Umar spent this week with the Yosemite Institute and a group of 7th Graders. He chatted with Barb Miranda about his experience of moving from a mentor to actually doing some instructing.

What did you do this week?

This was my YI week. I went along a YI instructor named Boots and my role was kinda like to be assistant instructor.

That's a step up from a student mentor how was that different for you?

I was doing some teaching some teaching activities here and there. I did some group challenges, some team building challenges. We did "ants on a log". Kids had to get up on this skinny log and then they had to name their favorite place and whether they would like to go back to it or not. And they had to line up from their biggest place to the smallest place that they had been too. They had to do this without falling off. They had to touch and hug each other to get in the right order. It was kind of hard because the boys didn't want to touch the girls and the girls didn't want to touch the boys. I was like just DO IT, they finally did it. We were there for a half an hour.

 

 

What were three things you learned this week?

I was in more of a teacher role this time.
I had to work hard to get their attention. That was kind of hard I had to raise my voice a little bit. I didn't get mad or anything, but I had to y'know I had to keep my enthusiasm up. Even though the group was challenging, it was hard not to be enthusiastic.

You worked with 7th graders this week Did you see anything that reminded you of when you were in 7th grade?

I don't know. They just kinda zoned out. I don't know if I was ever that bad. They were really picky about everything about the food, sitting around. Going to the bathroom. Everything!

I went to Mirror Lake. That was awesome. Being right under half dome - man It was crazy. From far away Half Dome doesn't looks that big. But from the base of it it's huge.

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