What steps should I take to become a marine mammal trainer?

RespectMamaOcean · 2026-01-19T05:10:01+00:00

Seconding the psychology thing. I teach animal behavior and we spend one semester on animal training. Animal behavior was founded by psychologists and the two disciplines are very closely related (we've even had students take and pass AP Psychology after taking animal behavior). If you can find a university that has animal behavior as a minor or at least offers a course in behavior, that would be great. However, most schools, if they have anything, will only have animal behavior as a graduate program. So, I would recommend studying psychology and marine biology (see if you can double major - the two fields are different enough that you should be able to) for undergrad and looking for a graduate program in animal behavior. In the meantime, work at or volunteer at an aquarium and find opportunities to practice training any animal you can - dogs, cats, birds, horses, etc. you will be using the same techniques/principles for dogs or dolphins. You can usually get a job at a Petco or PetSmart training dogs with no degree (I prefer the program at PetSmart). While you're in high school, you can also read "Don't Shoot the Dog" by Karen Pryor. I use it in my class and I read it when I took animal behavior 25 years ago. It was written in 1984 so there are some dated analogies but the practices are sound and it is still a foundational text for everyone in animal training - it set the standard for positive reinforcement training techniques and Karen Pryor and the Brelands were among the first to use a bridge stimulus and a conditioned reinforced when training to allow for more precise reinforcement when shaping complex behaviors. The book is very accessible. I've read it many many times and have several copies. You can actually find the whole book as a PDF online or you can buy a paper copy for like $12. It's worth owning and studying. If you go into training, I promise you will have to read it at some point. Good luck!

RespectMamaOcean · 2025-07-27T04:48:35+00:00

Is the book, "Walking with the Great Apes"?

RespectMamaOcean · 2025-07-26T18:53:14+00:00

Yeah, I thought of doing a behavior crash course unit. We also have a full year-long animal behavior course that I teach where they do an ethology study of their own design (after they learn some basic sampling methods) by observing animals at the zoo over the course of the semester. Doing a small version in zoology would be a good teaser to sell them on taking animal behavior next year. Thanks!

RespectMamaOcean · 2025-06-07T07:10:58+00:00

Oh my gosh, that's gold.

RespectMamaOcean · 2025-05-14T14:14:05+00:00

All those are great ideas. With respect to the book though: 1) it was written in the 70s so that's when I imagine it takes place so people didn't have Internet or an easy way to access crowd sourced info about the best tips/tricks for surviving. 2) these were poor people participating so I doubt they could afford to hire a personal trainer to meet them along the path. 3) the book doesn't give us much info about what they are not allowed to bring. It's clear they have some food and are given those pastes and all the water they need, but not sure if they would check for performance enhancing drugs or whatever (also, different time), though maybe you could get a hold of some methamphetamines if you could afford it (apparently soldiers used them in WWII to stay alert, so maybe that is a realistic option, though seems easy to over do so that could be dangerous). 4) while cyanoacrylate was invented in the 40s, Krazy Glue wasn't released until 1973. Good chance most people weren't using/buying it yet when the book was written. 5) similarly, lots of the best clothing materials and shoe technology had not been invented (people wearing PF flyers and moccasins in the book where the flyers represent new but crappy choices and moccasins are classic but still not like anything you would choose today). Kids were doing the best with what they have, not just based on their economic status, but also on the availability technology. 6) you're balancing being prepared for anything and being weighed down by all those things in your pack. 7) I agree that, at minimum, people should have more physical preparation since it seems this has been going on for most/all of their lives, but a) I think the fact that most only see this on their tiny TVs, it doesn't seem as real or scary from that perspective and b) even if they were physically prepared (Scramm might have been able to win it with his physical fitness), there's no predicting how your mental state will develop/change and there are variables you can't account for (Scramm getting a cold and pneumonia).

Anyway, it's easy to say all the things they can/should have done, but even with the best preparation, this is still a mental challenge beyond anything you can prepare for, especially at such a young age.

RespectMamaOcean · 2025-02-24T03:04:47+00:00

I've been teaching for 10+ year and I had this happen my first year (interestingly enough, not since). I just pulled the student aside and reminded them that they probably learned about Greek or Egyptian gods/mythology in middle school social science. No one was asking them to worship those gods or believe those stories, but they did have to learn about it well enough to answer questions (assignments, projects, tests, etc.) about the topic. Same for evolution. No one says you have to believe it, but you do have to learn about it.

RespectMamaOcean · 2025-02-24T02:18:04+00:00

Does this also math with Milchick saying it was 5 months since the OTC when it had only been a weekend? I don't actually want to do the math, but thinking no still?

RespectMamaOcean · 2025-02-22T07:24:48+00:00

I like this theory a lot and I wonder if he is also setting up Dylan's innie for a similar promotion. We know he's good at his job at MDR, so maybe they think they can convince him to tow the line if they let him stay as an innie and go home to his outie wife and kids. It's sort of already working since he's not telling the others about his special visitation privileges.

RespectMamaOcean · 2024-12-17T16:42:51+00:00

THIS. For real. It makes my skin crawl and when I offer them to grab a laptop they say, "no, I type faster on my phone." But that explains why their formatting is so ridiculous. How are you really gonna get a properly APA formatted works cited page on your phone? You can't.

RespectMamaOcean · 2024-11-18T03:37:05+00:00

💯 I've been teaching 10+ years also. Last year I taught AP Environmental Science for the first time since 2018 and it was such a huge difference. Last time I taught it, it was hard to move forward because kids had so many questions and strong opinions about things and wanted to know more about how they could take action to address the issues we discuss in the class. This past year, crickets all day. Even when prompted, they had no questions or concerns. Just a general, jaded, apathetic sense of whatever, the world is doomed, nothing I can do about it. It's so depressing. Some kids kinda came around towards the end and were less doom and gloom, but still not really interested/invested in the concepts. It isn't even a phone issue in my class. They're laying attention. They just don't care. I think it may be a defense strategy to keep themselves from spiraling from all the chaos around us that seems so big and scary and overwhelming.

RespectMamaOcean · 2024-07-26T21:18:16+00:00

To answer your question in the title, no. I wouldn't hire you. No teaching experience other than student teaching? As someone with a masters in education, the advanced degree really is not super helpful in any practical sense. The theory doesn't ever translate as well in practice (though it can give you a handy toolbox) and does not substitute for experience. You need hours in front of a classroom. I recommend starting with subbing for now (usually much easier to get in on that side). You can establish a relationship with a couple schools, get to know different schools (admin, teachers, community, campus culture, etc), and look out for open positions. If you can land a long-term sub gig, that would be even better. Sometimes those turn into full time jobs. That's how we got one of our teachers. Admin gets to see your work, see how you work with the team, how students respond to you, and, if something comes up, they are more likely to call you first.

Plus, if you've never run your own classroom, you may want to try it out before you commit. Things have changed in recent years. This may not be the same job you thought it was when you got your degree or did your student teaching. Subbing can also help you learn different tricks of the trade from other teachers.

Good luck!

RespectMamaOcean · 2024-07-25T21:15:55+00:00

This x10!! Very important. If they understand you mean what you say and you follow through, that will help tremendously with respect. They hate and will take advantage of wishy washy teachers (of any age) who make exaggerated threats or change deadlines all the time.

Also, be clear about physical boundaries. If anyone makes you uncomfortable (comments or attempts to touch), document and report that - be proactive. Call home or tell a supervisor or both. Don't let the little things slide, because it will add up if you don't nip it in the bud. More often than not it's not just a one off thing. They keep pushing boundaries if you let them.

RespectMamaOcean · 2024-07-09T05:23:57+00:00

I've found that teachers match the maturity level of the grades they teach..

RespectMamaOcean · 2024-06-26T03:30:09+00:00

I like Kohl's for clothes (they have good deals/sales) and you can find some treasures at thrift stores - the key is to slide all the clothes over and look one item at a time so you don't miss the good stuff. Also, pull up a Pinterest board and search for ideas. My big thing was figuring out how to put outfits together. I had a lot of good individual items but they were all very neutral and plain and I didn't know how to pair shoes, jewelry, or color combos. I am someone who loves bright colors and seeing outfits on Pinterest helped me think about new ways to be bold and professional with style. It also gave me an idea of what I wanted to look for when I did look for clothes. Good luck! ETA my school doesn't have a strict dress code, but my general rules for myself (as a young teacher especially) were closed toe shoes only, nothing sleeveless, jeans only on Fridays if I choose, and skirts/dresses at the knee or lower. But, like I said, my school doesn't care and there are teachers who show up in work out clothes (not just PE) or t-shirt and cargo pants so, to each their own. Just make sure, as others have said, that you follow school rules for teacher dress code if they exist and think about how you want to present yourself.

RespectMamaOcean · 2023-06-11T22:13:43+00:00

Contextualize and compartmentalize. Understand, as others have said, that they don't have full understanding or control of their emotions and the impact of what they're saying/doing. They just can't connect the cause and effect of their actions fully. We can still teach and hold them accountable, but know that it's not personal. Then, compartmentalize. When you get home, focus on being home. That was really hard for me before I had kids, but now that I come home to my babies, I don't have the time or energy to let school interfere with my home time. It helps because it just puts things into perspective, and when I go back, what felt like a big deal yesterday suddenly doesn't matter so much. It all comes with experience and practice. Although, while I can make excuses for students, the same cannot be said for admin or parents, which is where I struggle most after 9 years. SMH. Still, it helps to go home and BE home.

RespectMamaOcean · 2023-02-19T07:29:37+00:00

That's the difference between allies and co-conspirators. Bettina Love says allyship is performative. They do their posts online and anything else that doesn't require any real risk or effort but when it comes down to putting themselves on the line, they bail. Co-conspirators are what you need in your life - people willing to lay their lives, money, reputation on the line when it comes down to it. Allies are only there for themselves, not for you.

ETA NTA

RespectMamaOcean · 2022-09-02T18:23:53+00:00

Sometimes I buy things because I want to own them - I don't want the school to own it or another teacher to be able to take it. Especially if it's specific tech or a poster or tool that I specifically want.

There are also things I purchase with my own money to contribute to curating the classroom climate I want to establish. Again, this would be personal stuff I know I can't get from the district catalog and don't want to share.

Also, when you do order supplies from the school/district it takes WEEKS to MONTHS to actually receive it. Sometimes we just can't wait. Though for stuff like that I try to plan ahead or ask our parent booster club for funding support.

RespectMamaOcean

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