The Teacher


CHARLOTTE JACKLEIN Burlington, Ontario


“I love how much we can learn in the outdoors—about the world,


each other and ourselves,” Charlotte Jacklein says of the decade she’s spent immersed in outdoor education. Raised on a farm in southern Ontario, Jacklein and her siblings


enjoyed the freedom to explore fields and forests, climb trees, wade swamps, catch frogs and forage for wild berries. “At the same time, I also had chores each day that helped develop my sense of responsibility and the importance of contributing to a greater good,” she recalls. It was a balance that would lead naturally into the rhythm of wilderness tripping. After years teaching outside—from wilderness-based youth leadership in Ecuador to donning a bonnet and apron at a living history museum—Jacklein has recently found herself back where she started. “I never in my life would have predicted that I’d end up teaching at the same school where I was once a student,” she laughs. In the end, it was Waldorf education's experiential approach to


teaching that lured her back into a classroom. Still, whenever she can, she takes her teaching outside. For a stormy week last fall, Jacklein lead her class of junior high students to a familiar corner of Georgian Bay for an eight-day kayaking trip around a cluster of wind-blown granite islets. “Being out with students who I have now known for three years,” she


says, “gave me a whole new perspective into the value of wilderness tripping and outdoor experiences in general. “In the outdoors, there are natural consequences that show us


46 | ADVENTURE KAYAK


whether or not we are making thoughtful choices in our actions. If we don’t peg out our tent well, we get wet. If we lily-dip, our boat falls behind. If we don’t pay attention to the camp stove, we eat burnt rice for dinner. Outdoor education promotes both life skills and academic capabilities for all types of learners, because it encourages critical thinking, creative problem solving, awareness of self and others, and resilience in challenging situations.” Jacklein’s familiarity with her students and the Bay offered a rare opportunity for her as a teacher. “The kayaking trip allowed me to fully put my education philosophy into practice,” she says. For a wild and windy week, the students did all the things 13-year-olds do when given more freedom to make their own choices: cliff-jumping, inventing crazy games, belting out Taylor Swift songs, sleeping under the stars and eating ridiculous quantities of Nutella. They also cooked healthy group meals, helped each other through difficulties, and displayed greater confidence, focus and organization. Many students even demonstrated altogether new capacities. Towards the end of the trip, Jacklein put the class to a vote on whether or not to do a solo—a five-hour period of reflection where each student is alone with his or her thoughts and free from any distractions. All but one student voted for the solo. “I found spots around the island for each student that I knew would


suit them,” Jacklein says. “When I took the girl who voted ‘no’ to hers, she looked at the quiet, mossy copse of trees and said, ‘Thank you, Ms. Jacklein, this is perfect.’” —Virginia Marshall


MAIN PHOTO: VIRGINIA MARSHALL | INSET: KYLE LEIS


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