Nature’s Classroom: Miss Amanda Palmer’s Educational Odyssey

On This Day
This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast:

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May 25, 1909

On this day, dear readers, we find ourselves transported to the verdant landscapes of Wilmington, North Carolina, where an intrepid educator, Miss Amanda Palmer, shared her experiences of leading nature-based field trips.

Her report, published in the esteemed Atlantic Educational Journal, offers us a delightful glimpse into the world of early 20th-century experiential learning.

Miss Palmer, a teacher at the progressive Wilmington Normal School, penned these words that still resonate with the passion of a true naturalist:

On a field trip, a pupil... gains more of life's lessons than could possibly be learned in the schoolroom.

These trips lead the children to ask questions, which the teacher must answer.

Can you not picture, dear gardeners and educators alike, the wide-eyed wonder of these young scholars as they ventured beyond the confines of their classrooms?

Miss Palmer's charges, fourth-year primary students, were treated to a veritable feast of botanical and ornithological delights.

On one trip, trees of the neighborhood were studied.

The flowers commanded our attention on still another trip. [Flowers like] the wild carrot, the yarrow, and wild mustard were examined.

On one occasion a great mullein, or velvet dock, was brought into school. It was greatly admired by the children.

On the next field trip no child had to be told what a mullein was.

They, themselves, each saw and knew the mullein.

Oh, how I envy these young botanists-in-training! To witness the moment of recognition, when a child connects classroom learning with the living, breathing world around them - is that not the purest joy of teaching?

But Miss Palmer's educational excursions were not limited to the realm of flora.

She writes with equal enthusiasm of the fauna encountered on their jaunts:

On our trips, we sometimes catch glimpses of shy, wild creatures-a water-snake or, perhaps, a prairie hen. Again we may see only tracks here, the tiny footprints of a field-mouse; there, the path of a snake.

Imagine, if you will, the thrill of these young explorers as they deciphered the secret language of nature's footprints!

Perhaps most enchanting is Miss Palmer's account of an evening bird-watching expedition:

On one trip we looked for birds especially, using field glasses.

After hearing and seeing many birds, we sat down, about six o'clock in the evening, to listen to the concert--not one for which we were forced to give a silver offering, but a concert free to all.

It was the sweetest music ever heard.

She goes on to list an impressive array of avian performers observed on May 25, 1909: from the humble phoebe to the melodious hermit thrush. What a symphony of nature these fortunate children were privileged to enjoy!

Miss Palmer's enthusiasm for ornithology extends to the study of nests, those marvels of avian architecture:

I think it is very instructive to show children the various birds' nests.

They have observed, with keenest wonder, the blackbird's nest, the swinging nest of the oriole, the mud-lined nest of the robin, the feather-lined nest of the plain English sparrow, and the horsehair-lined nest of the red-eyed vireo ("vir-ē-ˌō").

One can almost feel the gentle weight of a hummingbird's nest in one's hand as Miss Palmer speaks of her plans to add one to the school's collection.

For those of us inspired to follow in Miss Palmer's footsteps, she thoughtfully provides recommendations for further reading: The Audubon Leaflets, The Home Nature Study Library, and Julia Rogers' Among Green Trees.

It is worth noting, dear readers, that Miss Palmer's innovative teaching methods were employed at the Wilmington Normal School, an institution of particular significance. This school, operating from 1868 to 1921, holds the distinction of being the first in Wilmington, North Carolina, to admit African-American students. How fitting that such a progressive institution should be at the forefront of experiential, nature-based education!

As we tend to our gardens and observe the natural world around us, let us take a moment to appreciate educators like Miss Amanda Palmer.

Her dedication to bringing nature into the lives of her students serves as an inspiration to us all.

May we, too, cultivate such wonder and curiosity in the hearts of the next generation of naturalists and gardeners.

A little wren on a branch
A little wren on a branch

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