First Classroom Field Trip

     This week we took our very first classroom trip.  We visited Bengston's pumpkin patch and together the cooperating teacher and myself wrangled twenty students.  The students had built up so much anxiety and excitement surrounding the visit.  We had one student that cried daily for two weeks because he was so afraid to go on a field trip without a parent, while another student cried daily because her parent would not allow her to go.  I think that field trips are a great way for students not only to build social skills but also to be able to assert some interdependence outside of the classroom.  As teachers, we many times strive to plan each minute of each day.  This, in fact, is a sign of a great teacher.  Field trips give students the chance to show their personalities, to apply what they have learned in the classroom to real life situations.  I noticed how students asked thoughtful questions about animals, they made connections to some of the processes of apple picking and preparing.  I was so proud of my students, and excited to see them in action on future field trips.