Some teachers remain reluctant to take learning outside. They worry students will lose focus. But as researcher Ming Kuo said, “You can add as much instructional time as you want and keep pouring, but once that cup is full, it’s full. You have to find ways to give kids more capacity to take [information] in.” Being in nature seems to increase that capacity.

Imagine a student so viscerally immersed in learning that it’s dizzying. Literally. That’s the power of using virtual reality in the classroom, and it’s capturing the attention of K–12 educators.

Have you ever wondered who works on and fixes the machinery at Smith System? Well, meet Jesus. He has been working at Smith System for the past eight years. Lately, Jesus has been assembling and moving our production lines from Plano to the new facility. He is one of the only people who knows how all of the machinery at Smith System works.

If modern K–12 education design had a mascot, it’d be a chameleon. Just like those color-morphing lizards, learning spaces and furniture must functionally adapt over their live span for every grade level and possible pedagogy. It’s called future-proofing.

“My students’ ability to collaborate has greatly improved, no matter who’s in their group. Their confidence in trying new things has skyrocketed, too. They’re given opportunities to explore, fail, and not give up. I love seeing that.” So much so that she has her eye on securing funding to create O’Dell’s first “STEMineers”