Mandigirl Muses: First Field Trip

Friday, November 9, 2007

First Field Trip

Today marked a special occasion in Gracie's life: her very first school field trip. She was so jealous last year when Bub boarded the bus with his class for a trip to the Pumpkin Patch (though we'd been there ourselves many, many times). Now it was her turn, and absolutely everyone knew about it. I was a chaperone for the trip, which made it that much more fun for the little Mama's girl. The field trip consisted of an educational concert at the Will Rogers Auditorium in Fort Worth, followed by a picnic lunch at Trinity Park. It was a fun day, indeed!

As for my chaperoning responsibilities, they were far easier than I anticipated. I worked as a substitute teacher while in college, and while I have the utmost respect for school teachers, subbing made it so clear that teaching is not for me. Actually, what became clear through that job is the fact that I am not equipped to handle children en masse, regardless of the venue. I'm afraid of children in large hordes -- they will sense my fear, and they will take me out. (I don't mind babies en masse, which is why in the past I've been a 0-9 month nursery volunteer, but that's only because I can outrun a newborn.) To be a chaperone for today's events, I imagined keeping up with many little kids, but fortunately, I had only my own and one other little charge. Not hard at all.

The most fun, though, was being able to torture Gracie's sweet little teacher. This teacher is the absolute best, and I really enjoy her a great deal. I think that feeling is mutual, because she called me this morning at 7:00 to see if her mom could ride with me to the show. "Well, of course," I sweetly replied, though my devious intentions were immediately caught. Sweet teacher promply said that her mother, Mrs. D, was resticted from revealing any information at all about her, no matter how juicy it may be.

The best part, though, is the fact that I'm kind of sneaky, and Mrs. D is kind of talkative in that super-fun, sweet Texas Mama way. We just had the best time spending the day together. I'd get her talking in a round-about way, and when she'd realize she was talking about "her Laura," she'd "bubble up," meaning hush. All day long when I'd see Sweet Teacher, she'd looked so worried. To ease her fears, I sent an e-mail at the end of the day letting her know that I, in fact, did not get any juicy details about her, though I now know all there is to know about her brother, her Daddy, all ten of her nieces and nephews, and various residents of Greenwood, Texas.