paint the right picture, imagine this; after dusk, when the earth turned on her axis away from the sun, I could actually see millions upon millions of stars shedding their light. This only is possible in the most desolate of places, where no city lights or smog compete for our attention.
This was the most three splendid days of my summer! I frolicked in meadows dotted with wildflowers, swam in chilly alpine lakes, hiked up to the top of a volcanic mountain for the sunrise, climbed up and into a cinder cone…and all without the help of a blackberry or MacBook. I did not know this was possible. Such raw and invigorating exploration—so much more tangible when it’s staring you in the face. What has happened to good-ole-fashioned “learn by doing, seeing, exploring”? There was such a bounty of knowledge to be learned here: formation of cinder cones, lava fields, and volcanoes…the ecology of an area subject to continuous battering from its harsh environment…the chemistry of how different rocks form from sulfite and calcite…the adaptation of organisms when faced with obeying the laws of physics...and all so obvious when plopped right down in the middle of it!
I recently visited a physical science classroom that had been taken outdoors; students were given the task of assessing a creek outside of the classroom for water quality, characteristics of water flow, etc. The kids actually had to wade around in the mud and most of them were actually smiling.
[soapbox moment here] Are we so caught up in our textbooks and computers that we are failing to see this valuable tool? Maybe we’ve completely lost any sense of connection with this vast beauty of wilderness that has been flourishing without our help since the beginning of time. I found stark evidence of this when looking up synonyms in Microsoft Word…
The synonym for “wilderness” is “wasteland.” Is this alarming to anyone else?
7 comments:
You clearly were reminded of some powerful ideas, Lisa, and you convey them with real passion. It sounds like this was a very productive vacation indeed...
Yes, yes it is alarming. I am very alarmed. My children will never own a videogameing system. No joke, Its never going to happen. I can't imagine life with no fishing, frog catching, star gazing, tree climbing, trail blazing, cricket chirping, grass stains, or fall leaves. Wii has nothing on Mother Nature and Nintendo can take a hike! Really, it would probably do the programmers some good!!
Lisa
Looks and sounds like a fantastic trip! hmmmm...maybe your adventure is an excellent example of how cell phones can be useful in gathering data, collecting information in the real world? Since you have the cell with you (although reception is iffy), why not collect some authentic data with your mobile camera or create an audiocast and interview some of the people you encounter on the adventure. Something to think about.
YOU ARE GOING TO BE AN AWESOME SCIENCE TEACHER!!! I could feel your passion and enthusiasm for teaching and learning in this post. You made me want to go camping...for me, that's a big deal because I hate bugs! Great post!
I agree whole-heartedly. We are doing all we can to keep our own children from equating wilderness to wasteland. I just wanted to share with you that we go to a remote family camp every year over Labor Day. This is one of those places, as you described, so far away from everything that the night sky is filled with stars. There is this one particular clearing in the woods up there where the view of the night sky is just fabulous. The first year we took the kids there they went tearing around in that clearing one night. Then, when the view of the stars caught their eye, they stood completely still with their heads tilted back and their mouths gaping open (no sound was coming out which is pretty amazing for our crew!). I will always remember that moment. The night my kids became aware of the vastness of the universe and its beauty. Awesome.
Lisa, I loved your podcast and I really enjoyed your jokes. =o) Good job being awesome
hey lisa-
a little late on the comment...but I was reading your post and had to chime in that Pioneer (my placement school) just got an "outdoor classroom," where teachers can sign up to have their class outdoors by the pond and sit on cool log benches and stuff. Seems like someone might be taking the "back to nature" aspect of what you're talking about into the schools!
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