I thought I was getting pretty good at taking students on trips. Taking a group of 10 to 20 college aged students into the wild outdoors is like going on an all-inclusive cruise compared to taking 106 sixth graders on a field trip. Field trips with that many
middle schoolers is like hiking into present-day Iran and narrowly escaping with your life. This last Friday myself and my fellow 6th grade educators took our class to Hacienda El Carmen about an hour west of Guadalajara. I had organized the trip about 3 weeks ago when a generous parent invited us to see greenhouses where they grow bell peppers for export and then have lunch and play.
The greenhouses were great- the hacienda employees took control of the kids and took them around and discussed nutrients, plant life cycles, disease and how they care for the plants. The kids loved it and asked all kinds of questions. The best part was the caps and face masks we all had to wear to go into the greenhouses. It looks more like a group of 12-year old doctors. I had no idea it would take 30 minutes to get 106 kids off the bus, 30 minutes to get them back on the bus, 30 minutes to separate them into groups, etc. Trips with that many kids take a lot of time!
Next month we are headed to Guanajuato to stay at the Vicente Fox center for a week. This trip was kind of a test-run for the students. During that week we should get to go to a science center in Monterrey (with an IMAX on surfing) and then hopefully we will meet the ex-president Vicente Fox. I think I'm more excited than the students!
A couple of weekends ago I tried my feet at surfing in Ticla, Michuacan. Here's a couple photos of one of the best beaches I've been to so far:
A couple of weekends ago I tried my feet at surfing in Ticla, Michuacan. Here's a couple photos of one of the best beaches I've been to so far:
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