Teacherspeak: Fun Outdoors!!!

Field trips are a source of great excitement for students.The excitement begins as soon as they get the circular regarding the field trip and it slowly but surely increases and peaks on the day of the trip.Inside the classroom situations these bundles of energy are manageable but once outside they are difficult to manage.

We planned to go in the last week of September and decided to show the movie Mary Kom ,an inspiring movie of the pugilist who made a name for herself and her country in spite of all the challenges she faced.A ride in the new mono rail was also in the itinerary.

The students arrived early and were a noisy lot as they sat in the hall waiting to board the buses.Teachers had a hard time controlling their excitement and after the roll call we boarded the buses.Had a great time singing songs all along the journey to Bhandup.They sang the parents day songs,a bharud and a Japanese song that I taught with gusto.Once inside the mall we made ourselves comfortable and watched the movie.The screaming and talkative kids watched in complete silence and enjoyed the inspirational movie.Immediately after they had a hundred queries about the movie like how can a small baby be operated upon,what does hawaldar mean ,why they were not given food to eat at the sports camp,why her father did not want her to be a boxer,why didn't Mary's husband feel bad about not playing football,why she does not have a bigger and heavier body if she is a boxer,why didn't the man who won against her in the street fight become a boxer and play for India if he was a better fighter than Mary Kom,why did he become a bad man later,why it is always so that mothers support their children more than the fathers,how is Nainai now,why didn't they show the real Mary Kom's husband at the end of the movie when they showed Mary and her kids,why they did not play the national anthem at the movie hall as they always did before the start of the movie,......and the queries kept coming and I did my best to answer all of them patiently.Yes,as teachers answering innumerable queries like these is a part of our daily job.

Thankfully by the time they got into the buses they were very hungry and food got their undivided attention.It was so heart-warming to see the little ones enjoying eating with their friends,sharing,laughing,talking and discussing about the movie.They enjoyed the burger and snacks provided by Adventure Tours and the yummy goodies packed by their moms. Stomach satiated,they now began their queries about the mono rail.Soon we reached the Wadala depot from where we were to start our rail ride.It was my first ride on the mono rail just as it was for all the other kids.We took turns and made groups of four classes each and rode the mono rail.The inside building was clean and sparkling but there were hardly any other regular passengers.There was a number of security and staff on the monorail premises.The view from the clean and well-maintained building was a contrast to how it was outside.All around ,as far as our eyes could see we could only see hut-ment colonies,garbage piled up,diminishing and encroached upon mangroves,polluting chimneys and the filthy Mithi river.We could also see high rises,fertilizer and petroleum plants and the express-way.

Anyway,with great excitement we awaited our turn and boarded the mono rail.We occupied the first compartment,right next to the motor-man's cabin.The noise and commotion the kids made inside the compartment!!!They jostled for seats and a place near the windows for a better view.Others made a beeline for the rods which were in the centre and the sides of the compartment.The security was dumbstruck as why these kids were so excited and kept looking at them(with a frown )as if they were from Mars.The few passengers who came in with us kept on smiling looking at the excitement of the kids.All through the ride the kids kept on their running commentary about what they could see.Some kids went from one window to another to look out while others tried to hang on to the handle provided for the standees.There were huge shouts whenever the rail made a sharp turn and when it stopped at the stations,The ride took us from Wadala Depot to Chembur and then back to Wadala Depot so it was quite a long ride.Anyone would assume that the latter part of the ride would not be too noisy but it was not so,the noise level was constant throughout and their excitement did not diminish one bit.After the ride we walked back to our buses and again the kids took out their snacks and sang songs on the way back to school.

We reached before the scheduled time so we sat in the classes where there were more queries to answer.Students said they saw all three types of pollution from the mono rail.The students had just learnt about pollution in the EVS unit -Cleaning Our Environment and they said they saw land,water and air pollution during the ride.There was a discussion on the causes,effects and solution to these problems of pollution .I was happy to know how concerned they were and their urge to do something about it.That is the special reward of field trips,the students get to see what they have learnt about in their curriculum.It gives them a first hand look at real life situations and conditions that they have learnt about through their books.Soon,it was time to leave and the kids kept talking about the exciting time they had at the field trip when they were handed over to their respective parents.Undoubtedly,these kids would keep talking about their days experiences to their parents right until their bed time.

What the kids really want is loads and loads of fun and excitement, be it indoors or outdoors! In the process they learn so many things ,this is the real learning.Will be reading about their experiences in their essay this week.Happy to be a part of their experiences and share their excitement.

Here are a few snapshots of the field trip.