McColins Fieldtrip

I usually work at the Achievers School at the edge of Ho, but today I went on a field trip with the McColins group. It all started when the bus full of about 80 kids came rolling into our front yard two hours late. They were all singing at the top of their lungs before the five of us who were going on this fieldtrip to the dam had even stepped on the bus. What I enjoyed most about this fieldtrip was how completely opposite it was from a fieldtrip from my childhood. Instead of being told to sit down and stay relatively quiet the entire bus ride, teachers were instead telling kids to stand up, be loud, and sing. Instead of the teachers just sitting at the front of the bus worrying about making sure all the kids stay safe during the fieldtrip, the teachers were in the middle of the bus, in the aisles singing louder and having more fun than all the kids on the bus. Michael was the teacher who was leading most of the songs and I have literally never seen a grown up enjoy themselves that much singing childrens songs with 80 kids. You could just tell that he absolutely loved what he did, and his enthusiasm was infectious.

When we got to the dam all the kids filed off (no head counts were done, I suppose the teachers just trusted all the kids to not get lost and to get back on the bus at the end of the day). We were lead around the dam by a tour guide and all the kids listened attentively and took notes as she spewed out facts. I was so impressed how they went from complete hysteria and craziness on the bus to composing themselves and focusing only five minutes later. The dam was beautiful and so relaxing. But still my favorite part was being with the kids and teachers and seeing how none of them were stressed about losing kids or making sure everyone was behaving themselves. It was like their was an unspoken trust between the teachers and the students that kept this chaos organized. The kids were just so happy and grateful to get this experience and they made sure they took advantage of it, I think that's why the teachers didn't have to worry about how they were behaving. I never thought I would go on another field trip after high school, especially not in Ghana. But I have to say, today I learned more than I ever thought I could on a field trip.