It’s been five years now since I’ve had to deal with the exuberance and hormones of eighth graders, so today was a living blast from the past! Either I’ve shrunk a little more, or they grow kids pretty tall down here. I think everyone of those young students was taller than I am. 
I was at the station to help teach them how to fish. What a hoot that was! They were afraid of the two carpenter bees that were zooming around the fishing pier, and, of course, didn’t have the patience to allow the shrimp bait to stay in the water long enough to attract any fish to their poles, but I think it was one of their two favorite stations as it provided a hands on experience. I’m happy to report that no one received any wounds from fish hooks, but we also didn’t catch any fish. I really enjoyed interacting with all the kids, and it sure didn’t hurt that I’m sure most of them felt comfortable with someone that could be their grandmother. 
Two of the other four stations were more of a lecture type learning experience. One was on pollution of water sheds, and the other was on salinity testing. All of these experiences were provided through an outreach grant for underprivileged students.
The fourth station had two parts to it. The first involved netting creatures from the brackish water of the bayou. The kids were more than happy to put on rubber boots and net the shallow waters of the shoreline.
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The second part involved kids learning how to properly toss a bait net into the bayou. There is definitely a finesse to doing this. I could see that things haven’t changed much in five years. Take a look at the first picture in this series. Before I retired, I had a constant battle with male students to pull their pants up. Who wants to see someone’s underwear?? Guess I’ll never understand that fashion statement where guys have to waddle along so their pants don’t completely fall to the ground.
I think the students enjoyed their field trip today. I know I did!
Thanks for stopping by…. talk to you later, Judy
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I would have loved spending the day like this. I always wanted to be a teacher but that never came to be so I spent endless hours volunteering at my sons' school. I loved the kids and watching them learn and experiencing new things. Lucky you and lucky kids!!
ReplyDeleteI admire your patience and interest in the kids. I bet this is something they will talk about for a long time to come. BTW what is that plant that is in your header...it's striking! Is it really as red as it appears in the photo?
ReplyDeletePants on the ground, pants on the ground, looking like a fool with your pants on the ground! I agree with you -- cannot understand why kids want to show their underwear & waddle along with their pants around their knees...lol. Sounds like it was a perfect match with you & the kids -- AWESOME!
ReplyDeletewhat a lucky bunch of kids to spend a field trip experiencing all that in one day!..geesshh..wish that kid would pull up his pants!!!
ReplyDeleteRemember when the style was for jeans to be so tight you had to lye down to get them zipped.
ReplyDeleteI think they wear their clothes to get a reaction from adults - the more negative the better!
ReplyDeleteToday was a beautiful sunny day and it warmed up in the afternoon while I was out running errands. I saw several girls wearing miniskirts, and I thought to myself, good lord I actually wore skirts like that back in the 60's. Forty years from now these kids will be wondering about the young generation, and I hope their grandchildren are wearing their pants low. Poetic justice!
Went to the grocery store in Kalispell, MT and watched as a kid came out carrying two bags of groceries. His waddle didn't work and his pants ended up around his ankles and down he went. And all I could do was stand there and laugh. I know I should have helped him but I just couldn't stop laughing long enough.
ReplyDeleteNot sure I would have the patience any more but I haven't been around a group of young people for so long who knows. I bet they loved your station.
What an awesome experience for those kids. Bet they had a blast and learned a few things, too!
ReplyDeleteGlad you had a fun day with all the kids!
ReplyDeleteWhile I am glad that you enjoyed your time with the kids, I also think it’s good that the kids had this opportunity. If more people would/could take the time to listen to and be with kids, we would grow many more responsible adults than we currently do. Nice post!
ReplyDeleteJohn
relaxedrush.blogspot.com
What a great experience for the kids to enjoy and learn to respect nature with guidance from people like you.
ReplyDeleteI drove school bus for a couple years....nuff said!!
ReplyDeleteI just know you were one great teacher!!! How fun to get "back on that horse" and ride, ride, ride....And no worries, paperwork, or disciplinary issues..You just let them experience what YOU love...outdoors!!
ReplyDeleteThe pants thing starts about age 10 and hopefully goes away by age 19...whatever.
Great header picture! I seem to shrink a little every year, or my kids are still growing?
ReplyDeleteI am glad you enjoyed the flash back with the kids. I have met teachers who have left the profession, who run at the first site of students.
Our daughter teaches third grade and still remains excited about it after five years.
Amen to all of the above!
ReplyDeleteHow fun! Looks like everyone enjoyed it! I'm with you ~ walking around with your pants down...
ReplyDeleteLooks like a fun day. I have had the pants battle with one of my sons. he claims its because he doesn't have a but to hold the up. Yea right, like I am going to go with that excuse.
ReplyDeleteLooks like the kids had a great time.
ReplyDeleteLooks like a great day for the kids. The pants thing is just silly. They have no conception of how silly they look.
ReplyDeleteI was gonna say what Alan and Marilyn already said! Guess they watch American Idol too... lol
ReplyDeleteGlad you had a fun day!
Looks like you had a wonderful day. And yeah, that pants thing--just as ridiculous now as those white go go boots we used to wear with everything in the late 60's.
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