Would you take 60 fourth-graders to camp? For three days?

Julie Beaty acknowledges that she was naive when she began her teaching career 11 years ago.

She was fresh out of college and eager to make her mark in the classroom. She had a game plan for helping her students achieve academically and socially.

That was before she was confronted with the daily challenges of teaching in an urban school system filled with kids living in poverty.

"I had no idea what I was getting into when I joined IPS School 78 as a fourth-grade teacher. I was a suburban girl living in my cul-de-sac world."

Now a veteran of four IPS elementary schools, she's been an advocate for technology to advance academic excellence. She's won awards for her innovative approaches to teaching. But she has learned one thing above all else: Fostering relationships is the most important thing she can do as a teacher.

"My students taught me ... how they could sniff out an adult who really cared and one who was just 'managing' them. If I fail at that, then I will fail at everything in the year."

Beaty, 34, said she saw how critical it was for every student to feel part of a classroom "family" they could trust. She saw how difficult it was for her kids to believe they were "special, talented, leaders in the making."

Ten years ago, Beaty introduced an idea that must have sounded crazy to her fellow teachers. She wanted to take the entire fourth-grade class camping. For three days.

Forget the problem of getting parents and school staff to buy in to such an idea. There was no money in the school's budget for such a trip.

Beaty was undaunted. She raised the money — $5,295 — through private donations. She got kids, parents and fellow teachers on board. And she took the entire fourth-grade class from School 78 camping at Flat Rock River YMCA Camp in St. Paul.

She did it again the next year. And the next. She took her camping program to School 60 when School 78 closed, then on to School 67 and now to Eleanor Skillen School 34, near I-65 and Raymond Street.

Why camping?

"For most of these kids, it's the first time they've been out of their neighborhood," Beaty said after her students at School 34 had left for the day. "It's totally out of their box."

At camp, they learn to fish, canoe and climb a 50-foot tower. They launch themselves through the air on a rope swing and splash into the lake below, trusting Beaty when she tells them they'll be OK. They practice archery, explore Native American traditions and study the Underground Railroad.

It's just like school, only it's totally different.

Most of the kids who struggle in the classroom find something they excel at while at camp. And those who perform well in school might be timid in the great outdoors. But all gain skills, confidence and a greater awareness of the world outside their neighborhood.

It's all part of the learning experience, Beaty says. And make no mistake. The kids are learning. Lessons are incorporated into every activity — math, language, science, history.

This year, all the fourth-graders at School 34 — 60 of them — will report to school the morning of May 26 with sleeping bags and backpacks. They'll board school buses with about nine adults — most from the school. And their three-day adventure will begin.

Over 10 years, Beaty has raised $85,000 and taken more than 600 students camping. Before that first trip, she sent out about 15 letters to local businesses and individuals asking for help. Since then, she said, she's kept in touch with each supporter at least twice a year, whether they donated recently or not, all while she was moving from school to school.

"Fortunately, things have snowballed, and I have a core group of donors who believe in my mission," she said.

Now, Beaty would like to expand that mission to get other teachers in other schools on board. Last year, she figured out a way to do that.

She won the Indiana University Armstrong Educator Award, which came with a $1,000 prize.

Beaty used half that money to file all the paperwork required to establish Camp Opp, a nonprofit she hopes will give more disadvantaged children throughout the state the opportunity to attend camp.

"I feel like these kids are sometimes limited in the opportunities presented to them. If you give them an opportunity, it presents them with endless possibilities," she said. "I want more students to be able to participate in an outdoor education experience."

Students like Jasmine, who wrote about her camp experience a couple of years ago. "I lose all my tears and fears at camp. Camp is a place I can be free. I can find out who I really am."

Dave Carter has been giving money to Beaty's camp initiative since its first year.

"I was impressed with her drive to do something way outside the scope of simply teaching, bringing normal childhood experiences to these kids who otherwise would never be exposed to it," Carter said.

The health-care executive operates Champ Camp for kids with respiratory problems and said he wanted to share his expertise with Beaty.

"Julie is more than a teacher. Providing this camp experience has opened doors for many of these kids, to see the world in a different light."

Beaty thinks every child should have the chance to discover nature, to explore a world that's new to them, to learn about themselves.

"I discovered through trial and error that one of my most important jobs is to help them see themselves from the inside," she said. "To peel back that tough exterior to uncover the sweet child within them that thrived before they were labeled a bully or a behavior problem. Rekindle their natural curiosity. Find the book that sparks their love of reading."

Beaty said when she was hired at School 78 on the Eastside 11 years ago, she didn't know what an enormous opportunity it would be to serve children.

"I know now that if it weren't for those students, I wouldn't learn what I was capable of as a teacher."

Call Star reporter Maureen Gilmer at (317) 444-6879. Follow her on Twitter: @MaureenCGilmer.

Camp Opp

Julie Beaty wants to encourage more schools to become involved in Camp Opp. Teachers can apply for a grant to send their students to a camp near them by visiting the website www.oppcamp.org. Donations also can be made on the website. Email Beaty at campopp1@yahoo.com.