Document Type

Article

Abstract

One of the boldest decisions that I have ever made as an educator was taking twenty-four middle school students on a camping trip at the end of the school year. We had made our way through a couple of months of astronomy and what better way to conclude the project than to celebrate our learning by gazing at the celestial bodies with our own eyes! My time in the Midwest should have informed me that this was a naive plan, as Michigan skies have a mind of their own. Despite detailed planning, it started drizzling by the time our tents were up and was soon pitch dark with nothing to be seen beyond the nebulous veil. But as I was making my last exhausted circuit around the campsite, the clouds began to thin and soon, the stars peeked through. Rushed, with my eyes still fixated on the sky not knowing how much of the moment we had left–and knowing that the students were far from being asleep–I hurried the students out of their tents. With much excitement, the students joined me in the cold, and we marveled in the beauty.

Publication Date

3-6-2026

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