Some of your comments showed that I had not fully given necessary information.
We had lots of supervision. Three of us taught out door ed. Two of the three of us usually went on the trip. We had no problem getting male supervisors. Some of them came with us a few times when their kids were in the program. Getting female supervisors was a challenge. There were very few Moms who wanted to do an overnight field trip. Once we went without a female supervisor but that was the last time for that.
Kids on field trips were always well behaved. They were noisy but good. In fact they stuck to you like glue. They also knew the rules and why we had those rules.
In the early fall we would do a hike. Before Christmas we would do a cross country trip and sometimes it was a snow shoe trip. In one grade we would do a winter camp. In other words in a tent with snow and below freezing temperature. For this one I threw in all the covers I had to cover my garden when it froze. The blankets were all used and appreciated.
So the point I wish to make is that this was a group effort and other than noise they were well behaved and learned many things. . But then middle school kids are great noise makers. For many of these kids it was their first exposure to the natural world.
These blurry photos were from an area that we went to many times.
It is wonderful that the kids got to go! What an experience,I know I would have loved it when I was in middle school! My mom never volunteered for anything.
ReplyDeleteWonderful memories!
ReplyDeleteThanks to you and your colleagues, students had experiences they may never have had the opportunity to enjoy. I don't think people generally realise how much free time teachers give up, whether it's for sports or music. These things enrich young people's lives.
ReplyDeleteIt looks like the kids had a great time. The start of a lifetime of exploring nature for some, I bet.
ReplyDeleteI think it is great to have the kids learn and appreciate the great outdoors. Take care, have a great day!
ReplyDeleteHow wonderful that you took them on these trips. I wonder how many still enjoy the outdoors. Plenty, I imagine.
ReplyDeleteI don't ever recall my school doing such things but I was a leader in a boys' youth club and that was certainly a series of experience that I'll never forget.
ReplyDeleteRed, your tales of kids in the wild,
ReplyDeleteWith snowshoes and tents and campers beguiled,
It’s clear they were noisy (as tweens often are),
But well-behaved troops beneath every star!
The boys stuck like glue, the moms were quite shy—
One trip without women? A “Nope!” from on high.
Yet through chilly nights and snow-covered lands,
They learned with warm hearts (and cold little hands).
You gave them the woods, the snow, and the rules,
A crash course in nature—much better than schools!
And while middle schoolers sure raise a loud din,
You taught them that learning comes best from within.
John
Stunning! Linda in Kansas
ReplyDeleteI expect you got generous financial bonuses with your salary whenever you supervised an outdoor education trip.
ReplyDeleteYour trips were very adventurous!
ReplyDeleteSince I went to school in a small town where most of the kids were bused in from rural areas, we knew about the out-of-doors. Some of the backwoods homes were barely more than camping.
My own kids were city kids but the district had an outdoor education camp where 6th graders went for a week. As a family we went tent camping in the summer. As adults our kids are still very outdoorsy.
Those photos of our Eastview Middle School Environmental and Outdoor Education Students were all taken in the early 90’s. The first one is near the summit of Heart Mountain in Kananaskis. The second photo is on the summit of “Allstones Mountain” above Abraham Lake. The the third photo is on the summit of Colliseum Mountain near Nordegg. Some of my best memories from my early teaching career were of those wonderful field trips we did. I ended up taking kids (students and scout groups) up Colliseum 22 times and Allstones 20 times. I was very proud of the EOE program we developed at Eastview. Good times! Thanks Kieth!
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