Tomorrow is the first day of February which also happens to be the month that I return to my beloved outdoor ed job. In roughly two weeks I will be painstakingly packing my car yet again and driving two and half hours, unpacking, moving into (at this point an unknown) staff housing, and beginning yet another spring semester.
Spring semester is tough. It is a lot of fun and it flies by but it is challenging for many reasons.
1) Transition days. We have this way of jam packing six days of work into the typical Monday to Friday work week. This leads to days where, as a group leader, I may drop of my Mon-Wed group at an activity, run (though no running is allowed on camp...so only running the kiddos can't see me) to be in position to greet the Wed-Fri school that is arriving, play games with the new school, unload their luggage, orient them to cabin life, and then sneak back in to greet my original school, while furiously (but appearing to be calmly) flipping through my medical forms of the new school, eating a chicken finger (the obligatory two-lunch day meal) and loading luggage of the original school on the right bus, and running (again out of sight of the kiddos) up to the gift shop to sell some swag and wave goodbye to the bus, before hustling to the deck to meet my new field group and walk them into lunch. Once second lunch is over, things usually calm down quite a bit, but the transition is nothing less than a well-orchestrated dance, and that's assuming the buses arrive and depart on time (which lets be honest, happens more often than you might think). And then you spend the rest of the week asking the kids "Did I teach you this already?"
2)Younger students: As a whole, it is my perception that we typically have more 4th and 5th grade students during the spring semester than in the fall. We also have a couple of schools that bring a range of ages or some older kids. There are some great schools with some awesome kids. I just have to be ready to switch from fourth grade mode to ninth grade mode to parent mode in a very short amount of time.
3)MD Weekend: Those of you that have been on camp during MD weekend know what I'm talking about. Hopefully the weather will cooperate this year.
Once the season gets going, we are in full swing and busy busy busy until the end of the semester. One day it is February and shortly thereafter it's May and it's time for me to return to camp.
All that being said, the spring also provides great opportunities to improve. There are weeks when I look at my schedule and it makes me tired just thinking about everything that is packed into my days, and yet, at the end of the week, I can be proud of the work that I have done.
I do hope to continue to improve and grow as an instructor, as a return staff member, and as a friend. Here's to spring 2011.
Monday, January 31, 2011
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Why teach in the elements?
I think there is one in any family, especially any family with several kids. You know what I'm talking about. There is often someone in the family who works outside. Our neighbors who lived across the street have a daughter who has lived in CO and does outdoor/biology research. One of the father's of one my friends from church recently told me that his youngest is into outdoor rec. And in my family, I am that person.
I need to be outside. It is a physical need for me. Maslow's hierarchy of needs for me includes at least 1 hour outside everyday. During the months of Mar-Nov, I work outside, so I meet that quota easily. But during the winter months of Dec-Feb, I have to make time. I walk outside a lot and I make time to go geocaching when I can. Sometimes I take two walks, especially if it is particularly nice outside, particularly snowy, or I'm particularly stressed.
It worries me that "kids today" may not be getting this sort of therapeutic connection with nature. When I walk, I'm often sorting through whatever is on my mind. I know that every person is different and handles various situations and stresses differently, but I've been stuck with this cure since childhood. In high school, when I was particularly stressed or busy, I often visited a local park to recenter my focus. But is this coping mechanism one that kids are not learning today?
Over the last month or so, on my therapy sessions outside, I've been sorting through a variety of questions. These include the following: 1) what happened at camp this summer and how 2011 will be different; 2) what happened at NC this semester and how spring '11 will be different; 3) how can I become the educator that I want to be? The reality is that all of these things are related. What conclusions have I come to? Good question. Let's see what I can tell you at this point.
1) To be successful at NC this fall, I must put the kids first which also means fully supporting and trusting the additions to the team.
2) To be successful at camp, I must delegate, communicate, and rely on my team. Interpersonal relationships will be the key to getting me through this summer. It won't be easy but these are skills I need to develop and improve.
3) Pursue training opportunities to further support my mission of being an educator and showing that camp professionals are, indeed, professionals. This includes as well as developing a brand for myself and marketing this to the outdoor, recreation, and camping community.
I have a little over a month until I return to NC and back into the "do" cycle of my year. In that time I have a lot of writing, researching, and reading to do before getting back to the grind. The grind that I adore.
I need to be outside. It is a physical need for me. Maslow's hierarchy of needs for me includes at least 1 hour outside everyday. During the months of Mar-Nov, I work outside, so I meet that quota easily. But during the winter months of Dec-Feb, I have to make time. I walk outside a lot and I make time to go geocaching when I can. Sometimes I take two walks, especially if it is particularly nice outside, particularly snowy, or I'm particularly stressed.
It worries me that "kids today" may not be getting this sort of therapeutic connection with nature. When I walk, I'm often sorting through whatever is on my mind. I know that every person is different and handles various situations and stresses differently, but I've been stuck with this cure since childhood. In high school, when I was particularly stressed or busy, I often visited a local park to recenter my focus. But is this coping mechanism one that kids are not learning today?
Over the last month or so, on my therapy sessions outside, I've been sorting through a variety of questions. These include the following: 1) what happened at camp this summer and how 2011 will be different; 2) what happened at NC this semester and how spring '11 will be different; 3) how can I become the educator that I want to be? The reality is that all of these things are related. What conclusions have I come to? Good question. Let's see what I can tell you at this point.
1) To be successful at NC this fall, I must put the kids first which also means fully supporting and trusting the additions to the team.
2) To be successful at camp, I must delegate, communicate, and rely on my team. Interpersonal relationships will be the key to getting me through this summer. It won't be easy but these are skills I need to develop and improve.
3) Pursue training opportunities to further support my mission of being an educator and showing that camp professionals are, indeed, professionals. This includes as well as developing a brand for myself and marketing this to the outdoor, recreation, and camping community.
I have a little over a month until I return to NC and back into the "do" cycle of my year. In that time I have a lot of writing, researching, and reading to do before getting back to the grind. The grind that I adore.
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