Ensights Magazine

the Braemers

Experiential Education

David Braemer, Head of School
A message from David Braemer, Head of School, on the Summer 2019 issue of Ensights.
When I reflect on the most meaningful learning experiences that I have had over the years, it is remarkable how many of them occurred outside of a conventional school environment. While I was the beneficiary of terrific educational opportunities as a student, so much of what I experienced took place within a traditional, teacher-centered framework. Despite the fact that I gained a great deal through this process, I cannot help but think of how much I would have benefited from the types of experiential education opportunities that create context and relevance in ways that a traditional classroom setting cannot.
 
The power of this dynamic was particularly clear to me this past spring when my son Dax got his driver’s license. Going through this process with him reminded me of what I experienced in learning how to drive as a teenager. Growing up in Massachusetts, you could get your learner’s permit when you turned 16 and then you had to wait six months to get your license, provided that you successfully completed a driver’s education course during that time. My classroom experience in Driver’s Ed amounted to about 30 hours, split between lectures on the rules and regulations that made up the state’s official driver’s manual and dated videos showing the horrors of what could go wrong if you violated those rules and regulations. This aspect of Driver’s Ed amounted to no more than a hoop that I was required to jump through in order to get my license. 
 
The real learning that I experienced in Driver’s Ed took place during the few hours of actual driving we did as part of the course. Having to memorize the penalties for various driving infractions or to watch what could go wrong if one is speeding through a rainstorm after consuming too much alcohol is one thing. It’s quite another to be sitting behind the wheel of a 1980 Ford Fairmont ready to pull into traffic for the first time, as your instructor calmly sits in the passenger seat sipping a cup of coffee, smoking a cigarette, and giving you directions. While my initial experience behind the wheel wasn’t pretty, it was impactful, as I learned more about driving in that one hour than I learned in all of those classroom hours combined. The value of “learning by doing” when it came to driving was clearly the most effective means to develop this skill, and it represents an approach that can be applied to many different educational contexts.
 
While Driver’s Ed is not part of the Ensworth curriculum, opportunities for authentic experiential education are an important aspect of our program. This issue of Ensights explores a variety of ways that our school supports and encourages students to learn by doing and, in the process, to develop important skills and to pursue personal interests in meaningful ways. Central to accomplishing this is a faculty that is intentional in their efforts to create these types of opportunities. Doing so involves a certain amount of risk, as teachers must cede some degree of control to their students. This is similar to what one experiences when letting their child practice driving, something that is necessary but a little scary at the same time. With a foundation of trust and high expectations, however, the outcomes are ultimately positive and lasting. This commitment to providing opportunities for experiential education is just one more way to ensure that an Ensworth education will serve our students well regardless of what road they choose to follow in their future.
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Red Gables Campus (K–8)

Nashville, TN 37205
(615) 383-0661

Frist Campus (9–12)

Nashville, TN 37221
(615) 301-5400
Ensworth is a coeducational, kindergarten through twelfth grade, independent day school.