The IG Report: Bay Area Wilderness Training (BAWT)

This past week I went on a backpacking trip with ALC. ALC, acronym for Alternative Learning Community, is the school I'm teaching for this upcoming school year. It's a small school (90 students, 7 teachers) for students who've struggled. If you check the website, you'll notice that the school is completely brand-new. This year will be the school's inaugural year. Heading into summer, I geared myself for a tough first-year as a teacher. Unexpectingly, I've been handed the duties of a founding teacher. Many challenges have been added to an already filled plate, but they're very welcome challenges. Playing a central role in starting a new school translates to setting a tone, creating an atmosphere, and defining the mission of our school. I'd much rather step into a school in this capacity rather than in one where structure is already strictly defined. So much more on this soon, stay tuned.

Our backpacking trip was ran by BAWT. BAWT (Bay Area Wilderness Training) is an organization whose mission is to get kids outdoors. As a staff, we underwent a wilderness leadership training. During the backpacking trip, we took turns leading the entire group. All the while, scenarios played out in front of us (eg: a lost hiker, a participant who broke an ankle, a participant who continually tries to get ahead of the group...) and as leaders, we had to learn how to respond. To sum up, the experience was extremely worthwhile. As a staff, we not only learned tricks and tips in leading a group through the wild, we were able to bond and build community with one another.

So, what's the connection? ALC's central theme throughout the school year is environmental education. To bring this theme to life, we are planning a butt-load of field trips for our students. Our ambitious goal is one trip every 6 weeks. Some for the day, some overnight, some for more than one night. BAWT's training is intended to help us lead these trips. Along the process, I got to witness these breath-taking sights:

Notice how not one of the lakes above are the same. We slept at a different place every night.

The picture above is of the sunrise. We slept outdoors our last night. Waking up in the middle of the night, my roof was the stars... and to my left was the sun, barely getting up. You could see the link between the sun's rays and the moon's reflection of those rays.