Expectations

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The Delta Institute of Natural History is committed to providing a positive learning experience.  To this end, only teachers who are approachable and enthusiastic are used as instructors.  Further, those invited to teach various programs at the Delta Institute are expected to present accurate information that represents our best understanding of the topic.  The classroom atmosphere is receptive, supportive, and fun.  Though students are encouraged to excel, it is also acceptable to struggle when learning learning new skills (especially those that require fine motor control).  Participants are accepted from all walks of life, where different life views are respected (even if not agreed upon).  Though teaching a number of programs for professionals and highly skilled students, the Delta Institute is excited to offer instruction to all levels of competence in a particular topic (everyone started their path of learning at the beginning).  It is considered very important to blend all of these ideals so that people of different genders, ages, and races feel like part of a greater community of students who support each other, generate further interest, and encourage continued learning.

Student Testimonials

"This past year's foraging classes at the Delta Institute have had a transformational effect on the way I view and use plants.  Arthur's depth of knowledge extends from taxonomy to ethnobotany, herbalism to plant use in primitive applications, and beyond.   He is an instructor with a gift for sharing knowledge in a way that engages students; supplying, sometimes advanced, information in a manner that is effortless to assimilate.  Perhaps the best feature of a class with Arthur is that he speaks from personal experience of the topic at hand on top of a solid scientific grounding.  The weekend workshop creates an environment that fosters a deep integration of the material presented through several different modes of learning.  I am truly grateful for the opportunity that these sessions offer and highly recommend the experience to anyone interested in cohesive, in depth information about plants in an increasingly fragmented, specialized world.  A workshop or class with Arthur provides a well-articulated and uniquely holistic perspective on the role of plants in our lives, and our role in theirs."  Jennifer Bourne, West Haven, CT.

"I took the Fall Foraging class wanting to learn more about the plants that grow around me. As an English major, not a scientist, I worried about not being up to speed with plant knowledge, yet Arthur's gentle explanations and youthful humor calmed my anxieties. As well, throughout the workshop I learned the importance and power of classification identification. Although workshop attendees came from wildly different places and perspectives, our mutual bond grew from a respect that we were all there because we wanted to learn. I left humbled by what I didn't know I didn't know, thrilled with what I learned, and have blocked out my calendar for the next workshop with Delta Institute."  J. Oren Stevens, Lewiston, ME.