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by Mike Beeftink "Why do we have to learn this?" "How will this help me in the future; I am not going to be a scientist?" I sure get tired of students using these phrases. I know that in the seven years I have taught high school science, I have heard them more times than I can count. Three years ago I began as a teacher/counselor for a wilderness canoeing program in Quetico Provincial Park. Since the program was run out of a high school different from the one I work in, I was separated from my role as teacher to the students in my group. Because I didn't feel the need to be "teacher," the way we needed to work together fostered a group dynamic unlike any I had ever experienced in the classroom. We became a team -learning from each other. I had entered into the week feeling that I had all the skills to lead my group, but despite years of camping experience, I found my students had as much to teach me, as I could teach them. I found myself uncertain at times, but in looking to the group, felt comfort much like the students. I know this for a fact, because one of the students shared his journal with me. He felt the same sort of growth I had. I knew from this moment I must use this type of activity as a teaching tool. The program I was in involved in was the Voyageur Wilderness Programmme, based in Atikokan, Ontario, Canada. They use the experience as a primer for environmental education. The program emphasizes the importance of the earth and our relationship to it. I can think of no place better to feel connected to mother earth then in the back country of Quetico. What makes their program unique is the use of history, as it applies to the French Voyageurs and their work in a natural environment. The guides and program managers dress as Voyageurs, land provide experiential connections to the historical practices, beliefs, and ceremonies. In the following two years, several of my students were involved in this program. As sponsor of the environmental club, the activity was a natural extension to the club's purpose. I opened an invitation to all students in our school. It is a slow growth process, but each year more students show an interest. I have found that when I take students to Quetico, I am able to teach science in the park to an audience that wants to learn. As a member of the group, each of us have talents that we can use to help the group. I have found that mine is science. The students don't ask, "Why do we have to learn this?", but rather "What is this?" or 'Why does it happen this way?" Each student also has skills to contribute to the group's success. Skills ranging from fire- starting in the rain to story-telling I all work together over the course of the week. This type of learning/teaching does" not just apply to science. In a discussion with an English teacher, who acted as a counselor, I found out that their group spent much time discussing the book Lord of the Flies in the park, not because she had initiated the topic but a student related events in the book to their experiences. When we return home, we take these new skills and continue to grow from there. I have found that the students have even influenced me to pursue newfound interests, such as fire- building using traditional voyageur methods. This y iear, I built my first container for making "char cloth" -- the fire-starter of the old French fur traders. I can't wait to share this discovery with my group this summer. outdoor adventure education can serve as a tool for teaching and learning all subjects, but the teacher must also be willing to be a student. What better way to become a better teacher? Michael Beeftink, Niles North High School,
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