Plastic desks, bare cement walls, tile floor, and white boards are what surround the average student, five days a week, receiving an education. This is not an exciting or appropriate learning environment for most students, and District 95 should incorporate outdoor education into their curriculum.

Use of the outdoors makes a major contribution to physical and environmental education and enhances many other curriculum areas. It contributes to personal growth and social awareness and develops skills for life and the world of work, according to English Outdoor Education’s website. Qualities such as a sense of responsibility and a purpose in life are nurtured. There is also a great deal of inner enjoyment and satisfaction to be experienced from participation in outdoor activities.

The Waldorf education system allows students to grow and learn at their own pace, and able to adventure and do activities outside the building as well.

“The reason that I chose Waldorf is because I wanted my children’s childhood to be respected and revered; I wanted them to have the wonderment of childhood. I didn’t want them to be stuck behind a desk, taught their ABC’s, and learn how to read and write before they were ready,” Caroline Setoodeh, Waldorf parent, said.

For the Waldorf student, music, dance, theater, writing, literature, legends and myths are not simply subjects to be read about; ingested and tested. They are experienced. Through these experiences, Waldorf students cultivate a lifelong love of learning as well as the intellectual, emotional, physical and spiritual capacities to be individuals certain of their paths and to be of service to the world, according to Waldorf’s official website.

“Outdoor education is important for children because it’s not normal or natural for children to be sitting at a desk inside a classroom, whether they are kindergartners for four hours, or high school students for seven or eight hours,” Setoodeh said.

Another issue in the school is the lack of windows in classrooms and the effects of fluorescent lighting. Fluorescent lighting has been proven to be a trigger for pedietric migrains. A study done by the New York Times found that workers with headache complaints perceived that the condition was related to the office lighting. Likewise, the workers who complained of headaches found the lighting less comfortable and experienced more glare than those who didn’t get headaches.

Being stuck in a building all day with a teacher lecturing the students and doing a few activities is not an exciting and enlightening experience for students. Giving students the freedom to grow and explore through their education, especially in their younger years, creates hard working individuals that are eager to learn.