Teaching @ CSUC

From the time I started with the Outdoor Education program I was asked to be a teacher assistant for several classes. Mike the guy who got me hooked, asked me to help out with his beginning Rock Climbing class. I was basically just an extra set of eyes to make sure safety standards were met and then of course I got to go climbing. I was lucky enough to be an assistant for courses like, beginning backpacking, intermediate backpacking, beginning rock climbing, beginning white water canoeing, and snow camping/shoeing. I got to meet a lot of really great folks that wanted to get more out of their education like I had felt only a few semesters ago. I got the chance to practice my facilitation skills and become a better instructor. I learned the difference between guide and instructor, and I love being an instructor. With every trip I gained respect for my instructors who had shown me the way. I also learned about myself. I discovered my teaching techniques and style was different than others. I loved spending weekends with awesome students doing awesome activities. Some times I was challenged with students who were much older than myself. Taking instruction from someone younger than you is a very daunting task. One must swallow their pride in order to give you the trust and respect you deserve. I learned to be patient with those individuals and treat them with the respect I was asking for. I love Chico's Outdoor Education department because it allowed me to grow in all directions, emotionally, physically, instructionally, inter-personally, and of course intra-personally. It also allowed me to be apart of crucial decision making moments. It allowed me to grow by having other people depend on me for clear thought and reason. And that is a beautiful thing.
I also had the opportunity to volunteer as a paddling instructor for populations with special needs. Once a week I drove out to a private lake just north out side of Chico. Here there were about 6-7 people who had physical and mental delays. We used wilderness therapy techniques to allow these individuals the experience of a life time. Being an instructor for Chico was the single most rewarding thing I have ever done in my life. My friend Rochelle took some great pictures one day and she was nice enough to let me use them to make a project for my adaptive physical education class. This video is about 2 minutes long and makes me cry every time.
Canoeing with special populations video
This photograph is of the first backpacking trip I was a teacher assistant for. It was a snow camping trip and we used snow shoes to reach the summit of Mt Broke Off in Lassen National Forrest. Met some really great people on this trip.