Testimonials

Inspirational

I most valued the inspirational interactions that I encountered with various people across the Great Lakes. It is easy to forget that we are part of such a large team when awe work in isolation so often.
I really enjoyed the different sessions I attended.  There was good networking with different partners and teachers, and I felt revitalized with PBE efforts.

Best conference in years

This has been the BEST conference I have attended in YEARS!  The event ran smoothly, there were plenty of choices for conferences.  I loved the idea of going out on field trips.  I met so many people and learned new things.  I left feeling inspired.  Great job to all of you who worked on this.  You did AWESOME.

Fired up

I get really fired up. There’s inspiration, usually at least a few good networking connections, and I am reminded of the grand mission of place-based education. The addition of field trips was THE BEST! What better way to demonstrate place-based education? I appreciated that sessions were held as an option, but I focused on the field trips.

(I love) the inspiring people, the passion they bring to their work and to the conference. I like the location. I like that there are repeat attendees who are now my friends. The field trips have made me really appreciate Michigan as a state. I liked the warmth of the leaders, Mary, Clay, the keynotes. I liked the museum, the food there, the decor and especially the planetarium!!

The conference is always inspirational to making place based education work in the school systems. I enjoy going to sessions that are case studies and also share tools and tactics that any teacher can use to help make place based ed functional in any public school. It would be helpful to emphasize to presenters to showcase what they are doing at their school but also think about how to make aspects of their focus available to others. “You too can do something similar,…and this is how…”

It is always refreshing to be around other like-minded people doing similar work, and learn from different perspectives.  I work for a non-profit that trains teachers how to do water quality monitoring, and it is always helpful to learn from teachers themselves what works for them, what doesn’t, and what challenges they face incorporating place-based education into their classroom(s).

Premier opportunity

The Great Lakes Place-Based Education Conference is a premier opportunity for champions and practitioners of authentic, inquiry-based learning to come together to share and learn and push the field further. I love the breadth of sessions that cover a variety of depths from basic introductory concepts, to practical application examples, to thought-provoking discussions designed to identify and problem-solve around challenges and barriers.

These organizations have done a wonderful job of creating a culture for collaboration. Everyone seems open to sharing ideas and expanding the reach of PBE.

I thoroughly enjoyed the conference. It was inspirational to hear about all the place-based learning efforts occurring throughout the state and beyond. I left feeling inspired, positive and with some good ideas to incorporate into education programs at my place of work. The key note speakers were great. Teresa Neal is a dynamic speaker and her transformation plan was fascinating to hear about. David Sobel’s presentation and workshop provided valuable information and readily usable activities.  Attending the opening reception at the Grand Rapids Museum was interesting and the high school students did a great job presenting their project.I was particularly glad to hear about a high school project because my organization is seeking out ideas to engage more high school age students. The facilities were convenient and easy to navigate and the location was easy to get to.

Enlightening and inspiring

Networking!!!!  Resources!!The experience was so enlightening and inspiring!