the trip started out on monday with a long morning of travel. we arrived at the camp just after noon.
we spent our afternoon touring the grounds. we got to see the lake and high ropes course (only used during the summer for the camp that they hold there to raise money to keep the centre running)
the camp had a pretty strict policy of letting the kids do whatever they wanted to as long as it was out side. this was interesting because it goes against all of the instinct you have as a "grown up" to make sure younger people dont hurt themselves.
needless to say the three days were interesting having kids falling off of rocks and trees, getting hit in the face with branches and being covered in mud, the one thing that i'll remember forever was the time i told the students not to go on the pond, but they thought they were smarter than me because it was cold in the morning and the ice was a little bit thicker than the day before... i mean they couldn't even break it with their hand!!!... after the morning started to warm up we had a student fall through the ice. she was waist deep in mud and water. other than a bruised ego she was fine, i;m happy to report.
it was an expreience that i'll hold close to me through out my early years teaching, letting kids be kids is important! and as long as you remind them to think they usually will not make decisions that would put themselves in too much danger.
i feel like i'm rambling now so i will sign off,
but if you have questions feel free to ask.
WOW! Three day Fill Trip?! Thats exciting!
ReplyDeleteSounds like the kids and yourself had a great experience. I remember going to a similar fill trip during grade 6 (Shadow Lake). Meals prepared for us, bunking with classmates, enjoying outdoor activities, girls and more. letting kids be kids is definitely important! but having a TC watching over them would give them the confidence in doing things they wouldn't usually do. I was wondering as a teacher candidate, would you do this with your own class? what would be the same/different? (1500 word essay format)
i'll see what i can do for you would you like it double spaced? and what size and style of font do you prefer? and i don't know if i can cite more than 4 sources if thats ok?
ReplyDeleteanyways hahaha... i would definitely do this with my own class, i found it really interesting seeing the kids get out of the city and out of their comfort zone. one of the students shed tears everyday for reasons from homesickness to fear of wolves eating him, but by the end of the trip he was able to walk through the forest at night, sans flashlight, without a single peep of being afraid! it was pretty incredible the change he had from the start to the end of the 3 days.
that alone made it worth it, and considering there are 4 or 5 more stories like that i couldn't imagine not taking trips like this!
I was there too, I was there too!
ReplyDeletehah!
except I think there was more snow when I was there last week!
hope u are enjoying the March Break
Lauren
What a great experience. I remember in my practicum when the kids were introduce to the idea of going to Sheldon outdoor facility and they all thought that it was so far away and "up North." It is worthwhile to get the kids out of the city and expose them to different experiences.
ReplyDeleteAlso enjoyed the tale of the kid falling through the ice even after you warned them haha. Glad he was ok. I doubt he will forget the lesson that experience taught him anytime soon.
Thanks for sharing!
Brie