The Zoo Field Trip

 


Who remembers school field trips? When I was a kid, I loved it when we went on a field trip. We got to get out of school and have fun. Even as a teacher, I loved field trips. It was fun to see the kids out of the classroom and watch them have fun. The zoo was always a popular field trip in almost every school I worked in. And almost every field trip to the zoo was a fun experience for the kids and the teachers.

Let me start by saying that this story is not about me. It actually happened to a teacher that I worked with years ago. This teacher was well loved and very experienced. She was and still is an amazing teacher. That particular school year had been a tough one. The kids and the teachers were ready for the year to be over. As a treat, the school decided to send us all to the zoo for a fun field trip. It was late May, and the day of the trip was a hot one with temperatures in the 90's. But the kids were excited! We all spent the day in heat, but we all had a good time. If you have ever gone on a field trip with a bunch of kids, then you know about "the count." About once every 10 minutes, it is time to count heads. You have to constantly make sure that all the kids are accounted for. Heaven forbid you can't find one. 

At the end of the trip, we all boarded the buses back to school. Several teachers were doing their head count, even after the kids had boarded the buses. Once we got back to school, we had the kids go to their classrooms and prepare for dismissal. That's when this one teacher came running out in the hallway, asking if anybody had seen "Joey." All of the teachers immediately started to search the school, the playground, the buses, and everywhere in between. Eventually, the zoo called and said that "Joey" was there safe and sound. The parents were called, and the boy was picked up.

I don't think that teacher ever got over that day. Because she was a great teacher and never had a single bad incident before that one, she didn't lose her job. The parents, fortunately, were understanding and although, worried, they knew that their son had a habit of running off. They did not blame the teacher. 

The scary thing is that it could have been much worse, and it was a very serious mistake. Luckily, the little boy was safe. Field trips are fun but remember that teachers have a very serious job of making sure that each child is safe and accounted for....

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