What’s Right With Our Schools: Woodsong
CLEVELAND, TN (WDEF) – We are learning more about a school that focuses on the growth of a child through play-based learning in the natural world. What began as a small school has now expanded into something far greater. Robert Hanley was out in Cleveland at Woodsong Forest School for this week’s What’s Right With Our Schools.
“So we started this journey of adding a grade every year and other programs and so that was in 2018 and now in 2025 in this school year we have multiple pre-K programs and then kindergarten through fifth grade full-time we’re not viewing children as a product or a data point or a number we’re viewing them as whole people and each person is unique,” said Bonnie Cretton, the founder and director of Woodsong.
Some students spoke about what learning at Woodsong means to them.
“It was really cool when we found arrowheads out here. I love when we find those.”
“My favorite subject to learn about would be math. Math is it’s just you can count on it.”
“My favorite part about when the seasons change is like different animals emerge in different plants emerge and then also like some go away some come back it’s like a whole cycle I like that.
“My favorite subject to learn about here at Woodsong is science because my science teacher is just great and we get to have so many fun projects last week we made ice cream and we’re learning about energy.”
“I like Social studies cause we do so many cool projects like right now we’re doing one where we like interview like different teachers and student to make like a book for the new people who are coming to Wood song.”
“This last year the neighbors the Turpins extended an invitation for Woodsong to come and to steward 12 acres of land and so it’s been this incredible journey of working with them to receive that gift,” said Cretton.
Teachers at Woodsong spoke about how the school stood out to them.
“What drew me to a nature based school and teaching was I spent a couple years in the public education system, and it didn’t meet the needs that I felt at being integrated into an environment that made me come alive and the opportunity to teach kids in a space where I felt most myself and most passionate fell in line as well as getting to immerse children in this space and teach them the benefits of the beauty around us and how it can help us become better people,” said Jack Manning, a teacher at Woodsong.
“Watching them grow and now that we’ve been here this many years and those that are in the oldest classes we had when they were three and four and five and seeing them just be loved into being and seen and known in a space where there is learning and growth,” said Elizabeth Kubba, a teacher at Woodsong.
