Just to be clear, I’ve always had the utmost admiration for teachers and what they do every day.
But this perception increased ten-fold after getting a firsthand glimpse into those teachers doing what they do best in the literal field. We’re talking field trips here. I accompanied my son’s annual kindergarten outing last week – this time around to Mapleton Organic – and I was put into their shoes for a few hours. And damn, it isn’t easy what they do.
That said, I can’t imagine having a full class of 30ish tykes day in and day out. I got off relatively easy for Finn’s field trip, having to only wrangle three of them, my son included. I’ve garnered some experience in this realm before at birthday parties, splash pad outings and such when I was responsible for more than just my two kids, but those took place in a relatively contained area. The farm was a completely different animal, pun intended, with a lot of different facets, vehicles and other potential dangers at play if someone happened to wander somewhere they shouldn’t be. In short, I had to be on my toes.
My group was pretty good; they stuck together for the most part, save for one who tried to lose me more than once. Whether on purpose or not I’m not 100 per cent sure, but he was crafty. After making our first stop to the dairy barn to see the cows and calves, we planted some seeds in containers to take home, and then it was time for the main attraction – at least from the kids’ perspective. I wasn’t exactly looking forward to it, personally.
If you’ve never been, Mapleton Organic features a massive hedge maze complete with a play pirate ship climber fixed at its centre. The kids couldn’t wait to get in there and find said ship. I told them going in that we should stick together to find it, and for the most part they agreed. Within six seconds of passing through the entrance, Finn and another boy in the group had bolted out of sight. Being a parent for a few years now, I totally expected this and wasn’t overly worried. I just made sure my ‘wanderer’ stayed within my vision, and although I really had to hustle at times, I accomplished this. Barely.
That maze wasn’t exactly beginner-level status. It was tough, and took a solid 20 minutes before we found the pirate ship and the other two in our quartet. They spent a good chunk of time playing there, and the parents and teachers in the group eventually managed to get everyone out safely again and accounted for. Keeping them from doubling back into the maze to have another go at the ship throughout the day was a much more difficult task.
There were plenty more animals, photo opps and snacks throughout the rest of our stay. A personal highlight for me was when we were visiting a smaller barn that contained a miniature horse, a big old hog, goats, chickens, and a particularly randy rooster. This fellow took it upon himself to give our group of tykes… let’s say… a rather graphic representation of the avian copulation process.
There were some screams from some of the kids (and maybe a parent or two) as Randy the Rooster finally ran down his target and completed his objective with several onlookers crowded around. I couldn’t hold back the laughter, and asked one of the tour guides accompanying us if he’d care to explain to the kids what just went down. It apparently was also one of Finn’s highlights of the trip, and he couldn’t wait to tell his mom and grandparents about the ‘chicken fight’ he had witnessed.
In the end, everyone made it back on the bus safely and back to the school. After we got home, I was gassed – not really an irregular state these days as I creep up on 40. The whole field trip was only about four hours, but it felt much longer.
Finn’s teachers are younger than I, but I’m sure the experience was tiring and stressful for them as well, and certainly amplified by the fact that they were responsible for the entire group making it from A to B and back again. Whenever it comes around to potential labour disputes between the teachers’ unions and the government, you typically hear grumbling from one corner or another that ‘the teachers are making enough,’ and they don’t warrant the salary increases they are requesting. I would argue that these folks don’t have any idea what they’re talking about. Not until you see these educators in action on ground zero.
Class sizes are forever increasing, extra-curricular demands on teachers’ time are ever present, and there are always students that require more attention than others. Whether they’re teaching kindergarten or high school, they have to know a staggering amount of material while constantly navigating new technology, and providing guidance and appropriate discipline where required. I say pay them what they want and say thank you. A literal ‘thank-you’ from the parents from time to time would no doubt go a long way as well.
Journalism can be a fairly thankless profession – typically you’re apt to hear more about what you screwed up than what you did well. But teaching is a whole other ball of wax. I’m grateful to those who decide to make shaping young minds their career. I certainly couldn’t.
Thanks for reading and I’ll see you back here in a fortnight.
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This is a bi-weekly opinion column; for question or comment contact Dan McNee at dmcnee@midwesternnewspapers.com.
