Thursday, June 5, 2003

I went on a field trip today with two fourth grade classes — 63 kids total. I sat at the back of the bus, next to the emergency exit, because, well, kids are kids. Twelve girls sat behind me, and the voice of three of three of them could be heard throughout the trip. They sang the theme song for the Titanic, over and over again. They seemed to be having a lot of fun.

The boys sitting in front of me had their own way of keeping busy. They were looking for big trucks, and upon spotting one they’d give the driver a signal: their closed fist moved up and down repeatedly, at the same time giving the driver their most adorable smile. The drivers aimed to please, and a loud honk would follow. The first time it was cute, even the bus driver smiled. But after that, I’m sure the bus driver wished he had more hands, and long ones, too, so that he could drive the bus and strangle some ten-year-olds at the same time.

So we got to our destination, a ranch that belonged to an European settler in the 1800s. We were given a tour of the house and its surroundings. Among many things, we were shown an oven that was used in the 1800s to make bread. If you have no idea what those looks like, picture a mount made of dirt, in the shape of an igloo and the size of a Volkswagen Beetle. It’s considerably big. Inside of it there are ashes and burnt wood. We were barely walking toward it when one of them said, “Can we go in it?!”

When the tour was over, the students were asked to use the restroom if they needed to. One of the teachers suggested that boys use the girls’ restroom, since the line to the boys’ restroom was long, and none of the girls needed to use the restroom anyway. As soon as the teacher made the suggestion, Judah bursted in laughter, and other students followed suit. I laughed with them, of course. Yeah, I set a good example. 🙂

I wasn’t done laughing when I said, “All right, Judah, go in.” Hehe, cruel, I know, but he is the one who made the biggest deal about the idea of a boy using the girls’ restroom! So yeah, he had to be the chosen one. He initially refused to go in, but eventually gave in. As soon as he shut the door, one of the boys left the line to approach the rest of the students to say, “Hey! Everybody! Judah is in the girl’s bathroom!” Hehe, those who heard him went wild.

Although I had fun in today’s field trip, I also had big moments of frustration. At points I’d look around thinking, “Someone must be playing a prank on me.” That’s how bad things got to be. I was reminded of the phrase, “Working with children is the best birth control.” Let me tell you, I used to find that phrase to be funny, but after today’s experience, no more!

Hehe, as we were getting off the bus, I asked two of the parents who had come with us… “And you volunteered for this?!” They chuckled. They knew exactly what I was talking about… mhm. 🙂

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