Katie Boon
Staff
Outdoor Education Teacher
I’m involved in educating girls in the outdoors to help them learn more about themselves, others and the environment. The most rewarding part of my job is facilitating students to grow into strong independent thinkers and problem solvers, which I believe equips them to lead. Students learn that they can lead in different capacities and discover new strengths. I teach the girls that it’s okay to make mistakes, as the only consequence is learning.
The outdoors has many lessons to give each and every one of us, be that to enjoy and conserve it or to humble us. Nature is a great teacher. It gives us immediate feedback - there are things that are out of our control however we adapt and learn to endure.
Outdoor Education does challenge and stretch the comfort zone for many, and at MLC we introduce the girls to it early, in Year 3. Our programmes focus more on the personal development of the individual rather than the ‘hard’ skills. E.g. learning how to get along with your tent buddies is far more important than the tent set up itself. As students grow, so to do our programmes to help develop and challenge students.
I started my career in Outdoor Education as an Instructor as I have a strong belief in a wellness balance and the life lessons you can learn from nature.
Being in nature, weather be it the ocean, outback, forest or overseas, is a major contributor to wellness for me. This is something I want all young people to be able to appreciate. Although the outdoors can challenge us with terrain and weather, there is a huge amount of satisfaction from overcoming adversity outside the four walls we spend so much time in.
After being an Outdoor Instructor for two years, I realised that I could make a bigger difference by becoming a teacher, so here I am.
My favourite part about teaching the girls is when they realise that they are capable of much, much more than they thought possible – which happens during every Outdoor Education Camp!