Guest teacher, Jacques Cousteau

The much anticipated Field Trip was today!  HOORAY!!

There was a teensy tiny problem at the beginning of our trip.  We were outside waiting for the buses at 8:30, when another teacher came out and told us that we had actually planned the trip for 11-2 and that the buses would not be arriving until 10:30.  Wondering who the shmuck was who got the timing wrong?  Yeah, let's just say the name rhymes with Sister Reacher.

The teachers conferred, and with a 4-3 vote, we decided NOT to have the kids just sit where they were for 2 hours.  Instead, we went back inside and worked on the science projects a bit.

We had planned on being back at school in time for our lunch, but with our new time frame, we were in a bit of a quandry as to when we would get to eat lunch.  Miraculously, even though I had never asked for portable lunches, somehow the cafeteria ladies had prepared sack lunches anyway, and that was a saving grace.  We ate outside at 10, then headed off to meet the buses again.

Once we were there, it was a blast.  Another teacher did not have quite the same fun experience as me, saying her kids would not behave and gave our school a really bad name.  But the kids that were in my group were, for the most part, pretty well behaved, especially after my colleague and I came down on them hard at the beginning for running and screaming.  They did well to walk and talk with inside voices after that.

We saw turtles.  We saw Angel Fish.  We saw an albino crocodile.  We saw sharks sitting at the bottom of the tank.  This was odd, because I thought sharks HAD to keep moving, or they would die.  One of the other teachers suggested that there was a current at the bottom of the tank, and that satisfied the sharks' oxygen intake.

The neatest part, though, was the stingray tank.  All of the kids, and teachers of course, got to dip their hands into the tank and actually "pet" the sting rays.  If you've never touched a sting ray (or manta, they're similar), it's a very interesting feel.  Their backs are kind of oily and slimy, and it was like touching one of my student's gelled up hair.

It was a lot of fun watching the kids yelp with fear-tinged excitement when they first touched the rays, and then became used to it and started petting them in earnest.  A few of the rays even swam right up against the glass and came considerably out of the water!

I get to take a field trip by myself tomorrow, as I've been summoned downtown for jury duty.  I don't think I'll have to serve, as I loudly advocate tarring and feathering for even the slightest crime.  Jaywalking, not using blinkers when changing lanes, littering.

Justice will be served!