Meet the teacher: Kalamazoo teacher’s new learning space has no walls or whiteboards

KALAMAZOO, MI — Most classrooms have four walls and a whiteboard.

But a new classroom at Loy Norrix High School, 606 E. Kilgore Road, doesn't have any of those features.

It's a new outdoor classroom developed by art teacher Greg Stevens. The classroom, composed of a concrete slab and blue picnic tables, can be used by any of the classes at Loy Norrix, Stevens said.

"The point is to get out of the plugged-in nature of what education has become," Stevens said.

Construction finished on the classroom a few weeks into the school year, Stevens said. The timing aligned perfectly with the first trimester of "Eco-Art," a course combining art and ecology.

"It was really nice to have an environment to teach a class that fits the class," Stevens said.

Students spent a large part of the trimester working on baskets woven with local invasive vines. Students thought it was a "crazy assignment" at first, Stevens said, but they had fun with the process.

"I wanted to make a point (that) you can interact with nature," Stevens said. "It's not going to bite you."

Stevens' background is in outdoor learning. He used to teach classes outdoors in Colorado and wanted to create a similar environment for his students at Loy Norrix, he said.

Exposing students to the outdoors is especially important at Loy Norrix because students who live in cities are less exposed the outdoors, Stevens said.

"You're trying to break down the barrier of them just being like, 'Oh, I'm in my living room and playing video games and outside is for other people,'" Stevens said.

Stevens grew up in Sturgis, a rural area 45 miles from Kalamazoo. He spent a lot of time outdoors and encourages his own two children to do the same.

Because the classroom is still new, Stevens hasn't heard too much feedback from students yet. But in the future, he wants to give classes the choice on whether they'd like to learn outside or inside.

"I also want it to be more of a collective agreement. Like, 'Yeah, we want to do this' and have buy in from the get go," Stevens said.

When students spend more time outdoors, they'll be more likely to encourage others to appreciate the outdoors, Stevens said.

"Anything we can do to help promote education about how important the environment is and reinforce a positive behavior or interaction with nature ... is one of the most important things we can do," Stevens said.

If you know a K-12 educator in Kalamazoo County who might make a good subject for a "Meet the Teacher" story, send an email with their contact information to Aya Miller at