Why we need outdoor education
The Council of Outdoor Educators of Ontario (COEO) mourns the tragic and avoidable death of 15-year-old Jeremiah Perry during a 2017 Toronto District School Board organized canoe trip in Algonquin Park.
The recent “not guilty” verdict in the criminal case of the lead teacher is not the end of this matter. Lessons must be learned, responsibilities assumed, policies updated and compliance assured. This devastating incident must not happen again. It also must not lead to the demise of school-sponsored canoe trips.
It is no accident we are in the midst of a climate and biodiversity crisis at the same time as there is a growing loss of direct personal experience in and with nature. There is a distinction to be made between spending much-needed time in nature — in “what made you” — and our all-too-common absorption with the artificial constructs of “what you made.” The former can create awe and humility; the latter false arrogance and destructive superiority. To restore life on Earth, we must rekindle an awareness of our deep and indispensable connections with nature.
When students go on a multiday canoe trip, they commit to “what made you” while leaving behind screens, routines and other artifacts. Direct and memorable encounters with the natural world and with each other in that setting create learning and accomplishment such as the following: being yourself, completely absorbed in the moment and with the task at hand; allowing vast and peaceful landscapes to sink into your senses and your sense of self; experiencing the quivering and haunting calls of loons; being visited by curious and talkative barred owls at dusk; viewing a moose through the early morning mist of a marsh; making your own paddle, using it on the trip and keeping it as a tangible memory of powerful experiences; feeling like family with so many varied and shared adventures that rely on one another. As one student notes, such moments allow for “basking in the bliss of life.” They are sacred. They become lifelong memories and anchoring experiences.
Teachers leading these trips also note the connections gained — to land, to group, to one’s own abilities and purpose — in ways simply not possible within the traditional confines of a classroom. As one veteran trip leader/teacher (Katie Gad, Upper Grand District School Board) notes, “Connection is what brings meaning to education. Without it, students are alone.”
They point to all the group firsts experienced on a canoe trip: sleeping in a tent; cooking an outdoor meal; completing a long portage; relying on someone other than your parents; connecting to each other around a campfire with the Milky Way for a backdrop. They speak passionately about character building, about evaporating socio-economic barriers and learning to appreciate those who are “different.” As another teacher (Bill Schoenhardt, York Region District School Board) aptly puts it, “the confidence and resilience gained on a canoe trip go directly into the classroom and forward into life; kids learn that they are stronger, both mentally and physically than they think, and gain confidence to succeed in new life challenges.”
The Council of Outdoor Educators of Ontario believes that the multiple and lasting benefits of schoolsponsored canoe trips, together with all their necessary preparations, procedures and followup, present a convincing case for the continued offering of such experiences. To ensure both safety and success, these trips demand commitment to established provincial and national standards by all involved. It is everyone’s responsibility to ensure this happens.