There was never a time when Virginia felt herself apart from nature, or from life. She had an amazing gift for paying attention to both. Deserts, mountains, rivers, forests, oceans, & islands were all like 2nd nature, home, to her. Nor did nature end “out there” somewhere, but also inhabited the land & yard, household & family of multiple species, person & community.
Nature certainly had an important place in the school & classroom community–inside & out. Long before there was a visitor’s center or formal programs for educational out-reach, Virginia was bringing students out to the wildlife refuge, sometimes with her father, a noted ornithologist, or other visiting experts who were also models of a lifelong love of learning.
Her friendships across species came as naturally to her as those with human friends & “fellow students,” based on the same foundation of respect, good will, caring, example….
At some point in mid-1990’s, while she was working at what was then a new elementary school (Los Niños), she got wind of plans to address a “drainage problem” in ways that could have made a bad situation worse, while also wasting a valuable natural & educational resource in the process. Part of what this led to is told in the following article, invited by & published in the magazine Orion Afield.
Lessons From The Mud_OrionAfield1999
Although she gracefully navigated the institutional structures, her conception of education wasn’t shaped by them. Over her lifetime, she taught at every level, from nurturing newborns to mentoring new teachers. Teaching came as naturally as her love of learning, especially where natural wonders were involved.
In a sense, one of her first students (though never called that) was a neighbor she babysat for, who became part of her whole family. Inspired by mentors like Ginny’s father & Ansel Adams (whose last show she curated, I believe), Suzy Middleton grew up to become a ground-breaking photographer noted for work with the California Academy of Science, then books, articles & a National Geographic TV special featuring endangered species. Suzy made many visits to Ginny’s classes over the years, including once with the National Geographic film crew in tow making their special.
The receptive attention, noticing, caring, & sharing practiced in her daily life was also at the heart of her teaching. There was no barrier between the two, only an adaptation to structure. So, too, she found no barrier between art & life, the expression along with the impression. Academic disciplines were meant to be transcended, in other words. She related to students as individuals, each with unique gifts & challenges, while also members of various shared communities…..