Last month (May OK so I am a little behind) I went to DC with Brennan and his class. The Sr Class as part of their graduation requirements pick a DC site and do a report on it and while we are there they must give a verbal report (become a docent of sorts). This report makes up almost half of their grade for the Government class.
I have to say that it was a different trip than the one I took with Danni, not in what was seen or what we did but more in the way it was run. We never got lost. We had lunch delivered (WAY COOL) We ran on time (some of time), I think the kids had more “free” time. My feet didn’t come home damaged and we had coffee stops. We did have the “forced march” and “herding up” that was started three years ago with Danni’s class. With all of that the kids still had fun you could tell. As with the other class the kids were amazing. Well behaved, great travelers, considerate to others on Metro. Something to be proud of.
Watching the kids give the reports was great! Some I knew would do wonderfully, I was never concerned about them speaking in public if these guys had been going to MITA the whole time (since sixth grade) they have given verbal report after verbal report. I was very impressed with several of them on the scope of what they thought was important about their particular site. I have to say that you could tell how much they all cared about the site that they were reporting on, and how much each and everyone of them wanted the others to do well. Everyone cheering for the other and celebrating when everything went well!
Of course we had a great amount of fun! Jess getting piggy back rides, letters/flowers/pictures left for the veterans, playing cards, sleeping and of course just goofing off! Watching the look on Brennan’s face while reading the words on the wall at the Lincoln memorial, which in photos never looks as big as it really is in person.
We went different places we never made it to Arlington, but then Danni's class never made it to the Zoo. All in all both trips were amazing for me as a parent.
Hopefully my kids understand what it meant to me to be able to join them on this trip, it’s hard to put into words, it’s like watching them in their final act of being a kid or watching them move into becoming more of an adult. More than the graduation or an 18th birthday, this is something that they have worked on for MOST of the year, and a great amount of pressure was put on them to get each and every milestone of this project done they did it, and at the end they were able to stand the site and give their report in front of teachers, fellow students and a few parents and more than once a random stranger would stop and listen to them.
I have to say that it was a different trip than the one I took with Danni, not in what was seen or what we did but more in the way it was run. We never got lost. We had lunch delivered (WAY COOL) We ran on time (some of time), I think the kids had more “free” time. My feet didn’t come home damaged and we had coffee stops. We did have the “forced march” and “herding up” that was started three years ago with Danni’s class. With all of that the kids still had fun you could tell. As with the other class the kids were amazing. Well behaved, great travelers, considerate to others on Metro. Something to be proud of.
Watching the kids give the reports was great! Some I knew would do wonderfully, I was never concerned about them speaking in public if these guys had been going to MITA the whole time (since sixth grade) they have given verbal report after verbal report. I was very impressed with several of them on the scope of what they thought was important about their particular site. I have to say that you could tell how much they all cared about the site that they were reporting on, and how much each and everyone of them wanted the others to do well. Everyone cheering for the other and celebrating when everything went well!
Of course we had a great amount of fun! Jess getting piggy back rides, letters/flowers/pictures left for the veterans, playing cards, sleeping and of course just goofing off! Watching the look on Brennan’s face while reading the words on the wall at the Lincoln memorial, which in photos never looks as big as it really is in person.
We went different places we never made it to Arlington, but then Danni's class never made it to the Zoo. All in all both trips were amazing for me as a parent.
Hopefully my kids understand what it meant to me to be able to join them on this trip, it’s hard to put into words, it’s like watching them in their final act of being a kid or watching them move into becoming more of an adult. More than the graduation or an 18th birthday, this is something that they have worked on for MOST of the year, and a great amount of pressure was put on them to get each and every milestone of this project done they did it, and at the end they were able to stand the site and give their report in front of teachers, fellow students and a few parents and more than once a random stranger would stop and listen to them.
No comments:
Post a Comment