Snowmass, Colorado
Aug. 9, 1984
Henry Scott
Executive Director
Trust for Hidden Villa
26870 Moody Road
Los Altos Hills, CA 94022
Dear Henry,
It was truly wonderful to visit Hidden Villa in June and run into so many dear friends. Being away from Hidden Villa for some time has only made my appreciation for the place, the people and the programs stronger. I’ve discovered that what I came to take for granted at Hidden Villa was in fact exceptional and that not all environmental education programs operate at quite the same standards. At Drumlin Farm in Lincoln, Massachusetts, where I now work as a part-time teacher-naturalist, I’ve found much that I want to “Hidden-Villanize.” Slowly but inexorably, I hope to make changes and I’m exceedingly grateful that my training and experience at HV has put me in a position to do so.
For example, Drumlin Farm in effect has no teacher training program. New teachers are hired each season, given a (mostly logistical) one-day orientation and then asked to observe several tours and classes before leading them. In practice, the large number of “special classes” makes it time-consuming and difficult to observe each one, and teachers either limit themselves to a few classes or frequently end up taking on a class they have never observed. A more serious flaw in this system, however, is that new teachers—old ones, too—never receive the kind of philosophical orientation (“Why are we teaching this, anyway? What do we hope to give our kids?”) and specific in-depth training in techniques and strategies that only a seasoned staff person can give. Also, there is no normal time set aside for sharing among teachers before and after the day’s programs, and this has subtle effects as well. Even in my first season at Drumlin, I found myself informally teaching other teachers a great deal, and I hope to be able to establish some teacher workshops this fall to make up for this gap.
A related problem is the lack of a well-written manual to set the tone and explain teaching strategies the way Manure to Meadow to Milkshake does. A “farm manual” exists but contains only factual information on the animals and the site rather than suggestions for interpretation. I’d like to import several dozen copies of MMM to Drumlin Farm as soon as possible!
I also have acquired a great appreciation for the difference between giving many children a good experience and somewhat fewer children a fantastic one. Teacher-to-child ratios at Drumlin usually range from 1:10 to 1: 20. The difference this makes is beyond words. Also, the average tour/program time is one hour to one-and-a-half hours. While this isn’t so bad for the little ones (4 to 6 years old), it effectively eliminates any chance for establishing a personal relationship with any of the children—one of the most vital components of HV’s programs. I feel lucky at Drumlin Farm if I learn my children’s names. I believe this, in turn, greatly reduces the “take-home” impact of the programs. It happens so quickly that little is actually absorbed by the children.
My evidence for this lies in the fifth-graders I taught at Plum Island—a beautiful wildlife refuge on the North Shore that Drumlin Farm runs programs—this spring. They had been taken through an entire gamut of Drumlin Farm programs—Farm Family, Pond Ecology, and so on—since the second grade but none of it seemed to have stuck. Not only the terminology but the basic concepts of ecology, cycles, interdependence, caretakership, and so on were foreign to them. I felt I was starting from scratch. Another problem with the Plum Island program, which is ostensibly an all-day one but totals two hours after travel time is taken out, was a lack of classroom preparation. The children thought they were taking a field trip to the beach—period. The value of classroom preps was driven home to me like never before.
Why am I writing you all this? My purpose is less to criticize Drumlin Farm than to point out Hidden Villa’s virtues. Drumlin Farm deserves its reputation as one of the best environmental education centers on the East Coast. It’s a wonderful place, with many positive programs, and on the whole, I love working there. It’s just that I’ve become acutely aware of Hidden Villa’s unique attributes and I want to make a pitch for their preservation—even though I trust they are not currently endangered. I know that staff training of guides, classroom preps, low guide-to-child ratios and publishing MMM are not cheap undertakings and that as HV goes through a financial transition there might be temptations to cut corners. My plea to you is don’t. These aspects of HVEP are vital, not extra trimmings. Without them, the quality of the project will suffer even though the changes may be subtle and difficult to detect in the first few years.
Hidden Villa will continue to be my inspiration as I go back to teaching at Drumlin Farm this fall. Do let me know, Henry, if I can help out HV in any way—even at a distance of 3,000 miles. And keep up your good work—while visiting I got the distinct impression that HV is in good hands.
Take care,
Gale
Gale Warner
Unpublished, 1984