Outdoor ed teacher pens debut novel

Sean McCammon’s virtual book launch is scheduled for Thursday

— Sean McCammon is an outdoor education teacher in Waterloo Region, a singer and songwriter, a beekeeper, a maple syrup expert and more recently, a writer.

“Outside” is the title of McCammon’s debut novel about a fictional teacher named David Woods. Woods is a 20something-year-old teacher who lives in rural Ontario and has to work through administrative red tape to take his students outdoors, where he feels learning thrives.

But in the first year of teaching elementary students, tragedy strikes on a field trip. Unable to cope, he abandons his job, his girlfriend and his life in Canada for Japan.

“He is on a bit of a quest to find meaning in the world,” explains McCammon.

In Japan, the novel’s main character moves in with an eclectic group of travellers. The journey for Woods, while at times emotional, is also lighthearted and weaved with humour.

He hikes the mountains in Kyoto and finds himself reconnecting with nature and slowly opening up to his new friends, who become somewhat of a support group.

In writing the novel, McCammon drew on his knowledge as an outdoor educator and time spent in Japan teaching English.

But McCammon stresses this story is not about him.

“David Woods is not me,” said McCammon. “He is very different from me.”

For more than 20 years, McCammon has worked with the Waterloo Region District School Board as an outdoor education teacher at the Laurel Creek Nature Centre.

School field trips to Laurel Creek have been cancelled this year because of the pandemic, but that hasn’t stopped McCammon and his outdoor education colleagues from finding creative ways to connect students to the outdoors.

Currently, McCammon is teaching primary school students virtually from his back porch.

He plays the guitar and sings songs, tells stories, and teaches students about different types of animals and insects.

This spring he tapped trees in his backyard and boiled sap in a small evaporator to demonstrate to his Grade 3 students how maple syrup is made.

Soon, he will be live streaming from his backyard to show his students what a beehive looks like.

“My job allows me to be creative, which is very good.”

McCammon wrote the bulk of the novel in 2017 and was happy to see a box of his books finally land at his doorstep this year. He describes the process as a “journey.”

His novel has been published by New Star Books in Vancouver.

It’s available at local Indigo stores, at Words Worth Books in Waterloo and is also available online.

A virtual book launch is scheduled for Thursday at 7:30 p.m. All are welcome to register via the following link: http://bit.ly/outside-launch.