We are here. We made a conscious decision to pack our bags and move to southern California. We searched online for a job that fit our interests and expectations, and here we are. We all chose High Trails Outdoor Science School. But why? Was the job posting a huge grab, or the website so intriguing you couldn’t tear your eyes away from it? Could it purely have been the allure of the mountains? Or was it the simple fact that you enjoy nature, and kids make you laugh? We all came here for different reasons, and it’s crucial for us to embrace the life experiences that brought us here in order to keep our role at High Trails in perspective. You’re not here because you have to be, you’re here because you want to be, so let’s take a moment to remember what brought us all here to our own little crazy nook in the San Bernardino Mountains.

Outdoor Education as a field is being evaluated for its value within children’s lives. It’s the idea of being outside and learning something new, and it’s most likely what brought us all here to begin with. As kids we captured frogs in the creek, chased hermit crabs in tide pools, climbed trees in the backyard, and wished upon stars that one day we could fly freely like a bird in the sky. And that’s why we are here. Those experiences fostered in us the appreciation we now have for our environment and the responsibility we all face to ensure future generations get the same opportunities we did to take in the beauty of nature that surrounds us. As Outdoor Educators we are responsible for offering students those same effective experiences that shaped us into who were are today. We are here because we understand the importance of awareness and education to make the changes needed in the world. As cliché as it sounds, the children are our future and we have the chance to plant a seed in them that has the ability to grow into something beautiful.

So think about it, who planted the seed that set your roots in this career? Was it a sixth grade science camp instructor? A crazy red headed biology teacher in junior high? That weirdo neighbor who insisted on telling you about all the plants in his garden? Or was it an accumulation of life experiences and new ideas that enlightened you towards the effects you can have on our environment as well as others? I would say that exploring the outdoors, and letting curiosity be our guides is what brought us where we stand today. The fact that we get to work with like-minded individuals and sixth graders whose eagerness to learn and excitement for something new is inspiring, just adds to the appeal of the job. So if being outside and learning something new is what got us out here to High Trails, would you say Outdoor Education is a valuable experience? Where would any of us have ended up without it?