The Day of the Field Trips (a.ka. Day of the Dead Em)

Yesterday was the day. Pain was at a high. Patience was at a low. My day started 45 minutes earlier than usual (at 7:45am) and ended 2 hours later than usual (at 6:30). Yes, from 7:45 until 6:30, I was chasing small children around. Chasing small children during a field trip to BYU, chasing small children during a fire drill and chasing small children around "Hee Haws." I am tired!!

Field Trip #1
BYU - Smith Field House
All the "wanna-be elementary P.E. teachers" got a big dose of reality as my first graders ran into their previously carefully set up gym. I sat back and watched and laughed as they tried their best to get the 30 first-graders to hit a ball with a bat, throw a football, jump rope and (most amusing of all) listen and follow simple directions. By the end of the hour, the college students had tears in their eyes and the first-graders were whining. "Man, that was boring!" "Ya, the best part of this stupid field trip was the bus ride!" If anything, the college students at least learned about the brutal honesty of elementary students.

Fire Drill
Wasatch Elementary
I had a meeting at 7:45am where we all got lectured about what to do during fire drills. And by "lectured" I mean they handed us a red piece of paper that went through what each job position does in a fire situation. And since my job title wasn't on there, it wasn't much help at all. But, since I knew what time the fire drill was scheduled to be, I just let my student go early so I wouldn't have to deal with it. Instead, I watched the complete chaos unfold as I casually walked from class to class and searced for missing children. This is what I found...
Niel (a boy in my first-grade class)
"Hey, buddy. Aren't you supposed to be outside?"
"I already did that."
"But then you were supposed to go find your neighborhood color."
"Oh. I thought we were supposed to come back in."
"No, we're pretending the building is on fire right now."
"Oh. Where's my class?"
"Outside. Right there. See your teacher? She's the one looking frantically around for you."
"Hehe. Ya. See ya!"

Field Trip #2
Pleasant Grove? Hee Haws.
I was placed in charge of four children. Two of them were bigger than me and one was autistic. Hee Haws is a wonderful place. This dirt palace of the world has a huge corn maze in the shape of some famous Jazz player. Whatever. But the thing was dang hard. And I'm not smart. And the kids I was with were in the special program for a reason. We kept getting lost.
"Miss Hansen? Which way are we supposed to go?"
"This is about you finding your way. What fun would it be if I just told you?"
Eventually I figured out how to backtrack and we went out the entrance.
"Look! We made it! Way to go!"

I came home dirty, tired and with the headache of my life. And yet, I was a happy girl! I love those kids! I love my job!