“Teaching outside the box means taking education beyond classroom walls and into the wonders of the world.”
~Unknown
I first met Court Rustemeyer back in the autumn of 2016 at the Alpine Club of Canada’s Canmore Clubhouse; a fitting location considering the outdoors would become the foundation of our friendship. At that time, Court was the newest Executive member of the Global, Environmental & Outdoor Education Council (GEOEC), a specialist council of the Alberta Teachers’ Association. We were immersed in our annual fall retreat, trying to plan various professional development events for teachers that we’d be hosting throughout the upcoming school year. That weekend was a bit disjointed and I, who had been part of this council for nearly two years, remember being overwhelmed by the tumultuous state of things. With that being Court’s first experience with GEOEC, I could only imagine what he was thinking. If there were any feelings of contrition, he didn’t show them and not only did he stick it out that weekend, he eventually became President.
I think our initial meeting all those years ago is a fitting snapshot of who Court is. A man who sees the big picture isn’t afraid to stick it out when things get messy, and is dedicated to helping those around him. Court’s been a teacher with the Calgary Board of Education (CBE) for 16 years now and those aforementioned traits (among others) are also what make him an outstanding educator. I wanted to highlight an Outdoor Educator in this column and I think Court was the perfect individual to be featured. So without further adieu, let’s take a virtual look inside Court’s outdoorsy classroom.
You grew up in Prince George, so what brought you to Alberta?
I moved to Lethbridge for university many years ago, where I completed my B.A. I moved to Calgary for the Education Program at the University of Calgary. After graduating with a B.Ed, I decided that I would teach for a couple of years before going back home. Here I am 16 years later and loving it! I guess you could say Calgary is my home now.
In addition to your education degree, what other types of training/certifications do you have that are essential for your job?
As an Outdoor Educator, I feel like we wear many different hats through the course of a day. There are definitely some trainings and certificates that have helped guide my work. Wilderness First Aid (WFA) is huge for the obvious reasons of keeping not only my students, colleagues, and volunteers safe, but also myself. WFA is also one of those certifications that is required by the CBE to take students off campus. I have been very lucky to work with the Outdoor Council of Canada (OCC) as an Executive on the Board. In addition to being a board member with the OCC, I am a certified Field Leader Instructor and an Instructor Examiner, allowing myself the opportunities to train other outdoor enthusiasts wishing to lead programming with their groups. While I never take students into any avalanche terrain, having my Avalanche Skills Training (AST) Level 1 is huge in terms of knowledge for instructing my students on the do’s and don’ts in the backcountry. This helps during trip planning and providing my students with an intro to safe training for the outdoors.
What is the best thing about your job?
I can honestly say working with youth. Yes, we have days that students make our lives interesting and challenging, but overall it is such a rewarding feeling working with students that are passionate about their futures. I feel even more fortunate that I get to explore this world with my students on a daily basis and watch as their lens and perspective on nature shifts. The growth seen in an Outdoor Education classroom is incredible and something that doesn’t always happen in regular core curriculum classes.
Watching as students learn to cook, camp, pack their bags, and become independent yet, at the same time, being so reliant on a team. All of these things will never be found in a ‘normal classroom’. Above all, throughout these adventures we take with our students, the biggest takeaway is the growth in the students and their levels of self-advocacy, empathy, empowerment, determination, and hard work goes through the roof. It really is something to marvel at and I know it’s special.
What’s one of the biggest challenges in your chosen career?
This job can definitely add up in hours for all the extra off-site activities and planning. It is always that fine balance of doing your job with complete planning including, paperwork and booking reservations, time for recons, gear checks, extra meetings with students/families outside of classroom hours, post-trip reports etc. All the while knowing that this is ‘extra’ on top of your day-to-day classroom teaching. So it can be quite challenging to juggle everything and find balance not only at work but at home too. Our landscape as educators is always changing as well. Whether that is politics, restrictions, student populations, or funding…all of which require educators to be flexible, fluid, and understanding to an ever-shifting world.
What’s your favourite thing to teach and why?
I teach a variety of classes at the Junior High level (Grades 7-9) including Physical Education, Leadership, and Outdoor Education. Outdoor Education 7 is one my favourite classes to teach because of the new ideas that Grade 7’s bring to the classroom. They are energetic and excited for new opportunities in the ‘big school’. For many of these students, it is the first time they have been exposed to an outdoor classroom and the first time they have ever tried bigger activities like rock climbing, hiking, or snowshoeing.
I know you host a variety, but what is your favourite field trip to run and why?
It is tough to pick a favourite field trip with everything that we do, but it is tough not to say our eleven days on the West Coast of Canada. Starting in September all the way until the end of May, this is a trip that the students work extremely hard for. The preparation includes multiple skill and simulation camps that the students take part in to learn the hard skills necessary for a trip of this nature. Students take part in meetings throughout the entire school year to do team building, extra projects, and planning before they get to go backpacking along the rugged West Coast. For the trip itself, the students carry all of their own gear and plan and cook all of their own meals. It is truly a student led adventure. This is not only a highlight for me, but a life changing trip for the students.
In addition to teaching, you also run an Outdoor Leadership club. Can you talk a little bit about how that got started and what it looks like?
I have been very fortunate to have some incredible peers and mentors in my life as an educator. When I started teaching at Vincent Massey School there was an excellent Outdoor Education program already in place. I knew that when I took over full-time I would have to make it my own and do things that worked best for me. What I started noticing is that all of the students who took Outdoor Education as a class were hungry for something more and I could tell that they needed something to help showcase just how amazing they are and the growth they were experiencing. What first came to mind was creating a year-end trip and figuring out how I could get them there. Once I had that in place I tried to determine the best times in a busy school year where I could host our mini-camps or training days.
I moved the Outdoor Leadership meetings before school and I noticed a huge increase in student engagement, empowerment, and volunteerism. By having this club and something ‘extra’ for the students, I started seeing students who genuinely wanted to be there and wanted to make a difference in their programming. I could hold them accountable for being a member of a team and have different expectations than in my typical classroom.
By having more time with the students before these larger trips, I discovered that I knew the students and families more in depth than in a regular class. My level of confidence leading this group of students outdoors for multiple days increased dramatically because we had that much more time together. The students’ level of mastery on hard skills for camping and backcountry exploring became stronger and finally they got a chance to be showcased more than a typical option class ever could in a regular semester.
As of today we have different Outdoor Leadership (ODL) clubs for Grades 7-9. The Grade 8’s build towards that huge West Coast adventure all year long with many extra trips along the way. In Grade 9 we look to build on that capacity by adding survival camps and winter backcountry camping, snow caving, bike trips, and more! A huge component of the Grade 9 ODL classes is also running the Grade 7 club. They plan, implement, and deliver camps for the Grade 7’s, showcasing a full circle of their leadership journey. The Grade 9’s are also heavily involved in volunteering for school programs and presentations.
In addition to teaching you are also the President of GEOEC. How does your work there contribute to your role as an educator?
I am extremely lucky to be an Executive with GEOEC. One of the best career decisions I have ever made is to volunteer for this council. The team that makes up GEOEC is one of the most hard working, inspirational, and supportive groups I have ever been a part of. Before GEOEC, I always had an interest in professional development opportunities, educational workshops, and conferences, but I don’t know if I ever saw myself leading, organizing, and facilitating these same opportunities for educators across Alberta and Canada. The connections made through the ATA and GEOEC with other educators, professionals, and service providers in our industry are unimaginable. The level of information, resources, and experience that I have learned to bring back to my own classroom, is something that I will always be thankful for. I have had the pleasure to meet some amazing individuals in the teaching world who have had a huge impact on shaping my own teaching philosophy today. I wish that teachers knew the opportunities they have access to in our profession and I truly believe that it’s a driving force behind my work with GEOEC to help support educators with their students.
Anything else you’d like to add here that would provide context/understanding about your job?
As an educator, I feel like i have the unique privilege of working with youth and having a direct impact on their futures. This is of course a profound responsibility and opportunity. Every single day I get to witness their growth, curiosity, and potential firsthand. It is not always easy to impart knowledge and instill values in our youth all while fostering creativity and nurturing confidence. Each new day presents unique challenges and triumphs, yet this fosters a sense of fulfilment. Knowing that our impact can extend far beyond the classroom and influencing generations to come is a strong statement and one I do not take lightly and take to heart. I love the fact that I can help show youth the trails they may want to walk in life and guide them to walk those paths with their own two feet in the direction of their dreams.
I want to take the time to sincerely thank Court for thoroughly answering all of my questions. He provided depth and clarity to give us all an inside look at what it’s like to be an Outdoor Educator, all while preparing for his annual trip to the West Coast.
If you want to stay up to date with everything that’s going on in Court’s Outdoor Education world, you can follow along on all of his adventures on Instagram.
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About this column:
Wild Jobs is a running series that focuses on people in outdoor-related professions. It provides a brief snapshot of their career and the duties that it entails. Please see my previous post, Wild Jobs: Conservationist to learn more.
