ENVIRONMENTAL LEADERSHIP PROGRAM

CRITICAL SELF & TEAM EVALUATION

~Restoring Connections 2016~

Your Name: Artesia Hubbard

Why is it so important to reflect?
In addition to your standard UO Course evaluation, we ask all ELP students to
complete a self/team evaluation. In hands-on courses such as this one, reflection is
critical for students to gain a full understanding of their experience, as well as to be
able to apply lessons learned to future endeavors. Also, your input informs the
Service Work, Leadership and Participation portion of your grades. Lastly, this
evaluation also allows us to ask targeted questions with the goal of improving the
program. Your thoughtful feedback is valued and appreciated. (And please feel free
to use as much space needed).
If it helps to bullet discrete points (i.e. learning objectives or contributions) please
do so. However, let this be supplementary; we encourage you to reflect in depth.
A. INDIVIDUAL REFLECTION
1. What were your learning objectives for participating in the ELP? Did you reach
your goals? Why or why not?
My learning objectives for participating ELP
1. To obtain applicable skills to utilize in future jobs including:
Curriculum Writing
Website Design
Field experience working as an environmental educator
Strengthen my writing skills
2. To improve my problem solving capabilities
3. To work dynamically in a team setting
4. To act as a positive role model and influence in the lives of my student
participants
5. To provide participating students with a fun, safe and inspiring opportunity to
build connections with the natural world
6. To raise environmental awareness
I came into this program with the overall goal to create an influential experience for
not only the student participants I was working with, but also gain a deep feeling of
accomplishment within myself. Going into this, I had not anticipated learning even
half of the skills I learned; I learned much more then I had anticipated. During the
experience my team and I were faced with many obstacles, including being left
short two members at the beginning of our field trips. This influenced us to practice
successful problem solving then, and through out the experience. One of the
largest skills I learned was adaptability; I learned that doing this field work situations
will arise that I have little control over, and adaptability and flexibility became the
most important skill for me to revisit throughout. Furthermore, my progress as a

team member was greatly influenced. Ive always been a better individual worker,
therefore I was slightly worried about my capabilities to work as a dynamic team
member, but Ive discovered that it is actually a strong strength of mine, and I am
grateful that this experience showed me that. Overall, I firmly believe that I was
able to reach many students with inspirationnot all of them, but with those that I
did inspire, I was sometimes able to notice a spark of interest. There were many
students that showed little to no interest at the beginning of a field trip, and by the
end they were happily engaged and excited about what they were learning, and
that was a very fulfilling experience for me. Overall, I feel that most of my original
objectives as an educator were reached, and I feel very accomplished and satisfied
with my work these last 2 terms.
2. What do you think were your greatest contributions to your teams work?
I think my greatest contribution to the team was my willingness to take on any extra
slack. I was always open to help people with anything presented to me; in some
ways this became a struggle for me because I often took on more then I could
handle at times, but I am glad that I did because I feel that without these
contributions the project would not be the same. Also, I took a lot of time to beautify
every aspect of our final materials, and I tried my best to make everything look
professional, therefore another large contribution that I provided was the skill of
design. Also, I spent a lot of time editing and formatting elements of our project,
even when I was not asked to, and I feel very proud that I took the time to do so.
3. What would you have done differently to best utilize your skills and contribute to
the overall success of the team? In other words, what could you have improved
upon?
I think that sometimes I can take on a little too much of a leadership position, which
is something I struggled with at the beginning of the project. It is sometimes difficult
for me to let project materials be finalized by those other than myself, however this
is something that I continuously worked on. Overall I think I could have improved on
that more, because I know that it is important that each person has an equal
contribution in projects like this one.
4. What are the 3 most important things you learned while implementing your
curriculum? Do you have any key lessons that you will be able to apply to your
future undergraduate coursework, graduate program, or professional career?
The first most important thing I learned while implementing my curriculum is that it
is extremely important to build relationships with the students and try to break the
teacher-student barrier that sometimes manifests in classrooms. At first I was
simply a teacher to listen to for many students, and I was less of a friend and
someone they felt confortable talking to, but over time I made more of an attempt
to get to know the students more, and become more of a friend, and essentially this
endeavor worked in my favor.
The second most important thing I learned is that it is important to always find
something to be proud of, even in a situation where there seems to be nothing.

There were many times where I was unsatisfied with the way a lesson went, or the
production of a product, and often the frustrating consumed me and prevented me
from being optimistic for future projects. But as I reflected I learned that I could get
what I wanted out of a project, and even is something didnt work out the way I had
wanted after spending some time reflecting I was always able to find something to
be proud of. This kept me optimistic and excited for the project, and it is an
important state of mind to revisit in the future.
The third most important thing I learned is to give my all to things that I am
passionate about. As frustrating as this journey has been at times, I found it so
beneficial to give it my all no matter what. There were so many projects that I could
have done with out, and so many times I questioned why I put myself into a
situation full of so much work. There were times I wanted to give up and drop out,
and times I asked myself, What is the point. These times of self-doubt were
imperative to my experience however, because it made me continuously question
myself; this questioning allowed me to be certain of my passions. I want to be an
environmental educator. I want to be someone who impacts lives. I want to be
someone who inspires others to love and appreciate the environment. These doubts
that arose through out the course of the project allowed me to solidify my
aspirations, and it provided me the tools to do so. I gave it my all, even when I
didnt want to, and as a result I walked away with so much more then I could have
ever imagined.

5. How was the transition from winter to spring term? Did you feel that you were
prepared to take the knowledge/skills you gained in winter term and apply it out in
the field in the spring?
To be honest, I felt extremely un-prepared for the beginning of the field trips. I had
the knowledge, I was developing the skills, but it wasnt until the end of the first
field trip that I was able to actually piece everything together. Nobody can be 100%
prepared to teach for the first time, and I was no exception to this. I was terrified,
and my mind seemed blank at the start of my first field trip, but by the end of the
first hour, I just kind of figured it out. It came so naturally for me, and everything
flowed in a way I had not anticipated. Sure, there were things that I messed up, and
things that I knew to fix the first time. After that first field trip though, it was mostly
smooth sailing, and I was finally able to put all of my knowledge and skills to the
test.

6. Please reflect upon your work preparing for and implementing your ELP project.
Rate your
ability on a scale of 1-5 before and after ENVS 425/429. In other words, do you think
your skills increased, decreased or stayed the same over the past 10 weeks? Note:
1 is low (no experience), 3 is average, and 5 is high (very experienced, can
complete task proficiently without guidance).
Skills, Knowledge and Abilities

Prior to
ENVS

After
ENVS

425/429
(Score 1-5)

425/42
9
(Score 15)

Technical Skills
Curriculum Development: Work as a team to create and refine
a student-centered and place-based environmental education
curriculum based on NAAEE guidelines and the Tbilisi Action to
Awareness Framework
Curriculum Implementation: Work as a team to facilitate
classroom and field trip lessons both designed by yourself and by
others.
Art of Inquiry: Use the art of questioning to expand your
students sensory awareness and critical thinking skills rather
than lecture at your students
Elevator pitch: Clearly communicate our project to strangers,
community partners, donors, during a job interview, etc.
Presentation: Work as a team to craft a concise, informative,
and engaging presentation. Gain experience submitting an
abstract and presenting to an academic audience.
Teaching Portfolio: Individually create a teaching philosophy
that genuinely reflects your core values and approaches as well
as create a resume that effective highlights the skills/knowledge
youve gained through ELP
Clearing Article: Work as a team to create an outline for an
article that communicates the educational journey of ELP. Either
write an engaging story or provide detailed, constructive
feedback to contribute to the final product.
Website: Design and build an effective and eye-catching website
(either to represent the entire team or to showcase your own
work) that is easy to navigate, has accurate content, and rich
content for your

Transferrable Skills
Apply experience and knowledge to a practical situation
Work cooperatively/collaboratively with others
Listen to and consider others' points of view
Solve unexpected problems effectively and efficiently as a
team
Likelihood to ask for feedback from others
Ability to accept and give meaningful critique
Understand group dynamics
Lead/facilitate an efficient, effective and enjoyable meeting
Manage time effectively: organize and prioritize your workload
Manage a project (track tasks, deliverables and timelines)
Understand your personal career/professional goals
Understand your preferred work environment
Ability to influence others through writing or speaking
Overall leadership skills
Overall communication skills (use messaging to effectively
present key results/highlights of project to different
audiences)

5
2

3
1
3
2

5
5
5
5

2
4
2
2
3
2
1
1
4
3
3

4
5
5
5
5
4
5
5
5
4
5

Overall collaboration skills

Overall professional/workforce skills

3
2

5
5

6. What was your favorite thing about participating in the ELP this year?
The experience was simply amazing: working with the children was so fulfilling,
creating a meaningful bond with my teammates was memorable, and pushing my
limits to make every aspect of the project as close to perfect as I could was
satisfying. Overall though, my favorite thing about participating in this project was
what I learned about myself. I came into this project thinking that it would just be a
really awesome opportunity for my professional experience, and that it would be
something that I would enjoy, but I had no idea that it would instill the aspirations
that I now have walking away from it. This project made me discover that
environmental leadership truly is my passion. I used to always question my decision
to pursue environmental studies, because I had no idea what I was going to do with
it, but after this project, I do. I now know that I want to work in this field, and I am so
blessed to have had this opportunity.

7. Would you recommend the ELP to other students? Why or why not? Please be as
specific as possible.
Absolutely, not only did it develop extremely essential professional skills that I
would not have obtained so early in my college career, but also it was fulfilling, selfreflective, challenging, and inspiring. I have never seen myself push myself and
invest so much of myself into something, and it taught me more then I could have
ever imagined, about teaching, being a student, working with others, and taking on
life.

B. YOUR TEAM MEMBERS

Please describe what it was like working with each of your team members this year.
What did he/she bring to the team? Is there anything you feel he/she could work on?
How was he/she as a team member? Use specific examples when applicable.
1. Paige
Paige was always open to new ideas, and she constantly brought a light-hearted
optimism to any situation. Also, I looked up to her in the field for building such
meaningful relationships with her students; this became something that I tried to
copy into my own fieldwork. She was always down to help on any project, and it was
an honor working and learning with her.
2. Garrett
The constant willingness to take on any extra slack was an aspect of Garrett that
stood out to every team member. He was ALWAYS open to anything, and I
appreciated that of him. At the beginning I was worried about his delivery as a
teacher, and that would have been my only critique of him, however through out
the course he improved outstandingly, and I am super proud of him

3. Alli
Alli always asked questions, and she was never afraid to speak her mind and
provide constructive criticism to any situation. She was very critical at times, and in
the moment it was sometimes frustrating, but without that criticism, our project
would not have evolved to be what it was. I appreciated her engagement as
someone who was never afraid to speak her mind. Also she had a lot of relevant
knowledge to bring to the group.
5. Kennedy
Kennedy was my right hand woman through out this entire experience. We designed
our lessons together, and we both found ourselves working side by side to add
some extra creative spice to the project. Kennedy took a lot on, and she was always
open to doing the things that everyone else seemed to distance themselves from.
She was very creative and open minded, and I am blessed to have worked right
beside her during this project.
6. Sky
Sky, being a senior, had so much relevant knowledge and skills that were applicable
to this project. His experience with natural science and environmental studies in
general were extremely helpful to the progress and substance of this project. Also
he was very open-minded and optimistic through out the course of the project. It
was a pleasure working with Sky these past two terms.

C. YOUR TEAM MANAGER

Please comment on your team manager. What did he/she bring to the team?
Is there anything you feel he/she could work on? Please use specific examples when
applicable.
Nick was AMAZING! He was such a huge contribution to this project. I appreciated
the fact that he was very critical, but he always seemed to acknowledge the things
that our team was most proud of. Not only did he help us construct and organize
this project through out the project, but also he stepped in as a team member,
which we were so thankful for. He gave up so much more time to this project then
he probably first anticipated. It was a pleasure working with someone who was so
dedicated to the success of our group both individually and as a team.

D. YOUR FEEDBACK
Please reflect upon the program, coursework, assignments, training and fieldwork
over the past term (or two terms depending on project).
1. Keep doing (Plus). Is there anything that was particularly valuable to you
that we should not change?

The framework content during the first term

Instructing us to constantly evaluate ourselves

Overall professional development tasks: website, portfolio, resume

2. Change (Delta). Is there anything that could be improved? How specifically

would you improve it?

Having the pilot in the second term instead of the first term
Writing the philosophy statement later in the term, I feel like I have a better
understanding of what it means after the field trips

3. Any additional thoughts, comments you would like to share?

Overall my experience in ELP is one to remember, and I am extremely blessed to
have had such a once in a lifetime opportunity. It is something that I will keep with
me as I continue my dream to be an environmental leader.
4. Any tips/recommendations/ best practices that you would like to share with next
years Restoring Connection team? (What do you wish you could go back and tell
yourself when you were just starting ELP? What were some of the tricks you used
out in the field? Etc)
If I could go back and tell myself at the beginning of the ELP is to constantly remind
yourself why you are doing this. Find a concrete reason at the beginning of the
project for what you want to get out of it, write it down, and revisit this through out
your journey, and you may find that you will get more out of the experience then
you ever expected. But over all, I think it is extremely important to go into this
journey with an open mind and be ready for a busy, busy two terms.
If I were to tell next years ELP group anything: ELP will probably consume your life,
and you are going to wonder why you chose to do this project so many times. It is
going to suck, and it is going to be a mountain of stress, but in the end, what you
walk away with will be a feeling of accomplishment that youve probably never felt
before, be excited for that feelingon the Sunday before finals, when you are
constructing one last final reflection on a crazy ride.

Just for fun: If you had to summarize your experience with a single statement or
by drawing picture, what would it look like?
Canopy Connections is a rollercoaster ride full of broken tracks and rails that youll
have to stop and fix along the way. There will be hills that youve never climbed

before, and it may seem impossible at times to keep building the tracks, but the
feeling when you get to the top and look at the track behind you and reflect on all
the work youve done, I promise youll never feel more triumphant.