Rich experiences often create the basis for rich education. And Mehernosh Pestonji has had some incredible experiences that not only taught him the most important lessons of his life, but also sparked a passion for paying these lessons forward. Born in India, Nosh immigrated to Canada in 1972, but has spent much of his life in far flung corners of the world, from Cambodia to England to Tanzania. With each experience, he’s seen the value of education to draw connections between social justice, environmental issues and community development. For three decades, he’s worked as a teacher, while also leading school outreach programs and co-founding T.E.A.M. Project Milliken, an award-winning project-based alternate education program for at-risk youth. Whether introducing elementary students to the wonders of Mayan civilizations, leading urban teenagers in back-country canoeing expeditions, exploring contemporary world issues with Grade 12 students, or leading Learning Service Expeditions around the world, Nosh has worked to help students expand their environment and the world view. We spoke with Nosh to better understand why education can help rising leaders gain new and different perspectives, and why that’s fundamental to creating a more thoughtful society.
Why do you care about nature?
I just feel comfortable in nature. I’m not even sure why, but there’s a therapeutic quality about nature that I appreciate. I also like the idea that nature is mysterious and even unforgiving at times. It’s humbling. It makes you rethink your assumptions about life and the world.
What do we need to do to make nature more accessible to everyone in Canada?
People can be scared of nature. In India, not very many people really go out into nature for the sake of camping, so we have to remove the mystery and the danger factor especially for new Canadians. We need to help first-time nature goers to explore in a slow and progressive manner. Maybe it starts with an urban park, like the ravines of Toronto and move on to a one day camp-out. We can’t start with backcountry camping in Algonquin Park. Which is why better nature storytelling matters and why virtual experiences help – even field trips. But we have to start in school before people get locked into their ways and fears.
How do we do that?
It starts with the stories we share with children. We’ve got nursery rhymes of nature that make the wolf the bad wolf. The sharks are dangerous. Those are the types of stories we share with children, and that’s why we are scared of nature and scared of bears. We need to share stories with greater knowledge. Afterall, storytelling is critical, it’s been going on for thousands of years. It’s how we pass down history and information. Even what we are teaching in class, it’s a form of storytelling and will determine how students view the world and whether or not they care for nature. If we want to empower students, we need to populate them with knowledge that is accurate and consistent. They can’t grow up and become part of the workforce with a one-sided, even fictional picture of nature directing how they see and act in and for nature. I believe that everything is interconnected and we are part of nature, just as nature is part of us. We are in the same realm as the bear, so we need to look after each other. Our stories have to reflect that, too.
Nature is all about interconnectedness. Education should be, but is not always. Subjects are often siloed. Can nature help make education more interdisciplinary?
We’re teaching students in a model that is over 100 years old. 100 years ago it was appropriate, but now we have a situation where environmental issues are impacting us every day. If we do not see the interconnectedness of our systems, with us being part of that system, then we are not preparing students for their future. But education itself has to be interconnected and not in silos. We need to break down those silos and make it interdisciplinary and nature can do that because nature is, in its very essence, interconnected. And educators are seeing this and starting to use nature as a tool to foster better teaching methods, but it’s not happening as fast as it should be.
What have you learned from using nature in the classroom?
First of all, it excites the kids. I used to teach in a school that was composed of students who were first generation Canadians, and in many cases they had never been outside. Just the idea of putting up a tent, or going out for a walk, or observing tree bark or a spider web? It was empowering. It sparked their imagination. And nature is something you can bring into anything you teach, and help you connect what you’re teaching to any other subject a student is learning. And that makes school make more sense to students. And it makes nature make more sense. If nature connects to every aspect of life, it should connect to every subject.
How do you encourage students to not just see and re-think what nature is, but to also care about being a better steward?
I always encourage students to take on different challenges; to not shy away from things they might not know or like. Educators need to help students be open for any possibility and keep an open mind. So, that’s what I’ve tried to do – help students jump in, experiment, and not be afraid of failure, because we all fail and we all learn.
Are field trips into nature the only way to help students connect to nature?
It’s human nature to teach something you are comfortable with. Some teachers haven’t experienced the outdoors and are more reluctant to teach nature outside – or even inside – the classroom as a result. They see it as an add on, rather than infusing it as an expression of the curriculum in action. So, no, getting students outside isn’t and shouldn’t be the only option to connect students to nature. Nor are nature presentations. We need accurate, virtual, regularly updated programs that are easy to use and explicitly show how nature connects to the curriculum. With that ease of access, there’s a greater chance of it getting into the classroom. Once the teachers start experimenting with it and becoming comfortable, it will permeate through the rest of the classroom.
Is it important for more educators to bring nature into the classroom?
It is. It is a fundamental responsibility. They may not directly teach nature, but there has to be a nature component in their curriculum. We can’t afford not to teach about nature and our place in nature. So, take a chance! Don’t be afraid to teach something you’ve never taught before. Bring your curiosity into the classroom and use it to spark the curiosity in your students. Find your passion for nature and use it to spark a passion in others.
What do you think?
A great teacher can use passion to ignite a passion in hundreds more. And Nosh Pestonji truly is a great teacher. And we probably all have a story about that one teacher who has made a difference in our lives. But what we so often overlook about great teachers is that we need more of them. When we discuss how to leave a mark on our world, we talk about the importance of education, but rarely the importance of good teachers and why it can be such a powerful avenue to make a difference.
• How can we all help make nature a bigger part of every classroom?
• Do you agree that nature can connect subjects, and help connect subjects to the real-world?
• Does the curriculum allow for enough connections to nature? Do we need better curricula or just more time to create and innovate within the system we have?
• If traditional education isn’t for all of us, how can we all do a better job of being non-traditional educators and helping teachers with their mission?
• How can we all help advance a better understanding of nature and the need for everyone to be good stewards?
As we look to fill the gaps in our knowledge, we are not only educating ourselves, but creating a learning process, a knowledge foundation, that will enable us to contribute to the education of our society.
Over to you.
More on Nosh
Throughout my career in education, my experiences have led me to realize that today’s youth require both compassion and structure, plus varied and unique opportunities in which to challenge themselves beyond traditional learning. In order to solve the increasingly complex issues facing our society, whether at a local or global level, an interdisciplinary approach to education is necessary; it is essential that young people have a chance to get out of the classroom and participate in the communities that surround them—to gain exposure to the greater world in which they will be living. Only by stepping out of their comfort zone and challenging themselves, can a student realize their full potential. By doing so, I believe every student is capable of making a positive contribution.
Developing programs that include outdoor experiences, local community action and international engagement, I have helped students see the world from different perspectives in order to foster an understanding of themselves in the context of a global system.
My goal has been to have students understand the potential weakness in a system, intervene appropriately to address issues at hand, see the world from another person’s eyes and to develop empathy, while being open to other realities that exist beyond their own sphere of influence.
The partnerships I have facilitated with local grassroots, and established national and international NGOs have provided students with the opportunity to meet incredible role models, and to engage with strong community leaders ranging from Olympic athletes at Right to Play to police officers from local community divisions. These change-makers intervene with positive contributions, and facilitate the unique experiences necessary to engage our youth; people who teach students perseverance, patience and flexibility.