Non Teaching Weeks (AKA No Kids but just as busy weeks)

Greetings!

As Roxann mentioned in our last post, my task this week is to give you a little insight into what happens when we aren't teaching. By now, I am sure you have reread our first couple of entries (and maybe even glanced further back and read about the adventures of last year's cohort) and know the intimate details of our operation BUT I am going to sum it up for you anyways.

Our class is divided into two cohorts. When your cohort is teaching SOP, you are pretty much booked solid for the entire week.

When you are not teaching, you have a more flexible schedule but are still...you know...busy.

The Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays of our non-teaching weeks are intentionally left open so we have the opportunity to visit our Liaison Schools.  We are each assigned 2-3 schools in the region to build a relationship with before and after their visit.  The goal is to connect the adventures here to things back home.

Last week was one of my non-teaching weeks and I visited Eagle Rock Multi-Age School in Duvall, WA.  I got to take the Frog Car (the IslandWood Car that gets quite a few double takes because of the large animal decals plastered all over it) and meet the students who will be coming to IslandWood in the Spring.

Guess why we call this the "Frog Car."

I introduced them to some of the IslandWood lingo (Banana, Banana, Banana! Slug, Slug, Slug!) and we completed an Ecosystem Mural. It gave me a chance to see the students in their "natural habitat" and gave them a chance to learn a little more about this place.

Ecosystem Mural (Please note the Zebra that is definitely native to the Puget Sound Region)

School visits can take the form of lessons, games, experiments or information sessions where students can get those nagging questions off of their chests ("What if a bear chases us?" "Don't worry," says the liaison in a reassuring voice, "Bears only like 7th graders."*)

Other things that take up our time in our non-teaching weeks are working a variety of jobs around campus, contacting the outside world and, you know, studying.

Blake learns!

We have class every Thursday night and all day Friday so it is a common sight to see Grad students attempting to read at any and all times (laundry, dinner, jogging, etc.)

Currently, we are taking courses on Child Development, the History of Environmental Education and Science Methods.  In my humble opinion, one of the coolest things about this program is the ability to learn about concepts in class and apply them directly to instruction the following teaching week. There is a super supportive Education Team that is always there to assist and encourage us.

We are currently in the middle of a mid-quarter professional development week.  There are no students here so both cohorts have been reunited for the entire week (and it feels so good).  We have been attending workshops on learning styles, planning techniques, curriculum mapping and so much more.

We are quickly learning that things are very much "go go go" in this program but, luckily, we wouldn't want it any other way.

It isn't all work and no play, however. Roxann will tell you a little more about the fun we have together in her next post.

Keep your chins up and smiles on your faces!

Until next time,

Bonnie

P.S. Keep your eye out for our "Get to know a Grad" feature that should be making it's debut pretty soon!




*Just kidding- there are no bears at IslandWood. Please don't start that rumor.

A Glimpse Into SOP!

Kathie gets kids pumped at the Pond Shelter.

The heart of the EEC program and the most valuable learning experience for us as educators in the field comes in the form of The School Overnight Program. (Or, as our acronym laden world calls it: SOP) SOP is pure craziness. From Monday-Thursday every week until June, between 50 and 200 kids rule campus. At any given moment you can hear instructors and kids singing songs on the trail, catch a glimpse of a kid neatly disguised by a huge sword fern during a game of Camouflage, or spot a team proudly displaying marks of victory from our famed Lightning Tree after success on the teams course. The grad class is divided into two groups. Until December we are Cohort A (Awesome) and Cohort B (Bomb Diggity!).

Smiling faces on the Suspension Bridge

Our first SOP experience as instructors was through team teaching. Here, two grads took on the week with six to 12 kids in tow, teaching them all about the ecosystem here at IslandWood. Since that first week, we have been able to run our own show (with much guidance and help from one another and the Ed staff). We have encountered feelings of pure joy and happiness, but have also been tested and frazzled on certain days. Cohort A has rocked it twice, proudly finishing their second week this past Thursday. Today, Cohort B welcomes fourth, fifth, and sixth graders from First Place School, View Ridge, and Terrace Park.

Blake and Ashley debrief Owls, Mice, and Seeds

While every instructor’s style and plan differs, there are many common themes set forth throughout the week. (Prepare for more acronyms…) We
introduce students to the ABC’s and the LAWS of nature. While using inquiry and engaging the kids in fun activities, we teach about the abiotic factors in nature (L=light, A=air, W=water, S=soil) that allow biota to exist. We point out the many cultural influences affecting the things in either category, and expand on these concepts each day by participating in garden activities, exploring macro invertebrates from the pond or soil, visiting historically rich Blakely Harbor and Blakely Cemetery, letting kids teach one another about the various plants and trees on the island with the help of Each One Teach One cards, or by playing an action packed game of Owls, Mice, and Seeds. This list barely makes a dent in the amazing IslandWood curriculum we are able to offer the students who visit, but includes some of the popular choices among instructors.

Meet-a-Tree in action

We keep the kids busy up until they depart on Thursday afternoon, and make the most of their time here not only by having them out in the field each day from 9:30 to 4pm, but by engaging them in nighttime activities as well. Kids go on night hikes, where you can experience anything from learning about the fascinating phenomenon of triboluminescence to hearing the amazing sounds of sea lions all the way from the harbor. Students also participate in nighttime activities indoors, breaking into groups to engage in an action packed Ecological Challenge or a fun and unique Science Fair. On Wednesday night, everyone gathers for a campfire at the Friendship Circle where students (and instructors) sing songs, perform skits, play instruments, tell jokes, dance, or in some cases, do a combination of all these things.

[Maybe a bit much...] Lightening Tree face-paint

When you are not teaching, you have Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday  (Thursday and Friday we ALL have class) free to visit schools that you will be a liaison for. Liaisons build relationships with schools coming to IslandWood and get them pumped for their SOP experience. Liaisons usually do not teach the week their schools come to IslandWood. They are doing such other things as attending to frantic calls on the radio for a “Code Yellow” (use your imagination), redirecting mildly lost groups, handing out special dietary meals during dinner, or juggling anything else that you can imagine to make sure the week runs smoothly. This week one of the three liaisons decided to shave her head and reveal it during the debrief lunch for a “jaw dropping!” moment that they had been talking about throughout the week. This is a perfect example of how unpredictable things can get here at IslandWood. Bonnie will follow up on this with next week’s entry, which will be all about the fun stuff we get up to when we are not teaching, taking classes, or complaining about the endless mounds of reading and assignments that we are putting off.

Danny preps Clarissa for the "jaw dropping" moment at the SOP Debrief lunch.

The Long Awaited First Entry from the Class of 2011!

If your excitement level is anywhere near where ours was at this time last year – you’ve likely been refreshing this page every 30 seconds in anticipation of the Class of 2011’s first blog entry. Where are all of these graduate students? Did they get lost in the woods? Eaten by a barred owl? Did they give up already?! Calm down, champ. We’ve been really busy.

Since our official arrival on August 24^th we have been fully immersed in everything IslandWood. We are 28 students from all around the country, with a variety of backgrounds, interests, and personalities. We are all here to participate in IslandWood’s Education, Environment, and Community (EEC) Program. Our orientation month has been jam packed with a variety of activities aiding us in developing a sense of place here on campus.

We’ve gotten to know the IslandWood community through team building activities, staff picnics, cultural history classes, and the time proven method of spending A LOT of time on campus. We have gotten to know IslandWood’s environment through solo hikes, geocaching, natural history classes, and (read this as though you are an old timey prospector) good ol’ fashioned exploration.

As the weeks went on, we became certified in Wilderness First Aid, observed some (amazing) IslandWood Alumni in the field, and did everything we could to make sure that we were prepared for our first week of team teaching during the School Overnight Program (SOP).

Half of us have already completed our first week of solo teaching (which we will tell you more about later) and the other half are about to embark. We are beyond excited to be in this remarkable place and know that this will be an important year of growth for us all.

We hope to update this blog at least once a week and are planning on helping you get to know the Class of 2011 by profiling individual Grads throughout the year. So grab your canteens and slip into those rain pants* because we are in for an adventure.

Love forever and for always, Bonnie and Roxann

*This is also most effective in an old timey prospector’s voice.