Swann Adventures
Canoe and Kayak Institute
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As the ’07 schedule comes together I can’t help to reflect on the previous year and see how
different I am. It seems that without setting out to grow as a teacher this past year, that growth
has come to me. Challenges in all of the major areas of this business have pressed me to adapt.
In technical skills, teaching skills, developing empathy and in running a business I chosen routes
that have been designed to help you, the student.
This year’s addition of whitewater kayaking has excited some folks already. I have been a
kayaker of rough water for a while and have spent some time on rivers in particular but now I
seek to become a teacher of basic whitewater. Through help of a friend I have worked on my
paddling skills in the seat of a whitewater kayak this past year. By developing skills above the
level of which I plan to teach I hope to share with those of you who’d like the rougher side.
On a sad note, Clyde, my friend and dog of 12 years taught me bravery in the face of his own
death. Nine months later a young yellow lab began challenging my teaching abilities. Desperate
for leadership and wanting to please but unable to pick up on the communication that I took for
granted with Clyde, I had to create a whole new language for Dexter. Perhaps too much of that
language contains swear words. But my patience is improving. Because of him I have to make
mental lesson plans for something as simple as our walks. I also have to be in tune with him
enough to scrap that plan when we have difficulty. Teaching the skills needed to live in the world
to an energetic furry beast that knows no common tongue and has a completely different thought
process will force anyone to minimize the clutter, find what works and stick with it until it no
longer works.
I’ve taken the advice of a friend and former co-worker and will often take a class at something for
the experience of being a student. At the moment I am taking beginning French. As the teacher
rattles off phrases and wants us to repeat them I struggle with the understanding and am shy in
pronunciation. This is not a class I could fail. There is no grade. Yet I feel the trepidation that I see
in students across the bow of my kayak. By occasionally embracing that feeling, I find that my
empathy as a teacher is strengthened. I am less likely to take for granted the courage some
students have to muster in order perform a skill that I have learned years ago.
By becoming my own boss in this business I have ventured into a new aspect of this sport. It has
been both liberating and restraining. While having no one to ask questions, permission, help, or
guidance, I also have no one to say “no.” I can do whatever event I want to put together, but I have
fewer resources to do it with. I love the flexibility but I miss the camaraderie. Most of all this
experience has taught me to be my own sounding board and to trust my own instincts.
This season I am eager to test these experiences by offering new classes and continue personal
development. I hope to offer some moving water instruction (already scheduled) and have
planned some personal trips that will continue challenging me so I can provide more insight to
you, my guest.
Talk to you soon
Ward
