Rocking the Boat’s educational programs and activities have always sought to nurture learning in a way that is purposefully different from school. This can be simply getting young people outdoors, on docks, and in parks, but most often involves putting oars, tillers, and tools in their hands. Powerful sensory experiences like rowing and sailing boats or sawing and sanding wood appeal especially to students who learn differently and might struggle in a traditional classroom environment. And those young people are attracted to Rocking the Boat. Almost 30% of students in Rocking the Boat’s standard afterschool programs have a learning or cognitive disability and while many of those have a Department of Education Individualized Education Program (IEP) that dictates specific accommodations to support their learning in school, they flourish in Rocking the Boat’s dynamic, exclusively experiential small group setting with ample staff support.
Middle school students from I.S. 187 Hudson Cliffs out rowing on the Bronx River in May.
Like at the dock, Izaiah, a Program Assistant hosting the Arthur Tappan class, could see that one student’s sensitivity to the rocking motion of the platform was causing anxiety. Izaiah was able to show the student if he sat down, he would feel the bobbing less. Then, taking him through each step of testing a water quality sample, Izaiah helped the student focus on performing the task and getting curious about the results. Izaiah’s intervention turned what would have otherwise been a negative experience into a positive, educational, empowering one.
Postscript: To readers of Rocking the Boat’s recent year-end letter, Public Programs staff are working out the final details with Venus, the Rocking the Boat alum turned special education teacher, and look forward to welcoming her second grade class for an On Water Classroom series in the spring of 2026.
