Summer Staff versus Full-Time Staff

As of June 7th, 2009, I have been in my current position for one year. Now that I am the one that is doing the training, I have learned many things that I'd like to apply for next years' summer staff training:

Delta first:

1. Trial by fire may not be the most comfortable thing in the world, however it is also one of the times that I experience being outside of my comfort zone on property, and as such is important since it allows me to better empathize with participants.
2. Knowing a skill--like setting up a Marrison-Haul system for bear-bagging or tying a bowline knot-- is one thing. Knowing how to teach summer staff to do it is a whole other set of skills.
   
3. Also, being able to teach how to do something is different from instructing people how to teach participants those same skills.
4. Getting gardening done prior to arrival of summer staff will be crucial in having a more productive growing season next year. That means starting plants earlier inside (this goes under my work-life balance thing.)
5. If you don't use it, you lose it (this refers mostly to swimming my 550, which I could not do two weeks ago at the Y. Yesterday I finished 550 in Lake Mohican and feel confident that I will be prepared come qualifying test day on the 29th of June.
6. Use planning time more wisely before arrival of summer staff to make campsite training easier. Who will teach what skills? How will I teach those skills which are most challenging for me? I feel like when I failed to take initiative on planning, my co-facilitator didn't push me to sit down and plan, and I found myself taking it out on him.
7. Set up a Restoration schedule earlier with my summer staff crew at the beginning of training so there is no question as to who is responsible for leading what meals. Remind facilitators that each time they brief a meal or do a restoration they should be doing it as if it's a first meal, so that they gain the ability to teach their students how to restore or bus their tables from lunch.
8. Remind facilitators that each time they brief a meal or do a restoration they should be doing it as if it's a first meal, so that they gain the ability to teach their students how to restore or bus their tables from lunch.
9. De-issue note: start more people off on tents and then have people peel off since spraying out tents takes the longest.
   
10. Drink lots of water. I got sick while out camping and it definitely effected (affected?) my ability to facilitate our new summer staff.
    

Positive side?

1. I also let my supervisors know what was going on and what needs I had in order to be able to do the training I was responsible for. This was something I did well.
2. Set up a Restoration schedule with my summer staff crew so there is no question as to who is responsible for leading what meals (this was a good thing I did, I just need to do it earlier).
   
3. I totally got thrown under the bus at different points in staff training. Being the person I am, I can't hide that that totally stresses me out. I also know that I should feel proud for being flexible and doing the best I could given the circumstances.
4. Getting summer staff to help finish out the de-issue when things weren't dry from camping out on site.
   
5. Super-organized de-issue and finishing-up de-issue. Seriously, there were cones and laminated signs involved, and then a to-do list on a whiteboard.
   
6. Learned how to straighten tent stakes.