Class Distinctions

Harlaxton Manor has been my college campus for the last few weeks and I never dreamed of studying in a place so grand. The manor is a nice background noise to the intellectual rigors, once I got over my initial shock of being in England and got used to the idea that I would actually have to pay attention to the "study"part of study abroad!

Having formal "class" in the manor conservatory is a treat, and study hall on the lawn cannot be duplicated at home.







But the real reason this study abroad experience has so impacted my life is a truth that I believed as a home school teacher for 18 years but am only now experiencing as a student. Classrooms without walls create minds without barriers to truth, beauty, and wisdom.
Being on the receiving end, rather than the planning end, of field trips with a true purpose for education in mind has only steeled my resolve to attempt to duplicate this experiential learning for my future public school students. My learning on the moors of England may not be duplicated in a brick-and-mortar classroom, but I am more determined than ever to bring the world to my students and take my students into the world.

The structured informality of our classes abroad is also something I will try to duplicate at home. I know this is how I learn best, with time allowed to talk through my thoughts in a safe intellectual atmosphere. I have been blessed with a few college classes at UC where this was the case also, but alas, they have been the shining exceptions. I hope to be that shining exception for my own students and attempt to remove the stigma of intellect in my classroom. A learning community rather than a formal classroom can make all the difference.

Looking back over our study abroad course entitled "Literature in the Landscape" I think it could easily be subtitled "Learning in the Landscape." In order for academic knowledge to become internalized it must be experienced as far as time and location allow. To experience the landscape that inspired the creation of text or image not only gives deeper understanding, it also inspires a closer look at our own personal, day-to-day landscape. I have noticed that my best creative writing has occured when I allowed myself to place my characters in landscapes that were personally familiar to me. Being away from home for a stretch of a few weeks will hopefully help me to see my own landscapes with fresh eyes.