Alec Knapp
About Me
Introduction:
Ciao! In 2015, I embarked on my first trip outside of the United States to Viterbo, Italy to live there for 4 months. In a sense this was more than travel and allowed me to get to know a city, Viterbo; a region, Lazio; and a country, Italy. While there, I got my first taste of teaching... and loved it! Nearly 2 years later and I've built up my skills to become more of the teacher I want to be: a facilitator of growth, both academically and personally.
Education
Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo
Recreation, Parks, and Tourism Administration
June 2016
Experiences
Assistant Instructor
Cozy Point Ranch (Aspen, Colorado)
July 2017 to Current
Implementing equestrian lessons about horse care, anatomy, equipment, safety, and history to students aged 3-13. Practicing risk and conflict management with horse and student interactions. Making sure students have fun is paramount!
Educator
The Ecology School (Saco, Maine)
September 2016 to June 2017
Taught core ecological principles in experiential learning format to students aged 5-14 in residential, outreach, and day programming settings. Prepared up to 12 two-hour lessons per week in forest, beach, dune, tide pool, salt marsh, and indoor settings. Responsible for creating lesson plans and managing group dynamics of up to 14 youth in outdoors. Work was seasonal (September-November & March-June).
Trail Guide
YMCA Camp Menogyn (Grand Marais, Minnesota)
June 2016 to September 2016
Instructed youth aged 12-18 in paddling, portaging, backpacking, camping, fire building, wilderness navigation, and safety on overnight trips in Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness and Yellowstone National Park. Designed trip routes, demonstrated knowledge of natural history, and practiced conflict resolution.
YUNGA Internship
Scuola Media Pietro Egidi (Viterbo, Italy) - Youth & United Nations Global Alliance
September 2015 to December 2015
Taught biodiversity concepts to 2 classes of Italian students aged 11- 14 as part of an internship program with the Youth & United Nations Global Alliance (YUNGA). Allowed students to choose topic of interest (biodiversity) and designed lesson plans around what got students excited. Learned to communicate complex topics in simple ways using Italian.