Today we were fortunate enough to visit the Cloud Forest School in Monteverde or the "escuela creativa" (creative school). This is a special school very different than any other school I've ever been to. This is a private school where students attend from Pre-K until 11th grade. There are 180 students in the entire school with each class size not exceeding 20 students. There is only one class per grade level and the most unique thing about this campus is that they have 106 acres of land! They are literally located in the middle of the rainforest with trails through the forest right behind their classrooms. The school is pushing to be a bilingual school, with most of the teachers teaching instruction in English. Many of the teachers are from the United States and usually only stay about 1-2 years at the school. There is a high turnover rate which has its pluses and minuses. The school relies a lot on volunteers and various groups to help them keep their community growing. Almost all students have financial aid, so not many students have to pay the full price for this private school.
One of the unique things about this school is their high focus on environmental education. With the amount of land that their school has, they are able to do a lot outside of the classroom to further apply their learning and make it more meaningful. In one section of the school, they have a school garden in which every class has a row of fruits and vegetables that they plant and then once they grow, they are able to bring them home to their families so their families can also have a little extra form of food source. One of the school's focuses is reforestation and allowing the forest to not be depleted. The students are constantly planting trees, vegetables, fruits, and many other plants to help the rainforest grow. Next to each plant that they plant, they put their name next to it so they can go back and see the progress. This allows the students to take ownership of their learning and actually see real results. The teachers incorporate all subject areas into the environment and the students really make a huge effort to take care of their land. On our tour of the school, it was so neat to hear how proud the students are of their school and the amount of care they provide to the land. 
For me personally, I think this way of learning is certainly beneficial for all ages of students. When students are able to apply what they learn in class into the real world, it makes learning so much more personal and engaging. The students are having fun while learning and able to take ownership for what they are learning. I can apply what I learned from this school into my own classroom by making a little garden outside in a courtyard or back of the school. Here, students can physically see plants growing, measure the plants, study them, and do many other various activities with the garden. I also loved the emphasis on volunteers and groups that come to the Cloud Forest School. Before I start a unit in my classroom, I can send home a letter to my students' parents explaining what we will be learning and ask if they have any outside resources that could contribute to our learning. Guest speakers and other artifacts that I can bring into my classroom will make learning so much more engaging and real to my students. The "escuela creativa" is very big on allowing students to make innovations and be creative thinkers. Allowing my students to make their own discoveries will be more beneficial in my classroom and students will be more willing to learn when coming to school. I definitely am excited that I had the opportunity to visit this school and I will be using some of the things I gained on the tour of the school in my classroom.
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