Case Book Three

Ms. Emmer is talking with two combined classes of girls from the team. The boys are talking with Mr. Gunny. They are getting ready for a weeklong outdoor education trip to a camp that is about 50 miles from the school. The teachers have divided into boys and girls so that they can talk about some issues before the trip.

MS. EMMER: Okay girls. We have covered basics on what to pack, what to do if you get your periods during the trip, and what the situation will be for the toilet and shower facilities. I think that covers all of the personal care issues. Is there anything else there that we need to cover in that area before we move on? (students' heads shake) Okay, the next item on the list is the housing and sleeping arrangements. We have already discussed that the girls will be sleeping in the female sleeping area of the campgrounds, in the small huts, unless you are bringing a tent with you. The boys will be sleeping in the male sleeping area of the campgrounds, in tents that are there permanently. When the camp bell sounds at 10 p.m., all of you must be in the girls' area, and boys in the boys' area. If you cross into the boys area any time between 10 p.m., and 8 a.m., or are found in that area at any other time that is declared to be private time, you will immediately be sent home. You are confined to quarters in the camp director's office until an adult arrives to take you home. You lose any chance to pass your environmental outside labs section of science, and you also will not have the opportunity to do other work that is part of your schooling while you are there. Since you are new to the school this year, learn from two of the sixth graders last year. They were found guilty of violating the rules, and as a result had to go to summer school.

S1: I know one of those girls. It was a lot worse than just summer school! She had to write an apology letter and read it to the entire sixth grade. Her parents made her come to the school board and apologize, so that no one else would lose this opportunity.

S2: Okay, but Ms. Emmer, I really want to know about this whole river lab stuff. I think mud and slimy fishy creatures are not exactly my thing. Do I have to go into the river and get samples? Can't I send a boy in for me. Boys like that stuff, not girls!

MS. EMMER: How do you know you don't like it? Wouldn't it be great if every one of you came back with a river sample that was unique? Wouldn't that really contribute to our learning? Think of the graphs and charts we could do! By the way, what makes you think boys like that stuff and not girls. I love doing river samples. You never know what you will get. Each of you taking a sample each day in your own special segment of the river should really tell us a lot!

S2: My mom freaks when she even touches a fish to cook it. You should see how nuts she goes! She squirms and yells and gives the fish to my step-dad to cook. She won't even touch a worm, much less put it on a hook to catch a fish when we all go fishing. I like her idea to just sit and read a book, and not try to fish!

MS. EMMER: Each of us has things we don't like. It sounds like your mom has learned not to touch fish. However, other people, like your step-dad did learn to touch fish. We will have a great opportunity for each of you to touch all kinds of interesting river-related things. I hope that what you have seen others do doesn't stop you! Now, we have to get back to the checklist. Let's talk about food…

Teacher Notes:

• Schools vary widely in their policies about field trips, overnight trips, etc. Not only do you need to know the policy, but you also need to make sure that you have all of the permission forms you need, all of the arrangements made, and a good understanding by the students of the expectations. If students understand that the trip is a learning experience, a good teacher should be able to clearly provide learning objectives for the trip, study guides, and some sort of assessment of learning.
• When you are going on overnight, or even extended day trips, remember that some students will require medications or other special support that teachers typically have to deal with. In most states, teachers cannot distribute medications to students, and that must be done by a nurse or the student must carry the medications and take when prescribed. Some students "forget" medications when they are not in the same routines, for others, medications may react differently given different levels of physical activity. As a teacher, make sure you have talked with parents of any children on medications to discuss how these will be handled on field trips.