Sometimes I think we all get a little too caught up in pacing guides and deadlines to remember why we became educators.  For me it was a few different things colliding that helped to guide me toward education.  Mrs. Hornowski’s third grade classroom and the excitement that came with each day I spent there, a few too many boring middle and high schools classes with teachers who cared, just not about enhancing my love for learning, and parents who instilled a loved for travel and literacy at a young age.

Days like the one we experienced on the river help to remind me about some of the why’s of education.  Like many teachers in out state, I teach children who never travel outside of their own county or community.  They are the students who, when asked to think back to a time in their lives when…there simply isn’t an experience to think about.  In working in conjunction with 4-H through my Kenan project, I am reminded of the importance of experiential learning and the need to build background for students in order for everyone to be successful.

Although we can’t take our students rafting for each lesson we teach, we can provide for them great experiences that will enhance their learning in the short time we have with them.  Despite the fact that I could not raft with our group, I still consider the day I spent with the other land lubbers a highlight of the week at NCCAT.  The beautiful scenery and relationships we built that day were a great alternative to the icy waters and Class 3 falls.  I will look back on the day we spent at Nantahala both for the great experience as well as for the gentle reminder of what a day outside of the usual classroom setting can provide for a student’s mindset.