Fall 10/10/19
I'm really looking forward to LINK. I think it will be a great learning experience and help me to choose my future career. I've always been interested in becoming an Elementary School Teacher. I plan to apply to intern at a local elementary school. I'm excited to work with Janae and explore my career interests. I don't have concerns about LINK, other than getting accepted for an internship. I have been working as a camp counselor for the past two summers. I also work at Rapp Corral as an elf during the holidays, and I did my middle school internship at Needham Elementary in 8th Grade. I coach age 10 and under kids for Durango Nordic, and help coach the middle school Durango Trail Runners Cross Country club. Working with children is my passion.
Winter 1/13/19
I have contacted my potential mentor Katie McCullough at Juniper Elementary School, and I'm waiting to hear back from her. Once she responds, I hope to set up a meeting and get my internship finalized. Katie was my kindergarten teacher and we have maintained a connection. I hope she agrees to be my mentor so that I can work with her again; I can learn so much more about the other side of education, and get a better idea of if teaching is a good fit for me.
Spring 3/29/2021
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, I changed my internship with Janae’s approval. I originally started at Juniper Elementary School with Katie McCullough, and Stacey Mock. Working at Juniper in-person went well for the first 6 weeks, but once they went to remote school and Katie left, it became difficult for Stacey to find work for me. I didn't want to be a burden with all of the other challenges they were dealing with. I had the opportunity to transition to another internship with Durango Nordic, coaching young skiers in mid-December. This worked out really well, and offered more hours (9 hrs per week), and was covid-safe. I have been part of Durango Nordic for 7 years and coaching for the last 3 years. DNSC Director Tad Elliott was more than happy to help with LINK and be my mentor. It was a perfect transition and I was able to fulfill my LINK hours and requirements.
Reflection
For my LINK Internship, I worked under Tad Elliott, Director of the Durango Nordic Ski Club. I took on the role of head coach for the Cruisers group, with 25 students; helped by fellow Coach Gunther Ott. We taught technique, set up games, worked with slower kids as needed, and made every practice a great workout and team experience. DNSC is a wonderful, fun, involved and amazing club and I felt like I was an asset to the organization. In addition to my weekly coaching responsibilities, I did private lessons on Sunday (which also benefited DNSC). Tad assigned me an action project to plan and produce a season finale event. The “Season Hurrah” was initially a recruiting event, but evolved as we discussed it further. The final goal was to create more of a team “mixer”, with coaches getting to know kids they don't ski with often, participate in activities for a designated time, then ski on to another station with different coaches. Planning this event helped me develop better organizational and communication skills. Talking with parents, fellow staff, and my boss, helped me to design the event based on the feedback I received. I improved my time management skills; and I learned how to assign responsibilities among the group. I also furthered my passion for skiing and working with children. The event was a great success, and we got lots of compliments about how much fun the kids had getting to know other coaches. Although Covid presented challenges, we were able to wrap up an incredible ski season and continue to emphasize/demonstrate what the nordic ski club is all about: it’s about a passion for the outdoors, helping the community, having fun while exercising and the family we have built over the years.
The biggest challenge I faced was switching my LINK internship and the restrictions due to COVID. I feel really fortunate that I was able to work with such wonderful people and easily transition to make my internship/switch as easy and fun as possible. This never would have been possible without Janae, Stacy Mock, and Tad Elliott.
I’m so grateful for Tad’s mentorship, which opened new doors and opportunities for me, such as the private lessons I taught on Sundays. During my internship, I applied the knowledge I learned from LINK and was able to continue to further my relationships with the people on the team, coach private lessons, further my passion for teaching kids and learn to plan and produce a special event. This internship confirmed my interest in coaching young students to instill a love for the outdoors and nordic skiing. LINK helped to affirm my career path. I have always wanted to be a teacher and DNSC has helped make that possible.
The biggest challenge I faced was switching my LINK internship and the restrictions due to COVID. I feel really fortunate that I was able to work with such wonderful people and easily transition to make my internship/switch as easy and fun as possible. This never would have been possible without Janae, Stacy Mock, and Tad Elliott.
I’m so grateful for Tad’s mentorship, which opened new doors and opportunities for me, such as the private lessons I taught on Sundays. During my internship, I applied the knowledge I learned from LINK and was able to continue to further my relationships with the people on the team, coach private lessons, further my passion for teaching kids and learn to plan and produce a special event. This internship confirmed my interest in coaching young students to instill a love for the outdoors and nordic skiing. LINK helped to affirm my career path. I have always wanted to be a teacher and DNSC has helped make that possible.