My students graduate – holy crap!
This Friday is my last day teaching the Dual Credit program through Sir Sandford Fleming College and Crestwood High School Outdoor education class in Peterborough. Even though I’ve been counting the days until the end – I’m usually on far off northern canoe trips this time of year – I’ll miss meeting them every week and spending time in the woods with them.
Speaking of spending time in the woods with students – it’s not as easy as it once was when I worked in the Outdoor Education field back in the 1980s. The amount of paperwork and politics needed to do anything different in the school system these days is absolutely insane. And at the same time, it seems everyone is concerned that students don’t get outside enough and away from their i-pods and x-boxes. That’s why I would really like to thank the outdoor ed. highschool teachers that made everything happen in my class. Gale and Roger were fantastic. If it wasn’t for them, our classes would be held indoors rather then canoeing, hiking and camping. I’d also like to thank each and every teacher that goes that extra step to make these types of activities happen. There’s not many of you left out there, but the ones that are still being active in the outdoors with their students truely deserve a big thank you from the parents of our new millinium kids.
