The Finnish Nature School Model
Thou hast here a lovely village,
Finest spot in all of Northland,
In the lowlands sweet the verdure,
In the uplands, fields of beauty,
With the lake-shore near the hamlet,
Near thy home the running water,
Where the goslings swim and frolic,
Water-birds disport in numbers.
-from Lönnrot's epic Kalevala, rune 25
The tree of my youth stands rejoicing around me: O human!
And the grass bids me welcome from foreign lands.
My head I recline in the grass: now finally home.
Now I turn my back on everything that lies behind me:
My only companions will be the forest and the shore and the lake.
-Edith Södergran
Calm it is quiet
it speaks not laughs not
it is quiet
calm, thinks not
longs not anymore
calm it is quiet
the eye has shut itself
the heart doesn't beat.
-Gunnar Björling
Cassie Quigley is an Associate Professor of Science Education in the Department of Instruction of Learning at the School of Education at the University of Pittsburgh. Her research addresses the long-term resolution of environmental issues, which includes learning from and with communities. Understanding how different communities conceive of the environment and sustainability is paramount in efforts to increase the frequency of environmentally conscious choices, a central goal of environmental education.
Stephen Quigley’s work examines the role of tools and technology in the production of space and place. His work has been published in The Journal of Media Studies, Computers and Composition Online, Textshop Experiments, and Kairos, A Journal of Rhetoric, Technology, and Pedagogy. He teaches digital media production and technical communications at the University of Pittsburgh.