Today we have a field trip. This field trip has been a long standing tradition at our school system, perhaps dating back about 25 years.
The visit relates closely to our endangered species study, and provides students with an opportunity to hear about the work and life of a family that has dedicated their time and attention to saving animals on the brink of extinction.
It is a long ride in a noisy bus to our destination, yet we secured the better busses with movie screens so we can watch an entertaining film about saving endangered animals, The Amazing Panda Adventure, while we travel.
I've been on this field trip about 10-15 times (I've lost count), and it will be important for me today to treat this trip with the same enthusiasm and intent as the first time I traveled this path. The children are excited, and there's much to learn.
I am the kind of person who is always looking for a new adventure, project or challenge, but I have to remind myself that there's strength in tradition and the treasured ways of the past too. That's the delicate and important balance of choreographing a year's learning for students.
