Training Log Archive: barb

I met with the 8th grade teachers today to talk about the orienteering program. Wednesday: 2-hour introduction. The following week will be a break because they are getting into the rhythm of school. Then, each of the next two weeks will have one full classroom session plus two mini-sessions. And the following week will be the field trip.

I want to bring in more organization around orienteering education locally. I spoke with the NEOC Board a year or two ago asking them to fund a program, but they had concerns about the hassle of employing people, about ownership of the program, about financial risk, and whether teaching kids map navigation skills through anything other than just straight-up orienteering was really NEOC's mission. (That is my interpretation of the concerns I heard.) NEOC has always been very supportive of my work in schools and willing to provide NEOC resources like maps and equipment. But taking the next step to be able to pay others and create a sustainable program - that might be a stretch doing it only through NEOC.

CSU has been very supportive as well - but again, I'd like to be able to be nimble in terms of the ability to hire, to write grants, to take advantage of new opportunities.

I am thinking of starting a non-profit that would work in a coalition with CSU and NEOC, with a mission that 5 years from now, every public school student in Cambridge will have learned about and practiced orienteering. (I prefer the kids working in teams for safety, learning, fun, and developing teamwork.) This would build, in an opportunistic way, on the work I've done here and the contacts that I have made. There are too many requests for me to do all the teaching myself. I have started reaching out to people to serve on the board, and have one person who is definitely in.

I would love it if CSU or NEOC took over this new educational organization once it gets going.

In the UK there was an educational non-profit started that eventually merged with the British Orienteering Federation.

C • school 3

C • Teams 9

C • non-profit/grants 5

Proposal for afterschool program in Cambridge, for this fall or the spring.

Checked out a property in W Mass for possible purchase.

Came in 5th. I may have been the only runner with no split where I ranked as high as, or higher than, my overall ranking. Slow and steady wins the race. :-)

Sprint corn maze.
So love this event series.
Thanks Peter!

time is a guess. Night-O score-O maze-O

Classic - Splits

Sprint - Splits

Thanks to Izzy

Setting controls for CSU's fall season.

Had dinner last night with Dave and Julia. Julia is the 5th grade teacher I have been working with for a number of years. We talked about directions to go with orienteering in Cambridge. One influential parent at her school had talked at one point about orienteering becoming a theme for their whole school; we'll see if we can push on that angle. The Phys Ed teacher at the school may be interested in incorporating orienteering. Julia said that having done orienteering for a number of years, the younger kids know that one of the special things about 5th grade is getting to do orienteering. It has become an institution. We also talked about focusing on 5th grade across the district, as I've also worked with 5th grade teachers at a different school.

I opened the envelope I got from the class yesterday. There was a nice card, and a collection of drawings and notes from the students.

At every grade there is something different that I love about the kids. For this age, it's how emotionally open they are, how willing to love you back. I asked them, what did you like best about orienteering? Kid raised his hand: "You!" Another kid raised their hand, said the same thing. Chorus of "you!"s... OK, thanks, I said. What did you like second best? Same answer.

C • You! 5

Set controls at Danehy. Talked to the 1st & 2nd grade class about the Danehy map, and about the puzzle they need to solve to find the prize. Dave, Brendan and I ran courses set by the kids, and then talked to them about their course design. (Route choice!) Then we walked over to Danehy and each student was looking for an envelope with their name on it --> puzzle pieces --> puzzle --> prize.

Best moment for me was seeing one of the little boys holding Brendan's hand.

Tonight I'll have dinner with the 5th grade teacher from Morse school and talk about expanding our program in Cambridge and Boston.

Goals for next few days: write help wanted ad for orienteering teacher; draft curricula for (a) after school program, (b) in-school program, (c) teacher training, (d) evening ARK like program. I hope to be able to operate through NEOC & CSU (maybe a joint education committee) so I can run money through them and not have to set up a separate non-profit etc. Will be opportunistic about which things come along (staff, interested schools). Lining up meetings now with administrators, teachers, after-school providers, etc. Would like to set up a board/committee to review plans. Would like to set up open-source curricula (the idea is that the money would come from delivering the programs, but like open source software, the ideas for what to do would be freely shared. I'd like maps to operate that way too).

C • Great ideas! 1

To and around Danehy and the school; to work; home eventually.

Orienteered slash ran around in the woods with CSU training group. Yay. Wet, getting dark. Good to get out.

Heading to Redwood City today