I know you don't want to show, but if I were you, I'd go find any local events geared towards western, like pennings, open shows, etc and go watch the riders. Find the trainers who seem to be turning out the kids/amateurs who are consistent with their animals and do well.
Go meet up with the trainer you've chosen and get lessons and maybe have that trainer put 30-60 days on your horse. Yes, it will cost money, but horses ain't cheap. Making sure that your horse doesn't take off with you and take you through a fence line is really important. So is getting it broke.

Just because you taught at a summer camp doesn't make you a horse expert. I used to work at a summer camp with a family who's horsemanship and herdsmanship left a lot to be desired. Hell, these people apparently even went and got some teaching certificate somewhere. Didn't mean they knew what they were doing, it just meant they were more confident about their skills than they should have been.