Notes from the Field - Linden Waldorf School in Tennessee

Green Schoolyards America’s Education Specialist, Ayesha Ercelawn, visited the campus of Linden Waldorf School in Nashville, Tennessee, on a beautiful October day. Tricia Drake, Head of School, warmly welcomed her to this independent K8 school. The grounds are scattered with majestic deciduous trees and incorporate beautiful outdoor classrooms constructed in 2020 in response to the Covid-19 pandemic.

As part of Green Schoolyards America’s work on the California Schoolyard Forest System℠ initiative, this visit was an opportunity to see and learn more about the trees at Linden Waldorf School. The school grounds, comprising more than 12 acres, feel like an open forest, with tall trees, including maples, oaks, and hackberries, scattered amongst the outdoor classrooms and play areas. Recess areas and classrooms are all well shaded by these large trees with spreading canopies - keeping students cool in a city that has a long, hot season.

Academic units, particularly a 5th grade botany unit, include the trees in their lessons. The abundance of greenery on campus gives students easy access to natural play materials, and there was at least one intricately designed fairy garden/art piece with acorn cap dishes. The campus felt lush, relaxed, and welcoming to students and the adults who work there - a change from the energy felt on many blacktop campuses.

The tour of Linden Waldorf School was also a chance to observe some details of what this community did to make its outdoor classrooms work. For example, Ayesha noticed split tennis balls on chair feet to keep them from sinking into the wood chip floor, sturdy hooks for backpacks and other materials, well-secured chalkboards, and fabric drop-downs on the sides for rain or wind. These outdoor teaching areas were also clearly designed with aesthetics in mind - beautiful wood paneling integrates them into a woodsy campus. Ms. Drake shared that enrollment had actually increased during the peak of the pandemic because of the school’s ability to get students fully outside and learning in person. 

Ayesha was curious to find out what was happening with the beautiful outdoor classrooms now, as the urgency of the pandemic recedes. She noticed scattered backpacks and lunchboxes on desks, and Ms. Drake shared that many teachers were still using the classrooms for a large part of the day. Other outdoor classrooms have been successfully re-purposed, such as the one that is now used for a woodworking class. 

Green Schoolyard America’s Education Specialist Ayesha Ercelawn with Tricia Drake, Head of School at Linden Waldorf

The middle school’s newly constructed buildings were also part of the tour. Taking new realities into account, these classrooms cleverly incorporate large garage doors that open to the outside and keep air easily circulating. These large doors and a large outdoor porch with seating also allow students and teachers to move smoothly between the indoors and outdoors.

This statement on Linden Waldorf’s home page applies beautifully to our larger community exploring bringing nature successfully into our schools: “…we believe imagination—the ability to see what’s possible—is the defining skill exhibited by the most pivotal minds throughout history.”

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