For more information about the program, visit www.aimhigh.org
For the months of June and July, 2015, I not only had the opportunity to put my teaching skills to the test, but I learned more about the amazing teenagers of the Truckee/Tahoe area than I could have imagined. I was selected to work as a Teaching Intern with Aim High of Truckee/Tahoe, a summer-school program offered to middle school aged students. The program combines academics with summer fun, helping students "Aim High for High School" while they get a leg up on their education so they don't fall behind in the summer. The summer fun happens the second half of each day, in which the Lead Teachers, Interns, and Assistants put down their textbooks and facilitate fun activities they choose at the beginning of the term. For me, this included German, "Tahoe Adventures" (rock climbing, aerial silks, hiking), Stand Up Paddle-boarding, yoga, slam poetry, and biking. Other options for students could have been anything from vocational skills to "Moon Divas," where the teen girls involved ended up painting nails and discussing feminism. As a Teaching Intern, I was able to assist the Lead Teacher with two periods of science and one period of math. At first, I didn't understand the task before me. How hard could it be, teaching 9th graders how to find the slope and y-intercept of a function? I knew all about environmental sciences, how difficult would it be to explain the concepts of biodiversity? It turns out that the task before me was a lot more than these concepts. Keeping students immersed, interested, captivated, and physically ON CAMPUS proved to be the major hurdles in my way, not only because it was summertime and they wished to be elsewhere, but I was not their teacher, they did not KNOW me. I made it my goal to become their friend, their mentor, and someone they trusted, before I felt I was reaching them academically. I believe that through ongoing communication, one-on-one help, and real world examples, I was able to then drive in some of the lessons in math and science that will aid them going into high school. After the all-too-brief 5 weeks of class, it was my privilege to help lead (along with Adventure Risk Challenge staff) 20 students on a 3-day backpacking trip. On this trip, the students were pushed physically and mentally, as many of them had never backpacked in their lives. Although many students complained of heavy packs, having to clean their dishes back-country style, and having to go "number two" in the woods, I noticed changes in their attitudes that could not have been taught inside the classroom. They were sharing food, talking openly about their emotions and physical needs, and noticeably interested in the natural environment that we were immersed in. My goals coming in to Aim High were to expand my teaching range, gain more experience inside and outside the classroom, and learn from my mentors about facilitation and curriculum development. However, coming out of Aim High, I learned much more than those skills. Through the 9th grade students of Aim High, I gained a sense of compassion, community, and joy.
For the months of June and July, 2015, I not only had the opportunity to put my teaching skills to the test, but I learned more about the amazing teenagers of the Truckee/Tahoe area than I could have imagined. I was selected to work as a Teaching Intern with Aim High of Truckee/Tahoe, a summer-school program offered to middle school aged students. The program combines academics with summer fun, helping students "Aim High for High School" while they get a leg up on their education so they don't fall behind in the summer. The summer fun happens the second half of each day, in which the Lead Teachers, Interns, and Assistants put down their textbooks and facilitate fun activities they choose at the beginning of the term. For me, this included German, "Tahoe Adventures" (rock climbing, aerial silks, hiking), Stand Up Paddle-boarding, yoga, slam poetry, and biking. Other options for students could have been anything from vocational skills to "Moon Divas," where the teen girls involved ended up painting nails and discussing feminism. As a Teaching Intern, I was able to assist the Lead Teacher with two periods of science and one period of math. At first, I didn't understand the task before me. How hard could it be, teaching 9th graders how to find the slope and y-intercept of a function? I knew all about environmental sciences, how difficult would it be to explain the concepts of biodiversity? It turns out that the task before me was a lot more than these concepts. Keeping students immersed, interested, captivated, and physically ON CAMPUS proved to be the major hurdles in my way, not only because it was summertime and they wished to be elsewhere, but I was not their teacher, they did not KNOW me. I made it my goal to become their friend, their mentor, and someone they trusted, before I felt I was reaching them academically. I believe that through ongoing communication, one-on-one help, and real world examples, I was able to then drive in some of the lessons in math and science that will aid them going into high school. After the all-too-brief 5 weeks of class, it was my privilege to help lead (along with Adventure Risk Challenge staff) 20 students on a 3-day backpacking trip. On this trip, the students were pushed physically and mentally, as many of them had never backpacked in their lives. Although many students complained of heavy packs, having to clean their dishes back-country style, and having to go "number two" in the woods, I noticed changes in their attitudes that could not have been taught inside the classroom. They were sharing food, talking openly about their emotions and physical needs, and noticeably interested in the natural environment that we were immersed in. My goals coming in to Aim High were to expand my teaching range, gain more experience inside and outside the classroom, and learn from my mentors about facilitation and curriculum development. However, coming out of Aim High, I learned much more than those skills. Through the 9th grade students of Aim High, I gained a sense of compassion, community, and joy.