This weekend I ran the Seattle half marathon. It was great; I love to run past people that have collapsed on the side of the road. It makes me feel like such an amazing athlete. After the race, my friend from Baltimore met me at the race recovery area. She told me that when she was in high school, her outdoor education teacher forced all the students to run a half marathon. On one of the class field trips they went hiking, and camping. At the end of the camping trip they had to run 13.1 miles to get to the bus in order to return home. wtF (that’s with a capital F). Forcing adolescents, or anyone for that matter to run a half marathon is against their rights. I like running now, but angry-teenage-Crystal would have objected to this sort of outdoor education shenanigans.
Congratulations on completing the half-marathon Crystal!
ReplyDeleteI was actually meaning to start a blog entry about experiences outdoors and if experiences in the outdoors are important formative experiences for students... Some of my favourite memories and great learning experiences have come outdoors. I find that time I spend hiking, climbing, skiing, or camping makes me feel so good. I come back and all of my concerns seem less daunting, maybe because I have had time to think about them. I feel free when I am out in the snow, and it is freezing and beautiful, and you can't hear anything but your skis and you are far away from civilization. I like that. I also think that time spent in the wilderness can be great for bonding with people. I like to do mountaineering trips, and it can be a really positive experience to rely on someone else and to pull together through trying situations. (It can also be horrible if your partners are not the best...).
Probably the trip that changed my life the most was a 1 night backpacking trip I did when I was 19. At the end of the summer I went for an overnight with 3 of my friends. We hadn't done any real backpacking at this time. Our school had no outdoor education and my family had gotten away from it. We had all camped lots, but it was our first time carrying all our stuff into the wilderness. The weather was miserable, and we had no idea about light gear. We brought a 10 man tent (for 4 of us). We even carried an axe and kindling to make a fire. In the night the wind blew over our 10 man tent. It was ridiculous. We were wet and cold, but it was so much fun. I was totally hooked, and the outdoors has been a massive part of my life ever since.
I think the outdoors can be a major part of a healthy and positive lifestyle. Students can gain respect for the wilderness. They can also discover a passion that leads to healthy living, environmental awareness, friendships, challenge, leadership opportunities, and much more. Sorry this is so scattered, I am excited for ski season, and this blog is getting me more excited for it.
What are some of your most memorable outdoor experiences? What can students get from outdoor education that they can't get in the classroom?
I got to experience outdoor education in grades 7 and 8. Unfortunately, the school cut the program in grade 9 due to budget issues. On ever trip there was always a light, average, and heavy option for whatever activity we were doing. These options meant that I experienced many outdoor activities that seemed inaccessible. For instance, mountain biking always scared me because I'm afraid of heights and I couldn't help but imagine myself tumbling down the mountain. Our teacher really pushed (and graded) us to participate in all the activities. I tried mountain biking by doing the light (easier) route. All levels met together at the end and our final task was to cross a creek on our bikes. The teacher did a really good job of pushing our limits and making everyone feel equal. It was a very positive experience for me as an adolescent because I had overcome one of my fears. Outdoor education pushes students out of their comfort zones and qualifies their fears. Outdoor education offers a challenging environment that cannot be recreated in the classroom.
ReplyDeleteWe didn't have a formal outdoor education class, but we had elective activities at my high school. We did an optional mountain biking overnight camping trip during my grade 10 year, and an overnight canoe trip elective in phys ed. In grades 11 and 12, I participated on a 5 day canoe trip. I learned more on these trips than I learned in any classroom.
ReplyDeleteThe amazing thing that I found about outdoor educational experiences was that they brought people together. Cliques disappeared. Everyone came together, and worked together to set up camp, carry equipment over portages, and cook over an open fire. We discovered the environment and our role in it.
With all the benefits of outdoor education, I feel like it is an indispensible part of a child's educational experience. I am wondering: has anyone had the chance to check out the Ministry of Education's Curriculum map for linking environmental learning? Here's the link: http://www.bced.gov.bc.ca/environment_ed/ele_curricmaps.htm
The biggest obstacle I can see to outdoor activity is the issue of liability. The canoe trips that made such an impact on my high school career no longer go on because of the liability. Does anyone have suggestions about how to give kids a genuine outdoor experience while minimalizing risk?
I love your sportsmanship Crystal, laughing at the people struggling!
ReplyDeleteAnyways, it is funny that you mention how you would have hated to be forced to run when you were young. The Gr. 9 PE teacher at Parklands told me that by the end of they year if all the girls could not run 20 minutes they would not pass. I don't know how this fights in with the no failing policy these days. Even though this is no half marathon some of these girls couldn't run 5 minutes.
I think if students sign up for PE that it is okay to force them to do a little bit of physical activity seeing as that is what they are signing up for.
Outdoor ed was seriously lacking in my highschool so I wish I had it. I love hearing everyone's stories about outdoor ed.
Well, my school did not have any outdoor education...however I would consider myself pretty nature-esque! My only family vacations were camping, but boy did I LOVE those vacations with my cousins and friends, nothing is better than swimming, hiking, fishing, playing cards, and of course roasting marshmallows over the fire!
ReplyDeleteI will proudly admit that I was a Girl Guide for 10 years (well spark, brownie, guide, & pathfinder in those years)!!! We did a ton of camping...every other weekend we were on a camping trip! I remember in high school when guiding ended for me I actually missed all those camping trips. The whole nature experience, learning how to identify trees, shrubberies, plants, reading a compass, lighting a fire, all those activities I consider valuable.
Well I shall tell you all a funny story...so in my small self I was DEATHLY afraid of lighting a match...whether to light a fire or camp stove. My leader, who had been my leader for nearly 5 years by this point, told me that I would not complete my gold camping badge if I would not light the camp stove. Now this was not any camp stove, it was a backpackers little one burner SCARY stove! Eventually I did light that stove, after about an hour of trying to talk myself into it...my fellow guides were really hungry by that point! Now I am no longer afraid to light a match!
I think all my guiding and family trips have made me truly appreciate nature. I love nature, the beauty of it, all different kinds from the desert, to the tropics to good old BC West Coast! I suppose without my guiding experience I probably would have not had the same encounter with nature, which is why I think some form of Outdoor Ed. would be beneficial to students!
Congrats Crystal, I think that running a half-marathon is an amazing accomplishment!
ReplyDeleteI loved my outdoor education classes in high school. We got to canoe and portage around Sayward Lakes (up island near Courtney) and we got to canoe over to and then camp out on Sidney Island. What made these trips so great were the relationships that I formed with my peers as well as my teachers. Bonding is inevitable on outdoor trips because things never go the way you plan them and you have to adapt as a group. Now I don't think it is right to make adolescents run half marathons to catch a bus home but I do think it is important to push students physical abilities. I think physical education, whether indoor or outdoor, should help students find some sort of active recreation that they love and encourage them to pursue that type of recreation as a part of their lifestyle. Practically that would require students to try many different activities not only to find their own niche but also to help their peers find their niche (you can't play tennis by yourself).