Over the next 14 weeks, a tsunami of students will be coming to Boundless. We are preparing with diligence as the sun sets on this day 21 of teacher training. Our staffs’ muscles are hardening, and so is their resolve. 3 weeks straight with one to go is a bit of a haul, even for this immortal bunch.
These appallingly energetic teachers are honing their endurance and creativity to ready themselves for your kids. Spring and summer is outdoor adventure time. The river is pumping and will anchor the learning that takes place in the months to come.
But you need more than an anchor. The subtleties involved in helping teens adapt and grow as people will be inspired by this weary team that will surely collapse on their beds tonight.
The forest is turning this exquisite baby green colour, bringing relief that spring has finally sprung, even up here in the Ottawa Valley; where, curiously, the black flies this season seem too dazed to attack because it’s been so damn cold.
But an emergent south wind is bringing smiles to all of us. We are itching to meet your progeny more so than we are our bug bites.
Training this month is so much about safety. We have a mountain of manuals, modules, matrices and monologues about how to protect your kids.
But from my lens, it all means nothing without common sense and good judgement. The “book” only gets you so far. We strive for wisdom and a relentless focus on detail. This is our moon shot.
One way to judge a camp is by the quality of its tires. I am not trying to be trite. Top notch tires are the underbelly of any adventure school worth its salt. So when we pick up your kids, go ahead a take a peek at our four on the floor.
But please also take your measure of our staff; this square, strong, honest and true group of educators who will go to the end of the earth to ensure your kids return home brimming with health.
Training is also about teaching to teach with compassion. It’s about managing group process – to know when to demand and when to yield. It’s about learning to pull a program out of your back pocket. It’s also about managing your energy so you can support teens to do the same.
Camp is getting primed, our adrenaline is flowing. Bring it on. Send us your wave of teenage hormones and hopes.
Counting the seconds with anticipation and appreciation,
Steven Gottlieb
