A year-long learning community
Begins August 5–7, 2025
Refresh your teaching practice and reconnect your curriculum to the Land. Across habitats and through the seasons, learn how to “read”—and teach—on our landscape from some of the region's best education and natural resource professionals.
You’ll gain the tools to integrate real-world, hands-on experiences into your curriculum. At the heart of A Forest for Every Classroom (FFEC) is the belief that when a student has a relationship with their place, they can work to create a more sustainable future.
Offered with Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historical Park, Green Mountain National Forest, and the National Park Service Stewardship Institute
Applications are Open
- This year-long program is designed for K–12 classroom teachers in the Northeast from any discipline, with priority admission for Vermont educators.
- Registration for this program is by application only. Support from your school administrator or supervisor prior to applying is strongly encouraged. If accepted, you should prepare to participate in all gatherings and complete all assignments.
- Cost: This course is being offered to participants at $800. Partial scholarships are available upon request. Optional graduate credits for a separate fee.
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Andrea EsteyLearn how to “read” and teach on our landscape across habitats and through the seasons.
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Andrea EsteyTranslate sustainability concepts from forests and public lands into your curriculum.
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Andrea EsteyRefresh your teaching practice and build community with fellow teachers.
What You'll Do and Learn
In this program, you will explore sustainability concepts on the Land, then bring lessons from the Land into your curriculum and instruction.
- Gain tools to connect classroom learning to the real world. Tap into place-based learning practices to make your curriculum more impactful.
- Connect with a variety of community partners and professionals in the forestry field.
- Develop a unit or curriculum integration plan that incorporates local forest-related resources; addresses Education for Sustainability and social-emotional learning goals; and meets the requirements of your school.
- Form a community as you learn alongside fellow educators. Share and shape each other’s work and ideas, and reflect together on the course’s enduring lessons, both while in session and beyond.
Meet the Core Instructors
- Courtney Mulcahy, Professional Learning Facilitator & Educator
- Emily Schaller, Professional Learning Facilitator
What Participants Say
FFEC has been life changing for me in so many ways. I met a wonderful group of educators from a span of teaching experiences that will continue to be a great resource for collaboration. I developed a curiosity for identifying things in nature. I have altered my teaching to create stewards and introduce sustainability with my younger students. And, the emphasis on connections to outside partners allowed me to think about the community resources I can reach out to.
Gathering Dates
We gather seasonally throughout the year, either at Shelburne Farms in Shelburne, Vermont, or in the area of Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historic Park in Woodstock, Vermont. Additional virtual gatherings may be added as needed.
Gathering dates for 2025–26 are:
- Summer Kick-Off: Tuesday, August 5–Thursday, August 7, 2025
- Fall Gathering: Thursday, November 6–Saturday, November 8, 2025
- Winter Gathering: Friday, January 9–Saturday, January 10, 2026
- Spring Gathering: Friday, April 3–Saturday, April 4, 2026
What Participants Say
FFEC has been an amazing experience. I’ve enjoyed the retreat aspects of relaxation and self-care coupled with amazing learning opportunities from presenters and fellow participants. My biggest takeaway is using the forest as a lens to examine sustainability, as well as incorporating work students and I can do to make a difference. I have so many great ideas to bring back to my curriculum. This was truly transformative and healing.
