There have been so many times that I have thought to myself that I wish that I had the work environment like that of the Adirondack Classroom. I find that there were so many learning experiences that I was able to bring back with me, and think about, along with the boost in personal self confidence and spirit as well.
I think that the world that we live and work in is filled with the tedious, the budget issues and the politics that are easy to get caught in and lose sight of what we would like to do, and the full purpose of why we work with youth and people. My case and example is a family that I have that is focused on going to the State Fair for 4-H. The family does not seem to be interested in what is best for their young person, and why competing at the fair would not be a good idea for her. They want her to go, because they think that there is more prestige that goes with the fair, which is true, somewhat. However, the Danish judging system that 4-H uses says that she has done well for her age, but gives judges and adults the responsibility to look to the best interests of the child before allowing them to go on to a higher level of competition, where they might not be prepared for the level of expectation that exists.
Where I am going with this, is that as educators we have a resposibility and priviledge to work for the people that we teach, meaning that we should be looking for opportunities to better their learning experience, and look out for their needs, and advocate for what is best for their physical, social, and personal safety. When looking at an educational exoerience, we need to take the needs of the whole person into consideration when we make decisions about thir learning experience. Meaning, that someone that might have heart trouble may not be a good candidate for the ropes course and zipline, but might get some of the same results from hiking Bald Mountain. A person that is deathly afraid of heights might have a greater experience with whitewater rafting over rock climbing.
Because the Adirondacks has so much to offer in the way of experiential and Adventure educational experiences that can be tailored to the the individuals and the learning goals that are desired. Thinking outside of the box, and putting learners' experiences first is of the greatest importance, combined with the ethical, and scientific knowledge of the envornment can truly make for a generation that can make the world a better, healthier and sistainable place for generations to come.
This has been such a refreshing expoerience. Thank you.
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