September 30, 2024
What a wonderful week in the wilds of the Missouri Ozarks! It was a great opportunity to learn and explore outdoors. We had lessons in science, math, Hebrew, Judaics, and Humanities – all outside. We also navigated large rafts, rappelled into the mouth of a cave, rode horses along the Ozark Trail, and spelunked into a cavern knee high with freezing water. Adventures are great, but the true power and importance of these experiences becomes apparent only after the fact. As we reflected on the week, here are some of the lessons we learned:
Personal Growth
…means accomplishing something that seemed very difficult or impossible.The expert paddlers worked patiently to lead their classmates in developing and refining their skills ( hands on the T grip!) while the neophytes had the opportunity to learn and improve with their peers.
The most important, authentic growth happens when students learn from one another.
Developing Resilience 
…means persisting when faced with adversity. Many shared that the rappelling adventure was especially nerve racking. Being up high on the cliff was an entirely new experience, and it required a lot of self-encouragement to finally step off the ledge.
“We had the support of the people at the top as well as the people at the bottom. The people down below were cheering you on and always had your back.” -Maya N.
Adventures can be a lot like school – which sometimes require moments of frustration and discomfort in order to reach a greater goal.
Collaborating as a Team
…means working toward a common mission.
“Everyone in my raft had to cooperate to make it to our destination. I had to get out and push our raft off a log, but I learned that working together helped us to accomplish our goal. -Gabriel Y.
Flexibility and Adaptation
…means working with the conditions that we cannot control.
“The water in the cave was so cold that your feet hurt.” -Micah.
Sleeping in a tent for five nights, or trying camp food that is different than food we are used to eating at home wasn’t always ideal. But through all of that, morale among students remained high because we adapted to challenging situations.
Connect With Natural Landscapes 
…means seeing the natural world through a new lens. Students collected qualitative and quantitative data in an eddy – pool of the Courtois River. They caught macroinvertebrates including various crayfish species, some frogs, lots of fish, and too many water spiders.
They used scientific equipment to capture them (e.g. dip nets) and to record important details (e.g. magnifying loupes). The most important scientific instrument, however, was their field journal, in which they recorded their observations.
These are some of the many lessons that we learned through our authentic experiences – lessons that we can carry with us to apply to the many other aspects of our lives.
-The Middle School Team