This October, the teachers and behavioral staff of Brook Lane’s Laurel Hall School came to the farm for a staff retreat. After their morning meetings in the lodge, the staff members were dismissed for recess (aka time at the farm). We farm folk introduced them to our horses and goats first, brought them to say hello to our chickens, and finally stopped by the cow field for some affection from Hope and Effie. Afterward, we took a stroll down to and around our beautiful willow pond. We stopped at intervals to notice the beaver lodge, the homestead barn, and other little bits of interest along the way.
Though this sunshiney outing was surely restorative for the staff involved, it also served another purpose: to get the teachers and behavioral staff excited about ThorpeWood. Since there are plans for their students to come up to the farm in the near future, it is crucial that we first capture the enthusiasm and passion of the heads of these classrooms. We are always interested to see just how contagious their enthusiasm is. When a teacher or counselor brings their kids up already sold on the benefits of being here at ThorpeWood, we notice the kids more quickly fall in love with our animals and property. We so appreciate when we have a group like Brook Lane who also sees how important it is for their teachers to get excited about ThorpeWood!