School kids don’t have as much fun as chaperones

ALBANY â€" Chaperoning kids is definitely not as easy as it seems, but it is not push-to-the-max hard either. In middle school now, there is this idea of having “teams,” where four or more teachers pair up with a collection of students to tackle the same standards but in a creative way. Doing so makes it less boring for students and a tiny less stressful on teachers.

Surprisingly, it works and has worked ever since I was in middle school. Such tactics bring a glow to students, knowing they can count on specific teachers and friends all year long.

One of the highlights of this team approach is that everyone looks forward to the field trips. Going on a field trip means a ticket out of learning … or so the students thought. On school trips, the students are instructed to take notes, as they engage with different settings.

Looking at it from a broader perspective, it isn’t quite as bad because the tour guides give out the answers first.

And there is still time for fun.

The field trips get more interesting and enticing as the year goes on because of its coveted importance and students’ gratitude for learning new and different kinds of material.

Chaperoning students offers just the tip of the cake, when parents can get involved in seeing the everyday life of a seventh-grader. There is almost a middle where patience meets strategy. I chaperoned my brother’s field trip to Chehaw park recently, and I believe I was more excited than the students.

The idea of escaping my everyday life to a much simpler frame is supreme.

As long as you have something to talk about, the kids will cling to you. Kids love to run off at the mouth with just about any subject that comes to their charging mind. It keeps them entertained, and they smile while doing so. Who doesn’t love a good smile on light-hearted children?

As long as they are smiling, there is no room for bad behavior.

To keep them smiling on this trip, I would ask questions that they could relate to such as, “Is your best friend on this trip and would you like to join them some time during the trip?” If the answer was yes, which â€" no-brainier â€" it was, then I would do my best to accommodate their requests. Children love when you do not mimic the teacher as much as possible. They want to be able to count on you for bringing a safe but more fun-loving experience.

I had to keep them on track to get them that A on their assignment. I tried to put myself in their mindset, in order for the students to perform to their highest ability. When working with students of any age range, you want to establish trust first and foremost.

Of course, there will be that one child that is uncontrollably enjoying himself at the expense of chatting, so he will no longer have a mute button. Find him a buddy quick!

It is nearly nostalgic, however, looking at what was once me a decade ago and to learn the hard-knock life all over again. It is the bare of all buttons to push their stamina, especially when the field trip consists of mostly walking.

Such times are for corny jokes and making new friends.

I ended up telling so many jokes that it led the kids astray. Ironic. After lunchtime, the students started to get more antsy about leaving than enjoying the rest of the park. I could expect that, especially after your belly is full. It didn’t help that the sun was shining its heat rays on everyone’s skin.

Surprisingly, keeping their attention was not as tough as I expected. Most of the stations involved hands-on participation, so the kids only paid attention to the heat once the tour guide stopped talking.

The teachers seem to truly appreciate chaperones and their help; so much so, if fact, that some will even give you their personal cell numbers, in case something goes wrong or the chaperone had difficulties with the children. A big help.

Luckily, I did not have trouble with the students because of the hilarious jokes I told. Right. It was a great time, the students were lovely with their moving personalities, and I cannot wait to do it again.

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