A kayak out-day up Indian Arm, a glacial fjord adjacent to the city of North Vancouver, BC.

I completed my Community Field Experience with the Take A Hike program. Take A Hike is a full-time alternative education program that engages at-risk youth through a unique combination of adventure-based learning, academics, therapy, and community involvement.

I was placed in their Burnaby classroom. This was not my first experience with Take A Hike. I During the 2016/17 school year I volunteered weekly in the Vancouver classroom teaching water safety, swimming lessons and Bronze Medallion & Cross courses. I helped lead a 4-day winter camping trip in Tetrahedron Provincial Park, where I assisted with teaching map and compass skills, avalanche safety and snow shelter construction. I also supported students and staff on a 10-day backpacking trip on the West Coast Trail.

For my CFE I spent 15 days at Take A Hike Burnaby. There I tutored students and marked assignments in Science 10, Math 11 and Psychology 11. I also taught an intensive remedial English 11 class. I participated in kayaking out-days and supported teachers and students in preparation for a 5-day kayak trip. This involved instructing students on planning and packing trip food, clothing and gear, as well as how to set up tents and use camp stoves.

It was very insightful to experience the TAH program in a different district, where I saw the same unique curriculum taught by different teachers. I learned that there are many ways to teach the same skills, but teachers must be perceptive, flexible and learn to ‘reflect-in-action’ and on their actions in order to teach in a way that meets the needs of their current students.