The World Is Our Classroom
Posted by Hope Spencer on 10 Apr 2009 | Posted in: Classroom Management, Student Activities, Teachers and Teaching
Some of my favorite times with kids have happened when we were on field trips. I have great memories of trips to the zoo, indoor rain forests, and one special boat ride in Galveston Bay. Why, one day, my students and I even had the opportunity to travel to the Johnson Space Center, where we met actual astronauts (and the Power Rangers!).
But, when you think about it, taking your students off campus can be a scary proposition. No matter how much preparation you do, you can never be sure how your children will behave in public—or how the public will behave with them. Before each trip, I carefully made nametags and emergency kits. I explained every expectation to my students and to parent volunteers. Then, once the buses pulled away, I just crossed my fingers and hoped for the best.
Most of the time, everything went well. Once, when we were at a farm, several of my students wandered into a hornets’ nest and were stung multiple times. Another time, we knocked over a butterfly display at the rain forest. But for the most part, we learned a lot and made great memories.
My favorite field trip memory is that boat ride in the bay. It’s funny, because that was also the trip I dreaded the most. I was terrified that someone (namely me!) would get seasick or, worse, fall into the water. Instead, we had a peaceful, educational day on the bay. Our guides taught us all about marine life, and my students behaved beautifully. Whew!
When a field trip was over, I was always grateful that we made it back to school safely. And I was always completely exhausted. Field trips take a lot of teacher energy! When it comes to field trips, are you ready to roam or would you rather stay home?
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Much like Susan, I received the opportunity to take our Christian Preschool to the same Circus. This is my first year as a director, as a teacher, and in childcare, and being freaked out is putting it mildly! But, God is great, we were able to rent 15 passenger vans and had plenty of parent volunteers. I packed trail-mix and mini water bottles for every child, and their parents. The response we got was fantastic! I will definitely be taking more off campus trips, but we still have several in-house as well. It helps balance out our transportation costs, and with our in house activities the whole family can come, not just mom and dad!
This will be the fourth year that we will take my first grade class to the Ringling/Barnum Baily Circus when it comes to town. I must admit that I was very concerned the first year that we went. I teach at a small Christian school, and we do not have buses. This means that we use private cars for transportation. Each time it has gone very well and I look forward to this year. We open the trip to all parents. We have always had enough drivers and chaperones. This year each student will have at least one parent attending. We always are grateful when Dads attend because of restroom use. We include in the trip the addition cost of tolls, gas, and parking. Also, as a safety precaution I do not include personal information on name tags.
I love field trips but I too always get “freaked out” thinking about all the things that need to go right! We have always had a great time with not much drama. We live in a rural area so there is not to many places to visit. I thinks my kid’s favorite trip is on the last day I take the class to my house. We live in a woods and they have fun exploring. For some reason they are always shocked to see my bedroom! You know…….teachers never sleep.