The 2025 Driftless Field School brought new adventures, mindful connections, and sparks of creativity. This season was a tapestry of exploration and growth. But don’t just take our word for it—some of our students have opened their journals and hearts to share what truly made this experience unforgettable.

Here’s what they have to say:

Image above: Poem & Artwork from Andromeda Fairbanks (Ojai, California).

Reflection #1 from Nina Wakabayashi (Tokyo, Japan/Carleton College):

“The scent of compost lingers faintly in the summer air as someone turns the pile behind the house. A little farther off, the gentle whirr of a lawnmower hums through the tall grass, while another housemate stands barefoot at the outdoor sink, sleeves rolled up, washing the last of the lunch plates. At Lucy Stone House, we don’t do this out of obligation, but out of a quiet ethic of mutual care. Living closely together means the labor of daily life is visible and shared. But as we scale up into larger institutions, cities, systems, that intimacy frays. The work of maintaining life doesn’t disappear, but it becomes harder to see.  When someone uses a plate, someone else has to pick it up. It’s just that now, they’re being picked up by someone else: undocumented immigrants, women, people of color, or even the land itself, absorbing what we no longer notice. So the question I’m holding now is this: How do we re-scale our lives — not for efficiency or convenience — but for proximity, visibility, and shared responsibility?”

-Nina

Reflection #2 from Carol Chen (Ningbo, China/Vancouver, Canada/New York City):

“Bushes of garlic, rows of corn, and scattered shrubs blanketed the rolling green hills as far as the eye could see, with a bright blue sky and drifting clouds forming the perfect rural Wisconsin backdrop. I was on the farm of Jason Thimmesch – a local farmer and high school therapist. Between intervals of pulling up garlic stalks, we chatted about the impact of globalization on his increasingly unprofitable family farm. By the time we were washing the dirt from the stalks, the conversation had shifted to the troubled youth Jason counsels at school and how he tries to model positive behavior for them.

Later, at the Thimmesch family lunch table, we sipped raw milk and chewed fresh arugula straight from the garden, discussing their philosophy of self-sufficiency and the practical challenges it entails. It’s the kind of experience I’d never expect to find in New York – but it’s exactly what happens here at Thoreau.”

-Carol