It is my first full week back to work (with all students and staff masked up) in a new school, working in a new position, and I am t-i-r-e-d. I went to work extremely early this morning to get a head start on some things, thinking I would leave earlier than usual, but a turn of events had me staying late again today just as I’ve stayed late every day thus far. I’m not complaining. I absolutely love my job and the people I work with and the students I serve. I was just sitting here reflecting on my day when I subconsciously began to reminisce on a memory that brings me so much joy and restores my energy at the end of a long day.

You see, less than two months ago I found myself in Tallapoosa, Georgia (which I’d never heard of before) at Lutheran Ranch (again, which I’d never heard of before) with approximately 30 other wonderful educators from ten states, and my oh my, did we have an extraordinary time! We were the inaugural group of Defined Learning’s Champions Camp! We unpacked some of the United Nations Goals and learned so much about Project-Based Learning (PBL) with authentic hands-on, small group lessons. We learned so much and had so much fun while learning. It is important for students to have those same types of learning experiences. 

PBL allows students to use their critical thinking skills, their creativity, their communication, and collaboration skills. It allows for problem-solving and teaching students how to think, not what to think. From our “Walk Outside and Wonder (WOW)” walks, to the water build, wind-turbine build, and invasive species contraption to the habitat build and many opportunities to capture our processes while sharing lots and lots of laughs, this experience was amazing.

Consequently, the learning did not stop there! Oh no…let me tell you! There were so many other opportunities to grow neuroplasticity in our brains! I learned to kayak and canoe. I went horseback riding for the first time. I also went to the archery range and learned to shoot with a bow and arrow. To say that some of the new experiences terrified me is an understatement! However, I quickly conquered my fears and learned to enjoy these experiences with my newfound friends.

We engaged in other fun activities that were not so frightening such as designing back-packs from a Defined Learning lesson, painting with acrylics, drawing with watercolor pencils, making s’mores over the camp-fire, karaoke, taking a group photo at night with sparklers to spell the word “synergy” and engaging in challenging team building activities. We enjoyed sessions that taught us more about how to use Defined Learning with our students and how to use new roll-outs such as a very valuable section on careers. I could go on and on, but I would have to write a book rather than a blog post.

So how did this all come to be? Cindy Moss and Dacia Jones, aka Dr. Drizzle, and other members of the Defined Learning Team had a vision that they collaborated on to put into action. Other community partners joined with them as support. I would be remiss if I did not give a shout-out to our Tennessee Partners, The Tennessee STEM Innovation Network! They were very instrumental in making this opportunity a reality for some of us. Because the wonderful people at Defined Learning turned a dream into a reality, the students and teachers we impact on a daily basis are feeling the ripple effect! We brought back to our local district so many wonderful resources and ideas. You too can be a part of that ripple. Be sure to join our Facebook group at Defined Champion Community where you can be a part of the conversation and keep abreast of happenings within the group. We are looking forward to another camp experience in 2022! We hope to see you there!

Sharon Clark is currently an Instructional Facilitator at Sunny Hill Intermediate School located in Haywood County Schools. Prior to becoming a part of the admin. team, she taught STEAM for four years. She also served as Regional Lead for Tennessee STEM Innovation Network. Clark has been in education for 21 years. Twitter Handle - @holygirl22