Comments on: Why I Don’t Do Field Trips

By: James

James — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 00:09:00 +0000

Hi, I found your blog on this new directory of WordPress Blogs at blackhatbootcamp.com/listofwordpressblogs. I dont know how your blog came up, must have been a typo, i duno. Anyways, I just clicked it and here I am. Your blog looks good. Have a nice day. James.

By: Paul Eilers

Paul Eilers — Sat, 14 Jun 2008 23:28:56 +0000

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.

By: Jeff

Jeff — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 19:00:36 +0000

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

By: The School Bus Driver

The School Bus Driver — Sat, 31 May 2008 02:10:21 +0000

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.

By: Beda Kantarjian

Beda Kantarjian — Tue, 27 May 2008 23:43:51 +0000

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

By: The School Bus Driver

The School Bus Driver — Sun, 25 May 2008 22:49:36 +0000

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

By: Ms. Cornelius

Ms. Cornelius — Fri, 23 May 2008 00:18:06 +0000

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

By: Teacher in a Strange Land

Teacher in a Strange Land — Wed, 21 May 2008 04:06:05 +0000

CARNIVAL IN A STRANGE LAND…

“I do know that the slickest way to lie is to tell the right amount of truth at the right time — and then shut up.” ~ Jubal Harshaw, “Stranger in a Strange Land” (Robt. Heinlein) Welcome, welcome! The Carnival…