Post date: Jan 15, 2011 11:28:34 PM
Before I send out my weekly newsletter to everyone, I want to send one to just HR25 in which I can glow (and gloat) about our Age of Sail experience.
There are huge life lessons to be learned from how this trip panned out, the foremost of which (to me) is that "you get out of life what you put into it". The kids embraced the experience and it paid off greatly. Some had heard a few less-than-encouraging reports from the groups who went before us and so it would have been easy for them to approach our trip with a negative attitude. But quite to the contrary, they seemed to start the day on the bay with open minds and ready hands. The men running the boat picked up on that right away and reciprocated with comic relief, increased trust, and opportunities to do things that are not regularly a part of the program. We heard over and over how great our group of kids was.
The activities of Age of Sail are embedded into a setting and a storyline from history, and the students' buy-in determines the level of its authenticity and accuracy. Because this group could suspend disbelief, stay in character, and put their energies towards embracing the experiences rather than resisting them, the trip was a great success.
I've uploaded some pictures to a web album and am in the process of editing together the video shots into some semblance of a story. Kids -- keep these memories close at hand and use the experiences as a basis for your growth. I honor you highly for your strength, efforts, and attitudes.
Chris Heumann