A Week in the Woods

In early February, Mr. Bill Maxwell, the fifth-grade science teacher at Hardy Elementary School, is already planning the yearly week-long excursion to the woods in April. The trip is a traditional event that he organizes for the fifth graders before they graduate to middle school. Mr. Maxwell has been leading the program for 16 years and is very passionate about it; without him, the program might not exist at all. The “Week in the Woods” consists of “nature studies […] environmental science […] campfires […] creative writing […] storytelling [… and] woodcraft” (1). Mr. Maxwell is a large, burly man with ample outdoor experience living in a log cabin in the woods of New Hampshire. His two main joys in life are enjoying the outdoors and teaching; he lives off the land and strives to create as little pollution as possible. Growing up as a scout, Mr. Maxwell learned the value of preparation, which is why he starts planning months in advance. He checks out the campgrounds, plans the meals, and invites an Indigenous American speaker to discuss the history of the Pennacook and Abenaki tribes. Despite all this planning, however, Mr. Maxwell cannot be prepared for everything.