sigurbjorg stefanson early school

Gimli, Manitoba, Canada

In our forthcoming book on Living Schools (O’Brien & Howard), the principal of the Sigurbjorg Stefanson School recounts their journey to transform their school into one that connects children with nature, incorporates the child-centred learning, new pedagogies, and sustainability. She writes,

As an educational leader, I wanted to ensure that we invested our time and energy as a joyful learning community to consider possibilities and hope, to exist in a space that cares for every unique individual, to be engaged in tasks that mattered, while also positively impacting the world in which we live. 

They didn’t set out to become a Living School, nor do they call themselves a Living School but the following excerpt from our book portrays how beautifully they reflect the attributes and practices of one.

Wonder Wagons, vibrant red wooden slats with strong durable wheels, were joyfully tugged, pushed, and pulled alongside the trickle of energetic grade one and two children. There was something very different about this excursion. These wagons were stuffed with notebooks, clipboards, pens, pencils, field guides, books, binoculars, magnifying glasses, iPads, among other essential items such as bandages and snacks. It was pelting rain but the outdoor adventure was not postponed; the rain was expected and greeted with rain gear, smiling faces, and exuberance. The classes had been preparing for this day and were eagerly anticipating learning outside with their peers, exploring their wonders and the unexpected gifts that would be bestowed upon them by nature. Layers of colorful, shiny raincoats, floppy rubber boots, and of course umbrellas, shone through the steady lens of rain as I watched them clumsily amble along, gradually disappearing into the yellow field.

Although we had been striving to reconnect our students to nature and increasing our visits to local natural habitats including our beautiful beach, harbor, and neighboring high school wetland project, there was something magical about this particular walk. Our outdoor excursions to local habitats, especially our forest adventures, had become regular occurrences with our Kindergarten to Grade 4 students and the dialogue exchange that occurred amongst teachers reflected that these were powerful learning experiences. The teachers also commented that their students with more complex needs were not only very engaged in learning but were also more successful in self-regulating their emotions and negative behaviors. Teachers were overcome with the deep level of engagement and focus exhibited by all of the students, so much so, that they felt that they were able to far exceed their initial expectations for teaching their targeted curricular outcomes.