Ten questions with Amanda Coale:
Hometown: Arnold, MD
Started working for HIOBS in May 2012
Watch Officer for sea courses, Lead Instructor for land courses
How did you decide to work for the Hurricane Island Outward Bound School?
I first learned of HIOBS in college. I learned they had a sailing program as well as backpacking, canoeing, and rock climbing. The combination of all those things sparked my interest to want to work there someday. I had also never been to Maine but heard incredible things about the landscape and all that you can do in Maine. The spring after graduating from college I applied and hoped that it would work out because I really wanted the job…and I didn’t have any others thoughts or ideas if it didn’t.
What is your role at HIOBS (what do you do)?
My role is to instruct students intentionally throughout our time together. My role is to equip them with the skills they need so that they can go and do and I can watch. My role is to be a resource, a risk manager, a facilitator when appropriate/needed, a helping hand, a listening ear, among other things. I am a watch officer for the sea program. I think the name describes my role pretty well, I watch. Though that is not the technical definition of watch officer, I spend a lot of time watching. I watch students gain the skills they need to safely sail or row pulling boats. I watch them develop as a team, through struggle and success. I watch them learn how to function on a small boat, sleep comfortably, cook good food, stay warm and dry, learn lessons, and laugh often. I watch their comfort levels grow with not only the skills but each other, their levels of communication, conflict resolution, decision making, and dipping into ice cold water at an hour some didn’t even know existed.
What do you like best about working for HIOBS?
I think my favorite part of working for HIOBS is that I don’t feel like I work FOR them. I work with them, they work with me. They care for and develop me as an instructor so that I can go and do likewise with our students. I don’t work for my students or they for me. My hope is that we work with each other, together, to get where we are going, whether that be physically, emotionally, mentally, geographically, etc.
What is your favorite or funniest HIOBS memory?
Last summer, I instructed a 14 day sailing course for 16-18 year olds. We did a group solo with them for one night on an island in Hurricane Sound. The next day we had a slower morning so they would have time to make pancakes and share about their time together. One of the students who was a chef for the day made pancakes for about three hours. By the time she was done the cockpit, every pot and pan and herself were covered in pancake batter. I think she dipped again just to clean herself up. The mess was worth it though, she had a blast and the pancakes were awesome.
Choose one word to sum up HIOBS.
Grow.
When you are not at work, what do you enjoy doing?
When not working, I like to do all the things I do for work. I also enjoy riding bikes, trying to take artsy-fartsy pictures (but rarely works), reading, and singing at the top of my lungs while driving in my car.
What would people be surprised to learn about you?
Once upon a time I had long hair. And I hated sailing until I was a young teenager (a tween, if you will).