Field Trip!

So the other fourth grade teacher and myself brought our forty-five chicken wings on a big ol' all day field trip.  Call us crazy, but we left the school at 7:00 in the AM with bright eyed raring to go little pop-tarts and returned to school close to 5:00 in the PM with sleepy tired eyed little wilting flowers.  The whole day with the sun in their face and the wind in their hair apparently wore them out.  It's safe to say it wore us teachers out also.

I remember as a kid myself going on field trips and thinking they were the.best.thing.ever!  There was something about riding a bus, packing a lunch, and being with your friends but not in school that made the day so very exciting.  Now, as a teacher, I realize how much planning is invovled and how nerve wracking it can be to be "in charge."  It would be easier to just keep the chicken wings in the walls of the classroom but the two of us know they need to put experiences in their pockets.    

We also know sometimes you need back-up so we took along our trusty Canadian practicum student from the college.  She's a real gem!  Because she technically was done last Friday with her requirements but she was still willing to come along.  She wanted to have fun with the chicken wings one last time.  My kind of future teacher.  

And let me tell you that seeing the chicken wings with their backpacks and sunglasses and cameras and wide eyes and exploring feet is worth it.  Especially when they take the tourist job as serious as this one.  A girl after my own heart right here.  Camera in hand, sunglasses on head, funky hat, and legs crossed.  I wish you could see her face; she was nodding and looking ever intently at the tour guide.  Like touring the museum on the first stop was the best thing that had ever happened to her.  This right here made all of the planning worth it.     

It is just simply worth it.  It's worth the long day and the the stress of keeping track of all of those feet to make sure we didn't lose one to the river.  It really is. 

   

Yes, field trips are worth it.  Because seeing the chicken wings experience a part of North Dakota they might not otherwise makes my heart happy. 

And our students now understand more of our country's history because they actually put their hands on pieces of it.  Knowing they have put this whole experience in their pockets makes me feel like they will always remember their fourth grade field trip.