“The homework load and class time requirements were very demanding, and I had to steal time from or incorporate my nature studies with work, family, and other obligations. But what could be greater than to be “required” to spend more time in nature?”

“Before starting I didn’t have an accurate sense of the time the course would require. In doing the homework after the first class, it dawned on me that all the information presented in the classroom was intended as a gateway to my own explorations. I found I wanted to spend any time I had observing, sketching, and practicing. With every new topic, I’d start the process again of devoting whatever time I had to getting outside. I had to make the homework and classes a priority in my life to do justice to the course.”

“It is all so overwhelming for a while. The instructor kept saying that it’s all about layering, and it took me a while to get that. Now I realize that it’s really a lifetime of layering and each discovery is a delightful new layer. What worked best for me was to take a couple of days off after the class to regroup. I always came away from class feeling like soooo much information had been crammed into a short period of time, and yet I loved learning about so many different topics.”

“The time commitment was as promised, substantial.  The class time was scheduled and all incredibly well spent, but doing the homework was the most time-consuming piece, requiring planning and dedication.  As with anything, the more time I put into it, the more I got out of it – in this case spiritually as well as intellectually.  I love leading nature walks.”

“The expectations from the beginning were straightforward and I appreciated the emphasis that the course was going to be a lot of work. It was also good to be told ahead of time that there was strictness about attendance and accountability for your work. This made the program feel serious. It was also helpful to know that there were lots of applicants so it was a very precious thing to have a spot in the course!”

“When I first began I had not appreciated how much extra time outside of class I would be required to spend on each of the topics. But the independent study was great in the end, and I learned a lot as I kept finding new ways of discovering information about what we were studying. It’s just hard to know what that is going to be like.”