The Wetlands walking field trip came and went fairly quickly. I talked about it only for a few minutes to my husband at the dinner table last night, after he asked. (I must have been tired from all the walking.) But thinking about it, it was rather momentous. If the definition of momentous is: "v. rather ridiculous and funny, now that I think about it."
PICTURE THIS: 125 ish children walking something like two or three miles (round trip) in a long, long, chain. Me telling them not to walk on the grass, because, well, then all 125 would. Crossing a busy intersection with 125 ten year olds. 125 tired ten year olds fighting for drinks from ONE drinking fountain at the park. And, "Is there a bathroom near here?" "Um, no."
When we got to the wetlands that are randomly in the middle of a suburban neighborhood, I started reading my little book about birds, and having the students peck like a sparrow, and look ridiculous. This I enjoyed.
I did not enjoy some crazy hooligan (okay, landscaper dude) at the large estate/mansion/ranch of The R.V. KING that is right next to the wetlands mowing the lawn THREE TIMES OVER on his silly-looking stand-up riding mower while I was trying to talk. Lawn mower. Talking. Lawn mower. Talking. Tired voice. Pausing our lively discussions about flamingos while he makes another pass. "Do you think..." MOOOOOOOOOWWWWWWWW "flamingos are pink" MMMMMMOOOOOOWWW "when they'RE BORN???" MOOOOOWWWWWW Followed by my least favorite phrase commonly uttered by students "Wait, what?"
Then a bee was on my pants leg (pant leg? leg of my pants?), and some students told me in the middle of my sentence, and I thought they were bluffing, and then the parent helper realized there really was a bee, and I freaked out about it in front of the children, and may or may not have said, "Get it off meeeeee!!!!". Yeah. That happened.
A kid (not in my class, thankfully) dropped his glasses in the pond while feeding the ducks. How? I have no idea. He couldn't find them.
My favorite part was finally having a chance to hear stories from my students. Many of them have been through really hard things, and some are innocent. They all are funny. And when I focus on that stuff, I know this is where I'm meant to be. I'm so glad I get to be a part of their lives this year, and so glad they are a part of mine.
Except the grading.
