I work with a seasoned veteran teacher who refuses to go on overnight field trips with students. She cites an example from early in her career when she did chaperon an overnight and ended up holding her breath for nine months praying that one of the students wasn’t pregnant.
This story coming out of South Carolina reminded me of that–and reinforced my own reasons for not doing field trips like this either.
Every spring we take our 8th graders on a two day field trip to Madison, our state capital. It’s about a 5-hour bus ride from here so we book rooms and get volunteer parents to help chaperon. It’s a good experience. The kids have fun touring the capital, visiting some shops on State Street, and strolling through museums. These are educational experiences we can not duplicate in St. Croix Falls.
I am an 8th grade teacher. These are my students. But I never go with them.
I always feel a little pang of guilt when this roles around every year. I don’t have to go–so I don’t. In the past, I had a second job I just didn’t feel right about leaving during that time. I also have a family and responsibilities to attend to on that front.
But those aren’t the real reasons I don’t go.
From my perspective, this is strictly a control and exposure issue. And the risks are not worth the reward. Middle schoolers are hard enough to control in the classroom. Now put them in a bunch of hotel rooms with a little piece of tape on the door and try to get a little sleep yourself? Fuggetaboutit. If there’s one thing I’ve learned about 13-15 year-olds it’s this:
Stuff happens–and fast. I mean lightning fast.
I don’t care how good you are. I don’t care how prudent you are.
I’ll give you a quick example:
Earlier this spring I took our 8th graders to a National Park headquarters for a short presentation on the National St. Croix Riverway. It’s right downtown, so I was actually able to take 4 smallish (20-25 students) groups one at a time. There was a brief film to watch in an auditorium, a brief talk by a park ranger, and some time to browse a through a few interactive museum exhibits.
One of these exhibits was a clear cylinder filled with about 5 gallons of water and stuff that naturally falls into the river like grass, leaves, etc . . . This cylinder was on a pivot so you could turn it around and see this sort of tea like mixture float and sink to the bottom. The idea is that this stuff naturally decays and gives the water a unique blend of pigments and nutrients.
Anyway, I’m milling around talking to students when I notice it’s about time to wrap up and hop back on the bus. So I make an announcement to head back into the auditorium for a little wrap-up by the ranger when I turn and see one of my students spinning this cylinder like a toy on a playground. He wanted to see how fast he could get it spinning.
I didn’t even have enough time to shout his name before the top of the cylinder pops off spilling water and rotting vegetation all over the floor and himself. What a mess. I wanted to rip the kid’s head off. I was incredibly angry. I was incredibly embarrassed–and for the record, so was the kid.
Here’s what you need to know about this particular example and, really, almost anything dealing with this age group. This kid is not your straight A-model-student. This guy’s more like a B-type-of-easily-distracted-boy. Make no mistake, he’s no angel. But neither is he the type of kid that’s always getting in trouble–or even on your nerves. He’s just kind of average. Normal. He didn’t mean to make that mess. I made sure he apologized to the park rangers both in person when it happened and in a letter of apology (I mean what a great opportunity for a writing assignment, right?), and he did both without hesitation. And I believe he did both sincerely.
And then later in the day, he sought me out and apologized to me.
You should have seen his face when he turned around at that museum. He was completely soaked and stunk immediately of river rot. Sure I was livid. But nobody was more surprised, embarrassed or remorseful than this kid. And it happened about 1 second faster than I needed to prevent it. He just lost his mind. A momentary laps of reason. And he paid for it.
I was thankful that the authorities at the park were so understanding. Which brings me back to why I don’t do overnight field trips.
Check out this mom’s response (from the story linked to above) upon learning her 14-year-old had been suspended from school for having sex on a field trip:
. . . The 14-year-old says she and six of her classmates have been suspended for the remainder of the school year.
“That’s why I’m upset. My child gets punished for an action she made, but what actions are they taking against the chaperone?” the mom told WIS News 10.
According to the mom, the chaperones were in another room when the girls snuck out of their room.
I’m sorry, ” . . .what kind of actions are they taking against the chaperone?” Are you kidding me?
Now (according to this logic) your kid screws up (oops a pun) and the chaperone should get punished? I’m not even going to address the fact that many of these chaperones are volunteering their time to supervise your kid. How about taking a little responsibility.
This kind of attitude burns me up. But it’s reality. And I know it. Therefor I use my own brand of logic to deduce that, as a professional, if I’m going to be held responsible for things ultimately out of my control, the risks are too great. Bad things happen with this age group–and they happen way too fast.
Yeah, my students wonder why I don’t go to Madison with them, but when I read (or watch) stories like this (this time in video format), I’m pretty sure I’m making the right decision here.
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Posted on May 21st, 2008 at 4:06 am
I am 110% with you. Since I left the middle school, I do not do field trips. EVER. One of my favorite ones at the middle school was when the science teacher took all of our kids to a park. There was a cave there with a very long, narrow opening. One kid got in and panicked. Who do you think had to go in there and coax her out? There is nothing, friends, like lying in a sixty-degree mixture of mud and bat guano while you try to keep a 12 year old from hyperventilating. But even though that was nasty, it didn’t involve DOING the nasty.
I will break up fights. I will not take teenagers one foot off of school property. I would rather wade into fists flying– not that it happens very often, but still– than be responsible for that over which the parents don’t even have control. Like that mom you quoted. I’ll bet you SHE hasn’t been able to keep that kid under her thumb. I doubt this is the first time her daughter has snuck off to do something. But let’s hang this one on the chaperone.
No blasted way.
Ms. Cornelius,
I am so glad you left your thoughts. I couldn’t agree with you more. I’d rather break up a fight on school grounds than have to look for a student (or two) on a field trip. As I said, sometimes I feel a bit guilty about this. You’re chiming in confirmed my suspicions–I’m not the only one!
Chris
Posted on May 23rd, 2008 at 12:18 am
As a school bus driver, I can sympathise with you. I was asked to take an overnight trip and was then told (a day before the trip) that I was supposed to SHARE a room with 2 teen girls (high school age). My first thought was “Oh HELL no!!” I am not going to place myself at that level of responsibility for them. I. Don’t. Think. So. Anyhow, it all worked out as the trip cancelled out on me at the last minute, but still it was quite frustrating.
Interesting that the administrators would make that assumption.
Chris
Posted on May 25th, 2008 at 10:49 pm
My granddaughter who will surface in middle school next fall is going on a Girl Scout field trip to Savannah this summer. My wonderful daughter-in-law is a chaperone. I was wistfully envying her a bit. Thank you for opening my eyes. At least it is all GIRL Scouts, all in sacred Julliet Lowe territory. Surely there will be no problems. Surely.
Love your new site. Keep up the good work.
Hi Beda,
I think a Girl Scout trip would be a completely different scenario. No worries.
Chris
Posted on May 27th, 2008 at 11:43 pm
It was definitely an awkward experience being told by the teacher of the sleeping arrangements. When I questioned my bosses about this peculiar and very weird situation, one said “as long as you have a bed it doesnt matter” and the other said basically the same thing. I proposed possible scenarios that could have gone wrong, taking note to say that it only takes one accusation. The answer was very non committal and disconcerting that they would put the reputation of a bus driver and the school transportation so blatantly on the line like that.
Posted on May 31st, 2008 at 2:10 am
The school where I used to teach high school in central New Jersey used to have an annual ‘lock-in’ for each grade in which the students spent the night on campus in a (theoretically) confined and controlled space to eat junk food, watch movies, and hang out in a carefully supervised fashion. I chaperoned the ninth grade lock-in once. Despite spending the night patrolling all available spaces (skipping only the girls’ bathroom) the rumors of what happened in the one space I missed made me very afraid of parent phone calls for quite a while after that. I would never do anything like it again.
The problem is, I am a language teacher, and believe strongly that the best way to learn is to go somewhere where the language is spoken. This means long trips to places where many of the customs, particularly in regards to alcohol, present extra challenges for the chaperones. How do you balance protecting yourself, and providing the students with every opportunity to learn?
Jeff,
I totally hear you. I honestly think “school” probably isn’t the best place to learn many many things. Field trips should be a strong part of any school program. I just wish I could trust ALL of my students. And that’s the problem. The trouble is with a very small minority. But it only takes one.
Chris
Posted on June 4th, 2008 at 7:00 pm
Because I like to eat and live indoors, I used to substitute teach when I was in college. I usually never knew my sub assignment until I arrived at the school.
One morning, I was told I would be watching all of the 7th graders who were not allowed to go on a field trip, due to misbehavior. Oh vey!
The large classroom did not have any windows. The lesson plan consisted of watching educational videos. In other words, it was boring. At one point, a student asked me if the lights could be turned off. “Sure,” I said. I mean, what’s the harm in doing that? Little did I know.
The next day, I was called back to the school. “The principal wants to see you,” I was told. With a puzzled look on my face, I entered her office. Come to find out, several of the students had given each other a hickey! What the…?
Well, I was reprimanded and given the “opportunity” to continue subbing at the school. But I learned my lesson. From now on, if the lesson plan called for watching a video, the lights were staying on.
Posted on June 14th, 2008 at 11:28 pm
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Posted on September 18th, 2008 at 12:09 am
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