Apprentice Program

Marcus Tullius Cicero once said, "What nobler employment than that of the man who instructs the rising generation." Students remember those teachers who coached them through a math problem, spent countless hours revising English papers, and showed them that they had the ability to accomplish anything. Yet teaching is a complex task with as many pitfalls as successes. The Apprentice Program is designed to provide future educators with the experience necessary to make an immediate positive impact in the classrooms of their choice.

As an outdoor educator, I applied to the HMI Apprentice Program in order to bolster my teaching experience and hone my wilderness skills at a school devoted to experiential learning. My apprenticeship partnered me with a seasoned mentor who guided and supported me as I developed and implemented place-based lessons for a motivated group of students. The program's proven model transformed me from an outdoor educator into an educator informed by the outdoors.

- John, Natural Science Apprentice, 6^th Grade Science Teacher, Sidwell Friends School, Washington, DC