ECFS 200: Early Childhood Education
I decided to take this course for a fun, three credit elective winter of my freshman year, when my mental health was at a low. I was no longer sure I was cut out to major in environmental studies, as I was processing a lot of eco-grief at the time. Service-Learning was a requirement, and I helped out at a Tiny Trees outdoor preschool classroom at Carkeek Park. It was my first experience working with preschoolers or outdoor classrooms, and despite the hour-long bus commute, it was the brightest spot in a terrible quarter. This course helped me connect the dots around my interest in education. I realized that throughout my life, I had gravitated towards positions in teaching and/childcare — swim instruction, tennis instruction, nannying — and my experience with Tiny Trees made it clear how much joy this kind of work brought me. From here, I knew I might be interested in studying education further.
