A Curriculum of Values
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by Ariana Tourneur
Some parents fear the thought of their children field dressing an animal or learning about firearms. But perhaps something to fear more is not safely exposing their children to the natural world and realistic elements of risk.
To enhance
young people’s lives—and truly, the future of our province—the Alberta Hunter Education Instructors’ Association (AHEIA) has worked hard to incorporate Hunter Education into 700 schools. Officially added to curriculums in 1964, the program now trains over 100,000 students annually. “Any school in Alberta—public, private or separate—has the ability to deliver conservation and hunter education and fishing education programs,” says Bob Gruszecki, AHEIA president. The programs are offered through the Alberta Education curriculum within the Careers and Technologies Studies option, Natural Resources (NAT) Program, or Careers and Technology Foundations programs for Grades 5–9. “It’s not always offered, but every school can,” explains Gruszecki. “If a parent asks the school for their child to be certified in Hunter Education, then it must be delivered.”
Most of the time though, a teacher is inclined to deliver the program because of a personal connection to the outdoors. AHEIA provides free training, including a special teachers’ workshop at the Alford Lake Training Centre. “Teachers have plenty of resources right at their fingertips,” says Gruszecki. “They can get support they likely wouldn’t otherwise have—principals aren’t usually able to provide a teacher with 30 ice fishing huts!” Sheldon Frissell took advantage of AHEIA’s resources, teaching outdoor education at a rural K-12 school for his entire career. “I knew I wanted to start teaching it right from the start, and I also knew I needed help putting together a curriculum that fit our farming community,” he says. Frissell remembers asking his classroom to identify who had firearms at home and every hand went up. “Every single hand!” he exclaims. “At that time, there was nothing being taught centred around firearm safety, yet having a relationship with firearms was a reality of every one of my students.” The appeal of teaching outdoor pursuits on top of it made it a nobrainer for Frissell and he connected with AHEIA straight away. “Once I learned about AHEIA’s mandate of making wildlife and wild places part of everyone’s value system, I was hooked!” Junior high is when kids are rapidly developing their value systems for the rest of their lives. “How they talk, how they treat each other; it’s when they start to figure it all out on their own,” says Frissell. “They make personal choices based on what they’ve learned. I thought, what a great time to start discussing wildlife and wild places, when their brains are busy forming their values.” Normally, schools might deem hunting and firearms dangerous; but as this is AHEIA’s specialty, rigorous standards, continual assessments, insurance, and protection ensure the delivery of a safe, comprehensive program for students.
photos: Sheldon Frissell
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CONSERVATION MAGAZINE
SPRING SUMMER 2023