Lasting lessons often come in unsung moments, tucked away like a hidden cadence in life's daily rhythms. Whether online, outdoors, or in the outskirts -- these stories unfurl the palpable elegance of learning in the spirit of service, nature, and offering. --Daniela

An Online 'University of Anywhere'

"There isn't a better reason for the invention of the internet," says University of the People's founder Shai Reshef. Powered by mostly volunteer professors with class sizes of 30 or less, this fast-growing 4-year degree program brings new meaning to online and affordable higher ed, as it waives fees for 500 refugees amid its 5K students across 180 countries. Read Full Story »

A Day At Nature Preschool

"We have to irrigate the water so we can play here," toddlers at Forest Hill Nature Preschool explain. The drizzly day doesn't faze them, as they set to work in their play-based "classroom" of the nearby woods, a wooden stage, fairy gardens, school animals, and a trail that leads to a small waterfall in a creek. Read Full Story »

Tashi and the Monk

In the Himalayan foothills, former Tibetan monk, Lobsang Phuntsok, works with the unsung steadiness of the majestic peaks that surround him. For the past decade, his school sanctuary has become a quiet lighthouse for a community of orphans and impoverished children like 5-year-old Tashi whose trajectories are not unlike his own. Read Full Story »

'Be The Change' Idea

As the last story inspires, reflect on your childhood and pay-forward a lasting lesson from it.