What Makes SOAR So Special?
A year ago, I had never heard of SOAR. I had lived in North Carolina for almost 20 years and I had never heard of Balsam. The first time I visited SOAR, I kind of wondered what I had got myself into, as I left the highway and began climbing the mountain… and climbing… and climbing. As the road got thinner and more windy and guard rails were nowhere to be found, I thought, as one of my new students stated to me on his first day on base, “I’m in the middle of nowhere.” Soar was about as far from the trappings of suburbia as I had ever been. My first impression: What beautiful countryside, but people work and go to school up here? I soon came to learn, they do much much more.
I met Logan Walters, the Director of the Academy, and was impressed very quickly by the visionary he was. Having been in the public schools as a teacher and administrator for almost 20 years, where “what we can’t do and what we are mandated to do” was the ill that plagued us, Logan Walters was the just what the doctor ordered. There was a steady calm about him, as he shared his experiences at SOAR and his aspirations, his dreams of what the Academy at SOAR, might become. I would soon learn that Logan’s belief in what we “can do” for kids, and his determination to make things happen at SOAR for the students here was enough to bring back anyone’s lost idealism about what education can be, and can do.
Logan told me how SOAR had been around for over 30 years, and was renowned for its expedition programs, but that its academic program had until very recently been secondary in many people’s minds. A good majority of people, in SOAR’s history, just hadn’t looked to SOAR for the strength of its academics. Coming from the traditional public schools, I couldn't imagine that parents wouldn't specifically look to a program for its academics. Soar was so much more than that. It wasn’t until quite recently that a solid focus was placed on the academic side of the program. Logan had been charged, as the Director for the Academy, with making the dream of an academic program that rivals the expedition program and any other program of its kind, into a reality.
Still, it seemed so different than anything I had experienced in two decades in the public schools. I wondered if it was for me, if I could step in, make myself at home at SOAR, and steer this ship in the direction that Logan, John Willson and the directors were looking toward. I knew, and expressed at the time I was thinking about joining, that I couldn't do it alone. I believed the team approach was necessary to make anything happen of any significance in the lives of children. I didn't even address the fact that I was not exactly Mr. "Outdoorsman". I, with my wife’s blessing, took a leap of faith, and accepted the offer, when it was made to me, to join SOAR’s team, as the new academic director. I’ve looked back, but not with an ounce of regret.
You know how they say, sometimes you’ve got to go with your gut? That’s what friends, family and former colleagues told me just before I went with my gut, and joined SOAR. My gut was right.
So what does make SOAR a special place, one of a kind, you may ask? I’m still getting to know SOAR right now, so I can’t tell you about all aspects of this place, this thing called SOAR. I will tell you about what I have experienced so far.
The People
Wherever I work, the relationships I have with the people I work with has always been important to me. Never have I worked in a place where the staff care as much about each other and kids as I have felt and seen here at SOAR. The folks at SOAR are professional, but they are genuine. Absent are the agendas and the politics that so often get in the way of people knowing people, and liking the people they work with, that is so evident in most places you work. First off, being a non- profit, people are not here about the money. Not that that's so different than other areas in education, it's just that the people I have met here at SOAR, without exception, are passionate about what they do first. I can't really describe it better that that. It's just something that you feel, in your day to day interactions with the people here at SOAR. They love and take pride in what they do, and seem to be 110% present in the lives of each other and the kids here at SOAR.
In a world so bombarded by the technologies we have come to rely on such as email, and texting and FaceBook, that make our lives so impersonal, there is a comfort here, and a climate where the doors are always open, and people, thought they don't say it in so many words, give off the vibe, " Lets talk face to face," which not only brings us closer as a team, and more united in our vision, but provides role models for the children and young adults at SOAR, who see that by getting back to basics, that genuine social skills are alive and well, and actually make you feel good and connected to one another.
Many people may not know this, but in coming to SOAR, my family and I made the decision that I would live away from them during the week, and see them on weekends, in order to take this job, at least for now. Soar is in Balsam, North Carolina, and my family is outside of Charlotte. While a very scenic commute, 2.5 hours in the car twice a day just wasn't realistic for any job. So I can relate to the students here at Soar in a way who have to be away from their families for a much more extended period of time. I mention this, because, so different than other potential employers who have actually said to me, " I don't care where you live, as long as you're at work on time," SOAR has shown a caring and a concern for my well-being and that of my family. Logan and John Willson have gone beyond what is required to make me know that they care that my family is important, and to make sure that I am happy and have what I need to do the job to the best of my ability. But enough about me.
The Field Staff &The Base Staff
These folks work 24 hours a day with few days off, for your kids. I honestly haven't memorized their schedules but I know that they sleep, eat and breathe SOAR. I can't speak directly to what the field staff do on a daily basis. I haven't had the opportunity to go out on expedition and spend a day "in their shoes" yet, though I hope to try it, so it will give me greater perspective when designing lessons which they implement and present to the students, while out "in the field". I will tell you that from talking to our field staff, we have some of the most talented and dedicated people you will ever want to meet. They are skilled in outdoor activities and survival, but possess a desire to take a lesson plan, add a healthy dose of their own experiences, and work to bring education to life, by making it real and making it relevant, and connecting it to the places the students visit. I thought a traditional teacher had a long day. I had no idea.
The SOAR base staff are our forgotten heroes, if we're not careful. They aren't out on the fantastic expeditions, but they are surrogate parents, mentors, teachers, counselors, role- models and friends to our students while they adjust to base life away from their families, and start to tackle head on, some of the issues that brought them to SOAR. So often, in the school systems I have seen that traditional educators aren't given the time, or or they don't have the patience, with the demands of the system, even if they have the desire, to address the issues, the "baggage" if you will, that students carry with them to school each day, that gets in the way of their learning, and their growing. In our base staff, I have seen a patience, a nurturing, and a desire to know and grow the whole child, that would make you glad as a parent if you saw it, to know that your children are truly in the best of hands.
The Folks in The Office & The Other Directors: Along with Logan Walters, Julie Dixon, and Romona Parsons, the office folks and administrative team are my family away from home. These folks, each in their individual way run a tight ship, yet they never seem to lose sight of SOAR's vision, in the things that they do. I have personally, never felt so supported as a professional and an educator as I have at SOAR. I know that the Directors and office folks all know and understand what we are doing with students at The Academy at SOAR. They do everything they can daily, to make sure we have the things we need as a school, to provide your children with the best, highest quality education.
The Physical Plant: The oil that greases the wheels that make Balsam Base run. A lesson I learned early on in my career as an educator: respect the custodian and make a friend of he or she, and they will be your greatest gift. The folks in our physical plant, Richard and Joe, are so much more than custodians, they are craftsmen. These two guys wear many hats and when they are not fixing and building a better SOAR, they are working with students. Again, I am the newbie at SOAR so it would be presumtuous to assume I know all that these guys do for SOAR. All I do know, is that whatever I need, whenever I need it, Joe and Richard make it happen. The end result, is a well-oiled machine that is Balsam Base, and home to your children for much of the year.
I would be remiss if I were to talk about " What Makes SOAR a special place?" if I did not mention, you, the parents. Yes, I am talking to you parents. You, too, are a huge part of what makes SOAR a special place. Though I've only been with SOAR for about 8 months, my interactions with you have been huge, and powerful. As a parent myself, I know how important my children are to my life, so I know how you feel. You parents have made a tremendous sacrifice, and I am not talking about the finances that it takes to send your child to SOAR. You have recognized what your child needs, and sacrificed having them with you every day in their best interest. You have entrusted the folks at SOAR with your babies (no matter how old they are) because you believe it is the best thing for them at this point in their lives. I believe I can speak for the others at SOAR when I say that we respond to your trust with a feeling of tremendous responsibility to serve you, and to serve your children well. You parents are a tremendous part of what makes SOAR a special place.
So with so many special people involved in this thing called SOAR, and I didn't even mention your children as special, how could SOAR not be a special place?
In a world so bombarded by the technologies we have come to rely on such as email, and texting and FaceBook, that make our lives so impersonal, there is a comfort here, and a climate where the doors are always open, and people, thought they don't say it in so many words, give off the vibe, " Lets talk face to face," which not only brings us closer as a team, and more united in our vision, but provides role models for the children and young adults at SOAR, who see that by getting back to basics, that genuine social skills are alive and well, and actually make you feel good and connected to one another.
Many people may not know this, but in coming to SOAR, my family and I made the decision that I would live away from them during the week, and see them on weekends, in order to take this job, at least for now. Soar is in Balsam, North Carolina, and my family is outside of Charlotte. While a very scenic commute, 2.5 hours in the car twice a day just wasn't realistic for any job. So I can relate to the students here at Soar in a way who have to be away from their families for a much more extended period of time. I mention this, because, so different than other potential employers who have actually said to me, " I don't care where you live, as long as you're at work on time," SOAR has shown a caring and a concern for my well-being and that of my family. Logan and John Willson have gone beyond what is required to make me know that they care that my family is important, and to make sure that I am happy and have what I need to do the job to the best of my ability. But enough about me.
The Field Staff &The Base Staff
These folks work 24 hours a day with few days off, for your kids. I honestly haven't memorized their schedules but I know that they sleep, eat and breathe SOAR. I can't speak directly to what the field staff do on a daily basis. I haven't had the opportunity to go out on expedition and spend a day "in their shoes" yet, though I hope to try it, so it will give me greater perspective when designing lessons which they implement and present to the students, while out "in the field". I will tell you that from talking to our field staff, we have some of the most talented and dedicated people you will ever want to meet. They are skilled in outdoor activities and survival, but possess a desire to take a lesson plan, add a healthy dose of their own experiences, and work to bring education to life, by making it real and making it relevant, and connecting it to the places the students visit. I thought a traditional teacher had a long day. I had no idea.
The SOAR base staff are our forgotten heroes, if we're not careful. They aren't out on the fantastic expeditions, but they are surrogate parents, mentors, teachers, counselors, role- models and friends to our students while they adjust to base life away from their families, and start to tackle head on, some of the issues that brought them to SOAR. So often, in the school systems I have seen that traditional educators aren't given the time, or or they don't have the patience, with the demands of the system, even if they have the desire, to address the issues, the "baggage" if you will, that students carry with them to school each day, that gets in the way of their learning, and their growing. In our base staff, I have seen a patience, a nurturing, and a desire to know and grow the whole child, that would make you glad as a parent if you saw it, to know that your children are truly in the best of hands.
The Folks in The Office & The Other Directors: Along with Logan Walters, Julie Dixon, and Romona Parsons, the office folks and administrative team are my family away from home. These folks, each in their individual way run a tight ship, yet they never seem to lose sight of SOAR's vision, in the things that they do. I have personally, never felt so supported as a professional and an educator as I have at SOAR. I know that the Directors and office folks all know and understand what we are doing with students at The Academy at SOAR. They do everything they can daily, to make sure we have the things we need as a school, to provide your children with the best, highest quality education.
The Physical Plant: The oil that greases the wheels that make Balsam Base run. A lesson I learned early on in my career as an educator: respect the custodian and make a friend of he or she, and they will be your greatest gift. The folks in our physical plant, Richard and Joe, are so much more than custodians, they are craftsmen. These two guys wear many hats and when they are not fixing and building a better SOAR, they are working with students. Again, I am the newbie at SOAR so it would be presumtuous to assume I know all that these guys do for SOAR. All I do know, is that whatever I need, whenever I need it, Joe and Richard make it happen. The end result, is a well-oiled machine that is Balsam Base, and home to your children for much of the year.
I would be remiss if I were to talk about " What Makes SOAR a special place?" if I did not mention, you, the parents. Yes, I am talking to you parents. You, too, are a huge part of what makes SOAR a special place. Though I've only been with SOAR for about 8 months, my interactions with you have been huge, and powerful. As a parent myself, I know how important my children are to my life, so I know how you feel. You parents have made a tremendous sacrifice, and I am not talking about the finances that it takes to send your child to SOAR. You have recognized what your child needs, and sacrificed having them with you every day in their best interest. You have entrusted the folks at SOAR with your babies (no matter how old they are) because you believe it is the best thing for them at this point in their lives. I believe I can speak for the others at SOAR when I say that we respond to your trust with a feeling of tremendous responsibility to serve you, and to serve your children well. You parents are a tremendous part of what makes SOAR a special place.
No comments:
Post a Comment