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Leslie Trundy is a rare gem of a teacher that truly thinks outside the box. As NPR reports, she decided to offer errant kids who were given detentions as punishment for breaking rules, a challenging yet educational alternative: Taking a hike in nature.
Instead of being stuck inside a classroom after school was over, held back as punishment in the presence of an equally bored teacher for classroom infractions such as playing video games during class, Trundy offered students at Morse High School in Maine an alternative. They could join her on an educational hike in the great outdoors instead.
This Inspirational Teacher Shares Her Innovative Approach…
It all started for this unique teacher in her twentieth year as a school counselor. Maine Education News reports that she became inspired by an outdoor education conference she attended, Teens to Trails. Here, she joined a workshop entitled “Mindfulness Outdoors: Whole Body Benefits.”She was already a keen hiker enjoying how walking outdoors helped her relieve stress, reflect, and meditate.
Trundy felt that perhaps being outdoors, in a nature setting, the kids who tended to be given detention could be uplifted and open up about any problems they were going through, benefitting from her attention as a trusted adult. After four years of leading enrichment trips, her “hike, not detention” program was quickly approved.
As Trundy puts it: “My hope was that [during that] time in the woods, I could sort of take the skills that I have on the road with them or on the trail, and be a listener for them, and pay back the time to the school and sort of serve their consequence. But also receive more care and attention.”
She often stops to read out a poem, and is able to give them plenty of pep talks to encourage them while carefully paying attention to the issues they face as part of the connection-building activity that supports their mental well-being as well.
Upworthy details that Trundy has talked about how some colleagues and parents have been critical of her approach to misconduct, overall, she believes that her program has been made very welcome.
“I’m planting acorns, and the soil, sun, and water need to be just right!” this school counsellor explains metaphorically, about how she approaches these hikes with students.
And Trundy has precious memories to share. These include the time three boys sang an a-cappella version of “I Want It That Way” by the Backstreet Boys when crossing the bridge back to campus, or the time a boy noticed that she waited until they were quietly enjoying a snack before she could read a poem to a calm, and receptive group of students.
Trundy admits to NPR that there isn’t enough data to prove the success of her approach, but she takes the fact that several of her students experiencing this “outdoor detention” then went on to voluntarily join a separate “outdoor outing” club she also runs as a good omen.
…And Students Have Their Say!
Trundy’s students, meanwhile, have been waxing lyrical about the benefits of participation in her outdoor trips. Nicholas, for instance, in detention for yelling at his teacher, shares that the hikes give him time and space to properly reflect in a way he would be unable to do in a classroom setting: “It makes me have to, like, walk. It makes you breathe heavily, obviously, and it feels like an accomplishment, almost,” even after a bad day, and it’s also not something to dread, he adds.
Wyatt, meanwhile, a video game player who finds it hard to tear himself away from gaming, even in class, has served six-seven detention hikes, but joined the last one voluntarily.
Kipoy, meanwhile, a Morse High School sophomore, isn’t a kid to ever get a detention, but has enjoyed taking part in 10 hikes in the last year. “So you can just find yourself, yeah, I guess finding yourself in a forest is easier than in the city,” she says.
Where to Next?
Trundy, a realist as well as a dreamer, remains curious if the freshmen she’s started hiking with in the last year will continue when they’re seniors on detention, or if they will choose to join her hiking club for all.
Adult commenters have certainly shared their praises, such as this user, therondon101, on reddit:
“This is a phenomenal idea. Kids need exercise and outlets, and any time away from phones/social media/everything else and in nature is good. Just look at what the kids are saying. They are finding it beneficial and finding ways to deal with issues, finding themselves, and feeling accomplished.”
Trundy retains faith in her charges, and even sees “leadership potential in a lot of them.” While aware that only time will tell if the walks make a sustained difference, she is buoyed by the positive feedback that she gets from the students: “Last week, an older boy thanked me and declared, ‘that was awesome’” she shares.
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