A very strange mixed up week..

This week has been full of both excitement and challenge, but unfortunately tinged with sadness. 

My Embedded Professional Learning (EPL or Prac.) experience this week took place on the year 7 school camp at 'Action Challenge' in Hay Point - just south of Mackay.  I was fortunate enough to be able to attend with my Mentor Teacher.

The first morning of camp was spent at school, and students were allocated their groups and began working on various activities including Orienteering, Rope Tying and Skit Preparation.  I helped students with Orienteering, and after a quick refresher (it must be 20 years since I've used a compass!), I was able to confidently instruct the students on how to go about the exercise.

Just before lunch students boarded the bus for the drive to the Action/Challenge camp ground, along with three teachers.  I drove separately (via MacDonalds for a coffee).

I arrived first, and soon found out the school bus had broken down!.  As a result I was able to spend 40 minutes chatting to the owner and manager of the camp, Noel Cowan, and finding out about how the camp was started, the types of activities he offers and why his camp is so great for kids and adults alike.  The new school bus finally arrived and the unpacking began.

Following lunch the students quickly settled in to listen to an introduction by camp owner Noel. I acted as scribe whilst Noel facilitated his session, making sure that all students contributed.  During his introduction Noel worked with the students to outline the hopes, challenges, fears and expectations of the students for their camp. 

All students participated well in this introduction, and I believe this exercise set the boundaries and responsibilities for the students in such a way that they had ownership of everthing written up.

Noel incorporated a strategy of ‘hands up to speak or 5 push-ups are required’.  This strategy worked well to make the students realise how frequently they speak out of turn or call out. By the end of the session, after most students had done at least one set of push-ups, they had learned to put their hands-up!.

I left camp at 4.15pm on Day 1, just as the students were getting ready to set up their tents.

I arrived at camp on Day 2 and immediately heard about the overnight experience in the camp ground.  Apparently a number of students were awake at 3.15am and woke up other students and teachers with their noise. As a result, one of the teachers (ex-army), decided to put ALL students through their paces at first light, in an army style PT session which included jogging, running, star jumps, burpies etc. All students were involved and were talking about it throughout the day.

I am interested to hear if this ‘consequence for waking up the teachers on night one’ had the desired effect on night two!

Day 2 activites got under way at 9am and included a) the Low Ropes Course, b) Rafting and c) Archery. I joined the Rafting team to begin.

I was impressed with the way the students were working, and the way Noel talked about King Arthur’s Knights of the Round Table and Excalibur (the sword).

"Whoever holds the sword is allowed to speak", explained Noel.  (Note: the sword for this purpose was an old chalk duster!)

By gaining possession of the 'sword' the students took turns talking and were able to agree on the best strategy for getting all 16 team members safely across the dam, using two lengths of rope, a two-man raft, a four-man raft (located on the other side of the dam), and some life jackets.

Noel had set up the exercise as a top secret army mission in the jungle, crossing a piranha infested waterway.  Absolute silence was necessary on the hike to the dam, so as not be heard by the enemy.

The 'utter silence' was quite an achievement, and made possible by the rules and expectations set up the previous day, and by clearly stating the consequence of talking, i.e. not participating in the rafting exercise. The students knew from the previous day and the ‘push-ups’ for calling out, that Noel stood by his word, and therefore knew that any talking would result in no participation in the activity.

During the rafting exercise all students worked well as a team and helped each other out.  I was particularly impressed with a couple of male students who showed a great deal of courtesy toward myself and some female students when it came time to dismount from the raft, making sure we didn't get too wet.

The next activity for my group was the ‘Low-Ropes Course’. Once again, all students listened well to the instructions and helped each other out. They worked well with their buddies, called out praise and encouragement and offered support.  Several students were very nervous, and I was personally concerned about the flying fox, however everyone had a go and all students were well behaved and courteous.  The flying fox was fantastic!

Once again, I believe the rules and expectations set up on day 1, and the understanding of choice and consequence, largely contributed to the success of these two activities.

The camp continued for another 2 days, however I left the camp at 3pm, and this concluded my first camp experience as a 'teacher'.

This brings me to reflect upon Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs.   At the camp I noticed that Maslow's lower order needs of food, air, water and shelter were met, along with needs for safety and security.

Camp owner Noel, along with the students, facilitated the first session in such a way that the students’ third level needs for social acceptance, belonging, friendship and involvement in community groups, were well on the way to being taken care of, (at least for the duration of the camp).

This then paved the way for all students to achieve Maslow's higher order needs.  Through participation in the activites and challenges offered on the camp, students would have the opportunity for improved self-esteem, personal worth, social recognition and accomplishment, and ultimately self actualisation. All they had to do was participate.

Anyway... now I come to the sad part of my story.  After a great camp experience, I returned home knowing I had to give my children the sad news that our beloved dog Pepper had died earlier that morning, after a very brief battle with cancer.  He fortunately didn't have to suffer too long, and had been buried by my husband in our garden.  He will be sadly missed by us all, especially by my husband and my 5 year old daughter. 

After lots of tears we collected flowers and put them on his grave under the monkey puzzle tree.

So concluded my strange and mixed up week...

Bye Pepper - we loved you.

                                                     Pepper as a Puppy - Arthur Family photos.