Field Trip

This week I went through a teacher rite of passage: leading my first field trip. As a student I never gave much thought to these beyond how nice it was to have a day off school. Now I totally understand why the school made all us students wear red polo shirts when we went out. 

After much emailing and list-making, I took my nine students downtown to see two churches in order to give them a visual aid for our history classes. Two of the other teacher-moms came along as we boarded the metro (a first for some of my students) and walked around ancient Sofia.

First, we went to St. George's Rotunda where we indulged in the treats of Byzantine Era construction, Justinian restoration, and Roman Ruins.  

 
Back view of St. George's, probably built around 313 AD

 
The frescoes on the inside of the church (This picture is from the web)

We left St. George's, stopping to take a group shot by this fun fountain:

After stopping in a nearby park for a snack and break (I had been making them walk SO much), we made it to Alexander Nevsky Cathedral. Before heading inside to gain more knowledge, we had to take some pictures on Aslan.
 
Boy's shot

 
Girl's shot

We finally made it to the cathedral. I basically gave the students a scavenger hunt and let them walk around and find certain things inside. I stayed at the front to answer questions and make sure no one was running around or shouting, but they all did a good job of being respectful.
 
When they had finished observing thing inside the church, we sat outside on the steps to talk about what they had seen. Here's an action shot:
And then, because it's me, there was an Asian Invasion.
 
Yep. This group of Koreans just jumped right in with my students. At first I thought they wanted to benefit from my wealth of knowledge. But really, they just wanted pictures with my adorable students. And look at those faces... who wouldn't? 

My first field trip was certainly exciting! But not so exciting that I will never do another one. No children were run over by cars, buses, or metros, in accordance with my rules. So, I'd say it was a good trip!

Thanks Glenda for letting me use your pictures!

 
 


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Almost Christmas?

Image
Well... so much for regular blog updates. Since I write frequently, I thought it wouldn't be difficult too keep updating this once I returned, but it turns out I'm too in danger of becoming an actual "blogger." If you know me for very long, you'll discover that when I feel strongly about anything at all, I write an essay about it. I keep being tempted to post these musings on my blog, but so far I've resisted. I'm not quite ready to become that person. In the meantime, I can do part educational blog/part life update. Thanksgiving just flew by and found me in the reminiscing spirit. Two years ago, I was thankful for seeing my mom for the first time seven months. Last year, I was thankful for Julie and making our dream of exploring London together a reality.  This year, I was thankful for being with my whole family for the first time in two years. It was eventful, as always, but wonderful, too.  In between eating turkey and rolls, I'v...
Read more

New Year: New Goals: 52 New Recipes

My goal is to make a new recipe every week this year! I'm posting them to keep track of what I've tried and what I'd like to change next time. 1.  Beef Stroganoff   Recipe:   1.5 lb beef (sorloin tips recommended, I found beef fajita strips)  8 oz egg noodles  6 oz beef broth  6 oz chicken broth  Cream of mushroom soup (instead of mushrooms)  Onion  Garlic 2/3 cup sour cream - ~ Total Cost: ~ $10 + pantry staples  Basic Directions Brown beef in skillet Take out and pan fry onions and garlic in oil/beef drippings Add 2 tbs flour and whisk Add broths   Probably add something else? Re-add meat, cover and let simmer for 30 min Add egg noodles, cover and let cook for 20 min Source : America’s Test Kitchen Cookbook Why I chose it : We found an inordinate amount of egg noodles while reorganizing the pantry Things I liked Savory, warm, comfort food feel Beef actually ended up pr...
Read more

Escaped Snakes and Silly Students

Image
Three weeks ago, I embarked on a new school adventure in America. Actually, it started more that three weeks ago, as I carefully, lovingly set my room up. I arranged the desks, the books, my teacher desk, my boards, all the way I wanted them. I even got permission to paint the wall in my room blue and make my students a bit happier.  Planning for the first quarter My lovely bookcase, organized by color.  My degree did NOT include classes on painting.  After some training and meetings, I finally got to meet my students. I have 7, 8, and 10th grade English classes. The first week, we didn’t do too much intense work, as I wanted to get to know them and train them to be in my class. We did do a day of goal setting where I asked them what they wanted to do and who they wanted to be in 10 years. Then we worked backwards and set academic and character goals for this school year and put them up on the wall on these colorful notecards. My finished wall ...
Read more