A child sitting on a chaise longue, with a confused but curious expression.

On this week’s podcast, Claire Dobie and I talk about one of the first things outdoor educators learn to say: “I don’t know.” As a teacher, saying “I don’t know” positions us with our students as fellow-seekers of knowledge. One of the cardinal sins of teaching is to become the “sage on a stage,” the person with all...

Several people overlapping their hands, illustrating the concept of connection.

On the podcast this week, music teacher Jim Cornfoot talked about connection – how, as a piano teacher, he spends part of every lesson establishing a personal rapport. And not just with new students, either – he continues to connect, at every meeting, even after knowing a student for years. What’s that about? Teachers...

A child climbing a tree

In our conversation this week, Eileen Garcia-Sanchez told me about how they embrace the philosophy of risky play at the San Antonio Zoo preschool. She describes an old storm-beaten tree trunk on their campus, and what she does when a child gets to the top and wants to be lifted down: I’m not going to walk up to the...

Freeman Tilden wearing a hat

In our first podcast, educator Kady Yeomans described her work leading groups of kids on the floor of a large science museum. And the main sense I got from Kady was that she is always thinking about her audience – there are facts to deliver, sure, but there’s no lecture. Here’s how she put it, speaking from her...