SAFARI CLUB INTERNATIONAL
Northeast Wisconsin Chapter

Kimberly Schadrie's AWLS Experience

American Wilderness Leadership School Experience
by Kimberly Schadrie, AWLS graduate 2016

 

The American Wilderness Leadership School was, without question, the most phenomenal and transformative professional development experience I’ve ever had. From the moment I stepped into the van and began to learn the history of the area, I knew that the week I was about to have was going to change me.

 

AWLS really isn’t like any other PD opportunity. Not once while I was there did we talk about educational policy: we didn’t discuss buzz words or big ideas or look at what was coming next in education.

 

Instead, we experienced education the way I think it’s truly meant to be done: all in, heart and soul, from instructors whose passion for their content and for sharing that content is absolutely palpable. We got up early and went to bed late every day of the conference, but it never felt like long days because every session was an adventure that pushed us to examine our role in the world and helped us find ways to share that role with our students. I gained great ideas for making connections to my curriculum, learned valuable tools for helping to increase engagement in my classroom and I developed a network of passionate, enthusiastic educators with whom I have shared the experience of a lifetime. I also picked up some new hobbies and have been able to make connections with students that I probably never would have before.

 

I think the most incredible part of the AWLS experience is that every step of the way you’re not only learning about ways to improve your teaching, but you’re also challenging yourself to improve as well. I did things I would have never imagined and pushed myself in ways I never expected and it has, without a doubt, made me a better educator and a better person.

 

I cannot say enough how grateful I am to have been given the opportunity to attend and how much of an impact it has made on me or my students. The experience really is life changing.

 

I would not have been able to experience AWLS without the support of the Northeast Wisconsin Chapter of SCI and I want to thank all of you.

 

 

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