walkin' for credit

[Rockhound]

Hiking the trail to earn credits in PE is one thing, earning credits for English is an indictment on the shortcomings of our educational system.

"Snookie" just got $32,000 to speak at Rutgers. Our educational system is officially dead. As far as hiking for credit. PE. perhaps. Any other subject? As ridiculous as having Snookie getting paid to speak to anyone about anything.

[Penguin]

Well, I could see how writing a journal and posting it online would count for English Credit. Even if it's not posted, a student does learn about the writing process by practicing his writing everyday. Make the entries then mail them to a teacher for a critique. I've been looking over my journals from 2008 and I can see how writing 80 pages over the summer on trail, like I did that year, would count for credit. That's more writing then I'm doing this whole semester for my current English class. Teachers want to make learning relevant to the students lifestyle, and using a hike as an educational tool certainly is relevant to me.

The grading itself would not be based on the completion of the whole trail. I would imagine it would be based upon the reflection of the experience presented in a properly written and edited journal. Just like Bill Bryson's, A Walk in the Woods, was a great book even though he didn't even do half the trail.

Next weekend I'm taking a 1 credit course in the Mazatal Wilderness, the Leave No Trace Trainer. 1 credit for just two days in the field, is awesome. We will be taught LNT principles, then create lesson plans and teach them to each other. After we head back to Flagstaff we will each need to write papers on the experience.

School today is different then the rigid curriculum of the past. I enjoy having classes that relate to me. I found that in a normal class environment I stare out the windows or at pretty girls. I'm happy to see that schools are offering credits for long trails. I plan on getting in touch with this school and trying to figure out if they can work out some consortium agreement with NAU. I would like to be able to take a 5 month or longer hike, and just not start next semester at the end of august. My degree has half semester classes that I may be able to take allowing me more time.

[Cabin Fever]

"It's like you're physically walking but you're not mentally walking. You're mentally in this dream cause I guess the monotony of continuously walking."

Reminds me of the scene in Bull Durham when the reporters are asking Nuke how he felt after throwing a good game..."It's out there. I mean really out there."

[Smile]

The credit should be as follows for a truly complete education:

Hike a through, skip everything else and walk down the aisle in your gown and cap.

[Rockhound]

The credit should be as follows for a truly complete education:

Hike a through, skip everything else and walk down the aisle in your gown and cap.

couldn't agree more. Hiking is it's own reward. I think hiking for school credit, hiking for a patch, hiking to prove something to others and, dare I say it, even hiking for charity kind of misses the point. This is only my opinion.
For me the reward is a majestic mountain top view, relaxing on Max Patch an a clear summer day, cooling off beneath Laurel Falls on a 90 degree day, watching a bald eagle ride the wind currents 20 feet above you at Mcafee Knob, hiking through the 100 mile wilderness with the moss of every shade of green imaginable just dripping from the trees and rocks, seeing the rock beneath your feet sparkle like diamonds from all the mica as you climb up into the Whites and even spending time at some hostels and sharing these experiences with others.

[d.o.c]

So if I build a shelter would that give me credit towards a masters in Architecture? Just sayin....

it wouldnt hurt such things to have done so

[DapperD]

I can see this. I remember going back to night school to get my high school diploma. I was allowed credits towards achieving it just for watching different selected movies and taking a quiz about them afterward. I think I earned like five credits for each one. You have to figure, at least their hiking. All I had to do is pop a tape in and kick back with a big bag of chips and dip

[Walkintom]

What do you do with a B.A. in English?

[Trailbender]

What do you do with a B.A. in English?

Work at McDonald's.

[teresa95]

I go to rutgers lol. Didn't go to the event. I wish they had something like this there tho

[Bronk]

Hiking the trail to earn credits in PE is one thing, earning credits for English is an indictment on the shortcomings of our educational system.

I read at least a dozen books while on the AT. That's more than you'd read in a semester for most college courses. I don't have a problem with giving someone credits for reading and writing, as long as they aren't reading Harry Potter or crap like that.

There are lots of good books out there that one could read and write critically about whilst hiking the AT, and the perspective one might bring to such an analysis would give an interesting flavor to the work.