Step onto the ranch and trade the lecture hall for open land, real work, and the kind of learning that sticks. Between engaging sessions, connect with like minded educators who care deeply about their students, believe in the power of experiential learning, and want to get outside and explore the great outdoors together. This is professional development the way it was meant to be: grounded, immersive, unforgettable, and a whole lot of fun.
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Students do not become who they are through information alone. They become who they are through experiences, the meaning they make of those experiences, and the stories they come to tell about themselves.
This three-day immersive workshop introduces educators to experiential education, reflective practice, and narrative identity. You will experience these approaches firsthand in the unique environment of Paicines Ranch, then learn practical tools you can carry straight into classrooms of every grade level and subject area.
Grounded in research on experiential learning and self-authorship, the program equips teachers to design learning that cultivates curiosity, deepens engagement, strengthens belonging, and helps students take agency over their own learning and lives.
The through line. We have experiences. We interpret them through stories. Those stories shape our identities. Our identities shape our choices. Our choices become our lives.
The ranch as metaphor. Healthy soil supports flourishing ecosystems. Healthy relationships and meaningful stories support flourishing human lives.
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Plan to fly into San Jose International Airport (SJC), roughly an hour and a half from the ranch. Airfare and transport to and from the airport are not included in the trip, and we are glad to help coordinate carpools. The times below are a sample and flex with the group and the weather.
Day One, Wednesday, June 16 | Arrival and Welcome
Afternoon. Arrive at Paicines Ranch and check into your lodging. Settle into the land.
3:30 pm. Ranch orientation and a welcome reception of ranch-raised, locally sourced bites from the on-site chefs.
4:00 pm. Opening session, The Stories That Brought Us Here: a story circle on why we teach, what makes learning meaningful, and an introduction to experiential education and self-authorship.
5:30 pm. Farm-to-table dinner, cooked on site from the ranch's own harvest.
6:45 pm. Guided sunset walk with owner Sallie Calhoun and the ranch team, exploring regenerative agriculture and holistic land management.
8:00 pm. Featured evening keynote with Matt Ramsey [add short title or one line bio].
Evening. A closing story circle, A Learning Experience That Changed Me, then quiet time to journal and rest.
Day Two, Thursday, June 17 | Story, Identity, and Transformation
7:30 am. Coffee and quiet time on the land.
8:00 am. Breakfast option from the ranch kitchen.
8:45 to 11:15 am. Hike at Pinnacles National Park, about twenty minutes south. Climb toward the High Peaks or explore the Bear Gulch talus caves, and watch for the California condor.
11:30 am. The Stories We Tell Ourselves: narrative identity, self-authorship, limiting beliefs, and the questions of who we are and who we can become.
12:30 pm. Lunch on the ranch, prepared by the chefs from the day's harvest.
1:30 pm. Storytelling as a Teaching Practice: meaning-making, listening, belonging, and student voice.
2:15 pm. Choose an experiential pathway with the ranch experts: regenerative agriculture with the ranch team, a vineyard walk and tasting that connects land to craft, or culinary education in the ranch kitchen.
3:30 pm. Facilitating Powerful Debriefs and Honoring Diverse Stories: a hands-on reflection toolkit and how to help every student feel seen.
4:30 pm. Solo reflection time. Space to walk, journal, or simply be on the land.
5:30 pm. Dinner under the oaks, cooked on site, followed by a campfire leadership conversation on leading change through story.
Day Three, Friday, June 18 | Bringing It Home
7:00 am. Optional sunrise walk or quiet time on the ranch.
8:00 am. Breakfast option from the ranch kitchen.
9:00 am. Scaling Experiential Learning: bringing the method into any class period, from five-minute routines to multi-day units.
10:00 am. Designing Learning for Curiosity: inquiry-based learning, student ownership, and student-designed experiences.
11:00 am. Leading Change in Schools: starting small, building allies, gaining administrative support, and showing impact, with an alumni panel of educators who have done it.
12:00 pm. Lunch on the ranch.
1:00 pm. Capstone Design Studio: build one experiential lesson, one reflection activity, one storytelling practice, and one implementation plan, with peer coaching.
3:00 pm. Closing circle, The Story I Hope My Students Will Live: commitments, certificates, accountability partnerships, and a group photo.
4:00 pm. Departure and optional ranch store visit. We will help coordinate carpools back to San Jose.
We wanted this trip to lead into a weekend to give folks the opportunity to explore California.
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This program is built and led by educators who have stood in your shoes. It is designed for K-12 teachers, school leaders, and outdoor and experiential educators who want to design more meaningful learning and build real student agency.
No prior experience with experiential methods is needed, only a willingness to learn by doing.
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Paicines Ranch is a historic 7,600-acre working ranch in San Benito County, in central California, on Highway 25 in the town of Paicines, about two and a half hours south of the Bay Area and roughly an hour from San Jose. The land is not a backdrop. It is the classroom.
One of the country's leading centers for regenerative agriculture, owned and led by Sallie Calhoun and managed with holistic, regenerative practices since 2001
Certified organic pastures, row crops, and a polyculture vineyard grazed by sheep, producing grass-fed lamb and beef and pastured pork and turkey
Audubon Certified Bird-Friendly Land with five distinct habitats, ponds, and the San Benito River, so soil, water, and wildlife are all in view
Restored historic buildings, on-site lodging, and farm-to-table meals drawn from food raised on the ranch
Hands-on learning with the ranch team: soil health, holistic grazing, the sheep-managed vineyard, and Sallie Calhoun's approach to funding the regenerative transition
A guided walk with the ranch's hospitality sheep, from the entrance lane toward the vineyard and the river
A vineyard walk and a tasting of wines from the regenerative, sheep-grazed vineyard
Pinnacles National Park, about 20 minutes away.
The park's east entrance is a short drive south on Highway 25, roughly 20 minutes from the ranch
Hike the High Peaks, explore the Bear Gulch talus caves, and watch for the California condor, one of North America's rarest birds
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By the end of the three days you will be able to:
Explain the principles of experiential learning and self-authorship
Design meaningful learning experiences for classrooms, schools, and the outdoors
Facilitate reflective conversations that turn experience into learning
Help students recognize and reframe limiting narratives
Use storytelling to strengthen agency, belonging, and resilience
Adapt experiential methods to any classroom, schedule, or subject
Build support for this work within your school
You will also leave with four finished, ready-to-use resources: one experiential lesson, one reflection activity, one storytelling practice, and one implementation plan for the coming school year.
A lasting network. Just as important, you will leave with a community of peers. The workshop is built for connection, through shared meals, story circles, campfire conversations, and collaborative sessions that turn colleagues into a network of like minded educators who care deeply about students and experiential learning, and who stay in touch long after the ranch.
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Matt Ramsey is an artistic director and longtime performer with Blue Man Group, bringing decades of performing arts experience to a show that has moved audiences in more than twenty countries. Trained in vocal music and Shakespeare, he has directed, trained, and performed the wordless production internationally, from New York and Chicago to Paris, Berlin, and Sydney. He calls himself a hopeless collaborator and storyteller, and his keynote brings that spirit of wonder, presence, and human connection to the educators in the room.
Greg Morrissey is the founder of Mountain Goat Movement and a leader in education through adventure, connecting students and educators to explorers, entrepreneurs, and community builders. He spent nine years as a high school literature teacher and college advisor at Saint Peter's Prep, was named Teacher of the Year in 2018 and a Top 50 Trailblazing Educator, and is a member of The Explorers Club. His work anchors this program in a simple conviction: that experience, reflection, and story are how students come to author their own lives.
Serena McCalla, Ph.D., is a National Geographic Explorer and one of the country's most accomplished science research educators, often called the nation's godmother of science research. As the science research coordinator at Jericho High School and founder of the iResearch Corporation, she has guided students to top honors at the Regeneron Science Talent Search and the International Science and Engineering Fair, and created the Hidden Prodigy Project with National Geographic's support. She was featured in the Emmy-winning documentary Science Fair and its Disney and National Geographic series, and received the National Geographic Wayfinder Award in 2023. -
Every participant receives a certificate of completion documenting their professional development hours. It serves as a formal record of the workshop for your personnel file and your district.
A certificate tailored to your district. The certificate can be adjusted to best fit the criteria of your district, including the hours logged, the competencies named, and the learning objectives referenced, so it satisfies your local professional development or continuing education requirements.
Common Core alignment. Though interdisciplinary, the workshop aligns most strongly with the Common Core English Language Arts standards: speaking and listening, collaborative discussion, reflective writing, narrative composition, analysis of diverse perspectives, and communication for authentic audiences. It also supports the Standards for Mathematical Practice, including problem solving, reasoning, modeling, and perseverance, through inquiry-based and experiential learning.
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What is included:
Lodging on the ranch
Ranch-raised and locally sourced meals
Program apparel for every teacher, yours to keep
All sessions, facilitation, and materials
Guided ranch experiences and your choice of pathway
Certificate of completion
Not included: airfare and transport to and from San Jose International Airport (SJC)
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Dress informal and outdoor-ready. You will be walking the ranch, out in the vineyard, on the trails, and gathered around the fire at night, so comfort and layers matter far more than anything formal.
June at the ranch. Inland California in June means warm, sunny afternoons, cool mornings and evenings, and dry, dusty air with strong sun. The days can climb into the high eighties or beyond while mornings and nights stay crisp, so plan to layer up and down as the day moves.
Clothing
Lightweight, breathable layers for warm afternoons
A warm layer such as a fleece or light jacket for cool mornings and evenings
A long-sleeve shirt for sun and dust protection
Comfortable pants or leggings for walking, biking, and field activities
Shorts or lighter bottoms for the middle of the day
A light rain shell, just in case
Easy, comfortable clothes for evenings around the fire
Footwear
Closed-toe walking or hiking shoes for trails, the vineyard, and ranch grounds
Comfortable everyday shoes or sandals for downtime
Sun and weather
A wide-brim hat or cap
Sunglasses
Sunscreen and lip balm with SPF
A bandana or buff for sun and dust
Daily essentials
A refillable water bottle, since staying hydrated in the dry heat matters
A small daypack for walks and the afternoon pathways
A headlamp or small flashlight for evenings and stargazing
Any personal medications and basic toiletries
A journal and pen, which we will also provide
Nice to have
Binoculars for the birding walk
A camera
A reusable coffee mug
A good book for quiet moments