Avalanche Safety Training – Level 1
2020
In November of 2020 I took an AST level 1 course with Kate Ediger and Tristan Hanson from Pit + Peak to be better informed while out in the mountains in the winter. Safety is always in the forefront of my mind no matter the situation. Though this course is specific and not directly related to teaching, the training has given me a new framework of language when thinking and talking about the outdoors. One focus of the training was about planning intentional routes, using markers, and having plans of exit while on the mountain. Though these concepts were taught through the lens of backcountry skiing or snowboarding, they are easily transferable to any situation where one might be exploring unfamiliar environments. Because I am so interested in place-based education, I will absolutely take the skills I learned in this course to teach and apply in a fieldtrip setting with students.
Occupational First Aid – Level 1
2019
In 2019 I took an Occupational First Aid level 1 course through Revelstoke’s Okanagan College Continuing Studies. Because the sports I do have a high potential of injury, I thought it would be a good idea to gain some first aid skills. In this course I learned the basics of first aid with a focus on the ABC’s of CPR method (airway, breathing, circulation), the correct protocol in which to follow when approaching an injured person, how to stop profuse bleeding, and how to correctly handle a person who has a potential neck injury. Though I find the thought of dealing with a medical emergency quite intimidating, I plan to update this course and further my knowledge in first aid when I am able to. Because I am planning on working with children, I believe that basic first aid training will be beneficial if not necessary.
200hr Yoga Teacher Training
2016
In July of 2016 I travelled to Mexico to complete a 200hr yoga teacher training. This experience was indescribably transformative for me. Though I am not involved with yoga now to the same extent as I was then, the inner work that I tackled, the meditation techniques I gained, the philosophy I was exposed to, and the emotional regulation that I developed will forever influence my inner and outer worlds. Some of the skills that I learned in this retreat style training are absolutely transferrable to a classroom including meditation, breathing, and emotional regulation techniques. Within this training we also experienced an extensive “spirit quest” which is similar to the place-based learning “sit spot” technique where each individual finds a separate spot in nature to quietly contemplate for a specific period of time. In a time where the digital world seems to dominate and attention spans are getting shorter and shorter, implementing a “sit spot” routine in a classroom could be hugely beneficial to students.