Field Trips 101

Disappointment:

The title says it all. Last week a fellow teacher told me about a great opportunity to show my kids the arts in the Delta. The Greenville Community Theatre and Delta Childrens' choir were putting on a production of the Dickens' masterpiece, "A Christmas Carole" along with a few performances by some select choirs.

I announced the event to my kids last week, and my biggest fear was not getting a turnout with the required documentation (ie. permission slip and the $5 ticket fee (discounted of course)). To my amazement and surprise I received all of my permission slips, and money from the interested students and had it all set. My next step was to find some chaperones, which, in typical me fashion I waited until the last minute but got two fellow Teach for America Teachers to help out. Awesome! My vision: We would arrive at the theatre, and the kids would be amazed and take note of the behavior of those around them and act accordingly. The reality: Exactly the opposite.

First lesson: Plan leaving even earlier than you had thought would be reasonable. I should've allowed time for one bathroom pit-stop before arriving at the theatre. I also should've allowed us to get there at least 10 minutes before the actual performance started. We didn't. We arrived about 5 minutes before the first choir got up, making before-show bathroom breaks impossible, and resulting in my kids, embarassingly yelling "I gotta use it" while the first children's theatre choir sang.

Second Lesson: Hand pick who you're taking on the field trip. This one was simple idealistic naivety on my part. The most heart-breaking experience of the whole incident was coming back into the theatre after most of the kids ended up back on the bus to find three of them watching attentively, quietly, and beautifully in obvious enjoyment of what was going on in front of them and what they were hearing. Telling them they had to get back on the bus broke my heart. If I could, I would've let them stay at the theatre and driven them home myself, but that couldn't happen. Next year will be different.

Third Lesson: Know the cultural context of where you're going, and put your assumptions and cultural norms at the door. Big disconnect here. To me, and how I was raised, brought up, reared, what have you, going into a place where people are performing demands that you do not make a sound and walk on eggshells to achieve a sort of aural silence. For my kids, quite a difference, and for the majority of the audience..another big difference. Most of those in attendance were upper-class Delta whites, and I know a few of them had some choice words with some of my kids as they ran off to the bathroom or said something behind a row of a couple of them. As a result we were politely asked to leave (I wasn't personally, I was in the bathroom with two my my more obnoxious boys who chose to "act the fool." *sigh*). When I came out of the bathroom the halls were empty and one woman pointed out towards the doors that, yes, my kids were back outside. I won't say we encountered blatant racism tonight, but I got a sense for really how condescending people can be. I tried to bring 30 kids, 10 to 15 of whom had no concept of the world they were about to enter into a largely up-scale concert where different rules for decorum, behavior, and attitude reigned. The result as like pouring oil on water. My kids were the oil, and did not mix with the water of the assumptions that I, my chaperones, and the rest of the theatre had for them. Lesson learned.

My feelings at the time were utter dread and disappointment. I had done everything to that point well. I spent time in class going over expectations for inside of the theatre: how we don't talk no matter what, and how we're respectful to the performers. That didn't sink in. At all. From the lessons above I realize my failings. The bus ride back was equally epic, with three kids trying to start fights, and tomorrow I'm going to have a long talk with my principal about their behaviors and also apologize for some of my failings in the execution of this project.

Am I giving up though? Hell no. Never. I feel stronger and smarter from this experience, despite being disappointed I recognize and realize that it's not just my kids, I'm probably more responsible for this debacle and in the end I have to try again using what I know now to my advantage. I will, most definately, using lessons 1, 2, and 3 outlined above.

So what did go right with this trip? Well, lets look at it this way: My kids got a chance to at least see how a different world lives and operates, and how a concert is put on in a classy way. My kids also witnessed the behavior that keeps them out of those sorts of shows or from participating in them (hopefully). Those who were especially bad will also get a lesson in bus etiquette and how to and how not to talk to teachers (which they're still not grasping). The lessons I learned will make me four times more effective on the next trip (I did the math), and I will have at least one of my kids' momma's enlisted as a chaperone.

Writing this blog tonight was definately cathartic, and it feels good to get my thoughts out right as they happen. I also appreciated getting a voice-mail from Collin, who is right now listening to Gnarls Barkley in Seattle. Lucky dude.

Tonight was the first night in my role as a teacher that I nearly broke down in tears. Hasn't happened yet, but I now understand why Teach for America says it's the "Toughest Job you'll Ever Love." Until next time....

-Nate, "Mr. Fitzpatrick"
"Ain't nothing gonna break-a my stride. Ain't nothing gonna slow me down, oh no. I've got to keep moving."-Random 70s band (forgot the name)