What is a classroom to you? I’m sure you’ve read the title, so you know what I’m about to say. However, I’ll say it anyway: Classrooms can be more than just a room in a school.

Learning outside the classroom is an important part of any educational experience. I don’t mean studying or late-night assignment sprints; I mean experiences. As an education major, my peers and I have built-in experiential learning. Sure, we have the typical in-class time. But on top of this, our curriculum includes the chance to go into schools and unite what we see in the field with what we’ve learned in our own classes.

In my experience, having this time in the “real world” has benefited me as both a student and a person overall. I’m seeing environments, people and perspectives I never would’ve seen if I hadn’t been doing these field experiences. Without this out-of-class learning attached to my courses, I would’ve simply been thrown into an unfamiliar environment after graduating. That’s not how to prepare us for the future!

Learning outside the classroom doesn’t just apply to education majors. Math majors, science majors, business majors and more — all of them have their own opportunities. In fact, some majors even require experiential learning. Learning outside the classroom is a prime opportunity to get a feel for what you want to do after college and get used to potential future workplaces. I know I wouldn’t want to be dropped into an environment after college I have never previously stepped foot in. 

Traditional classrooms play an important role and have their strengths, but it’s crucial to step out of the classroom and (at times) your comfort zone to experience the world outside of St. Joe’s campus.