It was 1998, my first summer in outdoor education. We had 10 weeks with students from the most challenging neighborhoods in Cincinnati, OH. Each group was out at our rustic semi-permanent tent site for one week. It scared them. They had never heard the forest’s noises before. They had never seen dark like that before.

They tried to beat each other up; they tried to beat me up sometimes.

In their world it was not appropriate to show fear or weakness. When they felt it most, they often did the only thing they believed could prove they weren’t weak: they started a fight. They tried to beat each other up; they tried to beat me up sometimes. It was a job that takes a very special kind of person to not get burnt out within just a few weeks.

Night watch went until 3 am, fires for cooking breakfast got started 6 am, and when you ended up helping with both energy felt hard to come by. One such night, about 6 weeks into the summer, got really exciting when I walked over to one of the 4 person cabin tents to investigate what sounded like a scuffle going on inside. One of the campers was on top of another and choking him. It turned into a long night of dealing with problems.

The next morning after breakfast, our director came by to debrief the night’s adventure and found us all, staff and students alike, looking like we did not want to be there.

Most of the staff had slept 2 hours or less. He told us that we needed to build up the energy a little, and get the night behind us.

We asked him how we could possible do this. We’d spent every last bit of energy we’d had on reserve and had no time to restock.

I’ve never forgotten his answer: “Make it up!” he said, with a mischievous smile.

It’s the end of the year here at High Trails. We’re nearing our 30-week mark, and I’m learning this lesson all over again. I, like most of the staff, have given everything I’ve got, plus a little when needed, every single week.

To be honest, I’m exhausted. But this week, I’m realizing again how to make up the kind of energy that helps the students have the best possible experience in this, their first and only week in our mountains. After all, they deserve everything we’ve got just like the first groups that came when we had energy to spare.

If you look closely, the fuel for making this energy is everywhere:

• It can be found in the hilarious joke your co-worker just told that would not even make sense to someone who wasn’t here 25 weeks ago.
• It builds in the silly game you just lost, forcing you to do ridiculous things…again.
• When it seems there is no source of energy anywhere, keep up with your students.
• Try to make them belly laugh or play an extra game with them.

Let the fun they’re having build up inside you. This is their first week, and they’ve got energy to spare.

At High Trails Outdoor Science School, we literally force our instructors to write about elementary outdoor education, teaching outside, learning outside, our dirty classroom (the forest…gosh), environmental science, outdoor science, and all other tree hugging student and kid loving things that keep us engaged, passionate, driven, loving our job, digging our life, and spreading the word to anyone whose attention we can hold for long enough to actually make it through reading this entire sentence. Whew…. www.dirtyclassroom.com