When talking about my experiences in outdoor education I usually get the same response. I'm jealous! You have such a cool job! I will agree it was a cool job for the almost two years I was in that field, but it was also the most challenging two years of my life. Before I get to the knitty gritty of my experiences I have to explain how I even got into outdoor education.
At a young age I had always loved wildlife and nature. I went to a summer day camp a few summers, and would go to the river with my cousins and grandma at our local state park. Once I got to be school age I would always get books at the library on nature, and became quite the science nerd. I always knew I wanted to go to college for a science degree. I wanted to be a scientist. My heart was set on it.
Fast forward to when I was in high school. I was able to take a couple of specialized science classes, and fell even more in love with the idea of a science degree. My mom was the one that suggested teaching to me one day after coming home from school telling anyone who could hear about what I had learned. She said maybe I should think about becoming a professor some day, or at least teaching in some way. So I took that idea and ran with it. I was going to be a professor some day.
When arriving at college I took every opportunity I had to learn something new about my favorite subjects, and helped my fellow classmates when needed. After getting through my first two years of college I decided maybe it was time to get my feet wet in the teaching business. We had opportunities to work as a lab assistant at my college, and I applied fall semester of my junior of college. I was able to learn from my professors while helping set up labs, answer questions, and grade papers. It was an experience that fueled the dream of becoming an educator.
My junior year was also the same year I decided to veer away from the typical summer job at McDonalds in my little tourist town, and get some experience in my field. I happened to come across a naturalist position at a campground by a lake. I had no idea what I was getting myself into when I met the crazy haired 75 year old woman who was the activities leader at the park. I was not only the naturalist, but I helped with all the other activities. I visited with the campers at their campsites. I hung out with my coworker a lot on Fridays who would make sure I was fed before bingo. I would sing karoke with one of our volunteers. I was not just a worker at the campground, I was a part of a big family. I loved being a part of that those two summers I worked there.
Soon after four years and $30,000 in debt I graduated college with a Bachelor's in environmental science. I worked my last summer at the lake after I graduated, but I didn't know what I was going to do when the season ended. Then all of a sudden I found an ad for outdoor educators wanted at a camp near by. They would bring in school groups from grades fourth through sixth, and teach science/nature curriculum courses in the great outdoors to them. It was the job that I was hoping for. I sent in my application just in time for their in service week, and was hired in immediately.
The camp had a hippie vibe to it with the coworkers wearing Chaco sandals while off duty, and being very laid back. This was my first taste of teaching school groups. This was also my first taste being a cabin counselor. Mind you I had never went off to a summer camp and spend the night when I was a kid. So when I was roped into staying for at least one night a week in the cabins, I didn't know what to expect. For the most part it was fun with the different groups of girls that I had in the cabins. I also, however, had some rough times with girls getting sick and dealing with home sickness.
I loved my coworkers there. We were a mix match bunch with some of them being from different states. We all had different backgrounds, and all had different reasons for being there. This is how I met one of my good friends. She is from Cleveland who is also a photographer. We would always share our photos and the stories behind them. We helped each other get through the weeks that we spent at camp.
Once November came the school groups stop coming, and there was no work for me. I was unemployed for three months. I had sent so many applications out with no luck, just a whole bunch of rejection letters. My saving grace came from an application that I had sent in the summer before. I got a call about being an outdoor educator at an outdoor school just down the road from the camp I worked at. This wasn't just any outdoor school, we had history. This was the one I went to summer day camp at when I was younger. The one that I went to for a field trip with my school. The one my grandma works at. I took the job in a heart beat.
This is the place I learned the real rewards and challenges of being an outdoor educator. This is the place that I met two of my really good friends. This is the place I made an impact on some kids. I was the youngest one there (the other younger one being my friend who is 32 years old). My coworkers were impressed by my teaching, and wanted to learn from me when it came to limnology. I got to handle the snakes, turtles, and bearded dragons. I got to learn how to handle an owl and hawk while there, which made my dreams come true.
I was teaching in a natural classroom complete with waterfalls and streams. I was leading hikes with the kids, showing them how to use a kick net in a stream study, teaching them how to build shelters, and giving them information on my reptile and amphibian friends. I couldn't tell you how many parents and teachers would always come up to me and say that they envy me. That they thought it was such a cool job to be outdoors all the time. At the time I thought I had the coolest job ever too.
When I wasn't teaching the kids I was staying in the dorms with them. I had some pretty awesome groups of girls in the dorms, and some groups that thought I was the best dorm counselor they could ask for. I had a group of girls that came from several Christian schools that called me the best hippie dorm counselor ever. It was great.
On top of all of this I was director of the summer day camp. I was excited about this when I was first appointed because I was thinking it was going to be like the old times. I was going to have great kids, we were going to have a fun summer, and it was going to be great. I was only partially right (I will get to the reason why I was partially right in a minute). I made an impact on a couple of kid's lives while doing summer camp though. It breaks my heart to this day that I won't get to see them this year. I even almost cried when summer was over and I had to say good bye.
At this point in time you are probably asking the question so what was so hard about it? You got to teach kids, be outdoors all the time, and essentially have big slumber parties. No big deal. I'll tell you the tolls of being an outdoor educator.
One of the tolls is that you are on your feet constantly, and feeling like when you are on break you really aren't. At one of the camps I was on my feet for twelve hours of the day. That's not standing in place either. That's two, two mile hikes, some team building games, playing a game with the kids, getting the supplies I need for class, going to the dorm/cabin to put my belongings down, going back to the dorm/cabin for girls to get their things, grabbing a quick dinner/lunch before having to set up for class, and putting the girls in the dorm/cabin for bed. I swear my fitbit couldn't even believe the amount of steps I would get in in a day. I would average 21,000 to 24,000 steps in one day. If I remember right the fitbit averaged it out to about 7-11 miles. Sometimes those days didn't end there.
The dorms were hard because most nights were nights of little sleep. I would have to clean up puke, deal with girls that won't stop talking and are bothering other girls, and deal with homesickness with a group of girls. I had no time away from the kids to recharge the batteries, which made it difficult on my patience when you get the bad schools. Some nights I would just sit there in a tired daze and wonder what I was doing with my life.
It was always hard when you got school groups that were just bad. I have a couple in mind, but obviously won't mention, that even the teachers were just apologizing the whole time that's how bad the kids were. It's hard to teach when you get kids that obviously don't care. It's hard to be enthusiast about the information you are teaching when this happens. It's hard to be motivated.
You know how I mentioned that summer camp was partially how I expected it? I had my good kids, but I also had some bad. After my first day of summer day camp I came home crying. I was by myself with five kids and they all wanted to knock me down so to speak. It was obvious I didn't have kids because sometimes I didn't know how to handle certain situations. Two of them did not want to have me as a teacher and wanted the old counselor back. It took most of the summer to come to terms with them and for them to like me. I had porch hiders, screamers, defiant children, and a kid that didn't know how to hold his temper. There were some days I don't know how I got through that summer. I think because my two friends/coworkers came over to help quite a bit, especially when they saw me sinking.
I've met some pretty cool kids through all those experiences though. I've met an autistic girl that could have taught my soils class better than I could. I've met a kid that may have been very wealthy, but was fascinated with my life and how I live it. I've met a kid that would be considered a problem child, but wanted to know all the answers to the world around him. Those two kids that wanted their old counselor back from summer camp? I was the little girl's favorite counselor she could ever ask for, and she never wanted to leave my side by the end of the summer. I was able to teach them some basic things that will help them in life. I've met some amazing people that I've worked with. Two of which call me what seems like every week to ask me about a science question. I miss working with them every day. I wouldn't trade the experiences I gained from teaching outdoor education. It helped me grow as a person, and helped me learn more on how to be patient.
Comments