The Draw of the Wild
Drawing by Rachel Dranoff.
After 10 months of teaching art within a four-walled classroom, I look forward to the infinite adaptability of an outdoor mountain classroom.
The rigid, rectangular walls vanish and circles become the dominant geometric shape. Cooking circles, tent circles, outdoor lesson circles, bear fence circles, evening meeting circles.
Photo by Rachel DranoffAs a graduate student, I wrote my thesis on the intersection of art + outdoor education. Since completing my master’s, I have spent two years as an elementary school art teacher in New England, and two summers as a NOLS field instructor out of NOLS Teton Valley. These two vastly different forms of teaching both support and challenge each other.
Specialist teachers typically see each class within a school once a week for an hour. Over the course of a school year, I will spend roughly 36 hours with a given class, about a day and a half in total. On a NOLS course, we are with students around the clock. On a typical Adventure backpacking course (14 to 15-year-olds), I will spend 336 hours with a student group—although hopefully we’ll be asleep some of that time!
That intensive, in-person time, devoid of the daily distractions of homework and social media, allows for deep student-teacher relationships to grow. The divide between instructor and learner dissolves and the shared bonds of humanity emerge.
Photo by Rachel Dranoff
Naturally and necessarily, there are moments where NOLS instructors provide direct instruction and act as authoritative figures in the group, but these moments fade quickly as students take on more leadership and backcountry routines develop. Students progress from actively seeking instructor supervision cooking meals to inventing their own creative dishes like backcountry crepes!
Our goal is not to be guides, but true teachers and mentors, so that our students can leave their courses with the skills to confidently explore the wilderness on their own. After months of intense elementary classroom management—involving large groups of small people wielding paint, clay, scissors, and glue—it is a refreshing change of pace to empower adolescents to step into their own lives in a big way.
My training as a NOLS instructor heavily influences my identity as an art teacher. Even at school, I work hard to cultivate a classroom culture that exhibits elements of expeditionary behavior and different forms of student leadership. I favor collaborative art projects and installations that involve teamwork and showcase the efforts of the group. When a warm, sunny spring day rolls around, I take my art classes outside to draw inspiration from nature and absorb some vitamin D.
Photo by Rachel Dranoff
The synergy of disciplines flows both ways. My training as an artist and educator informs who I am as a NOLS instructor. I immediately relate to visual learners on the course and encourage all my students to keep a journal and/or sketchbook while they are immersed in the wilderness. I love taking artful photographs of students in action on the trail or at camp. I have taught outdoor art workshops in the field, building temporary installations in keeping with the Leave No Trace ethics, and drawing portraits of students for them to take home.
Photo courtesy of Derby Academy.
What I appreciate most about the balance of teaching art classes and leading NOLS expeditions is that I can connect deeply with students and tap into their creative voices. Both art + outdoor education recognize the power of play, freedom of expression, and celebration of a student’s unique identity. Problem-solving, collaboration, and inventiveness are the backbone of both a vibrant elementary school art studio and an impactful NOLS course. Here’s to a joyful summer of adventure and personal growth. Happy trails!
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