First off let me say that this this Tour is filled with great kids, but collectively they are fabulous. They learned about patience, cooperation, flexibility, power of observation, friendship, and personal stamina. If this does not sound like your child then read on...
Patience - Hurry up and wait was the theme of today's whirlwind tour through NYC. A group this large is like herding cats.
- breakfast wait
- bus wait
- ferry wait
- Lady Liberty wait
- Ellis Island wait
- wait for bathroom
- wait watch street performer
- walk walk Wall Street wait
- lower east side wait
- listen wait, nod wait, daydream wait, fighting-to-stay-interested wait
- realize-bad-I-smell wait
- order food wait
- walk walk turn-around-because-Metro Phil-was-confused walk back wait
- wait Top of the Rock
- OMG the view wait
- wait for bus
- can not WAIT to go to BED
Cooperation - All of the groups are given jobs every day. They have to communicate and cooperate to get things done. I expect soon our little groups will no longer be as important as the bus grouping and/or the group as a whole.
Flexibility - Today’s lesson was the mandatory participation of being flexible. Lots of questions were asked but never a complaint was muttered The kids have never been handed a schedule so they must trust each other and the adults on the trip. This also makes the skill of listening very important. Marybeth and Phil seem to like to the term "fully present" when requesting the group listen to the next round of instruction.
Power of Observation - When you bring students from a small town to a new and fascinating place you hope they use their power of observation to appreciate the experience. Yesterday not so much, but today they had a chance to see the city come alive. Most of the commentary seemed to center around the smells, the clothing, the crazies, and the general disorder of the city. Heat is not a friend to the likes of China Town. FUNK = Enough said!
Friendship - In one day the kids mindset has gone from "me and my friends" and has grown into the sense of GROUP. In turn, the groups are starting to develop personalities. The team leaders are also starting to bond - friendships and "personalities" are also developing in this camp as well. I have enjoyed watching the shy kids and/or the kids who might watch from the outside come alive in such a short time. After dinner tonight, the kids were WAITING (imagine that) and had a chance to compare stories of the day. The shared laughter, they shared treats, they mingled around talking. No one was left out. One girl told me excitedly that she had spoken with more of her classmates today than she had in three years of middle school. Her smile made all the walking and waiting worth it.
Personal Stamina - According to my FitBit, we logged in a total of 8.56 miles today. We had walked more by 10:30 than we did all day yesterday. This might not be 100% accurate, but Bus 1 was certainly proud of their accomplishment. Please realize that the kids might have mentioned having tired legs and sore feet, but this is very different from whining about walking. Basically it is ingenious to set kids up into small groups to walk long distances. They chatter while walking and the distance is a non-issue. However, the real key to their good behavior is removing parents from the equation and the knowledge of where they are actually going. They say, "Knowledge is power," therefore the lack of knowledge = 0 whiners.
Overall a great day giving the kids a taste of NYC. The exposure to different cultures, ethnicities, and traditions has helped to open the "the box". Seeing, feeling, empathizing, and the general awareness of others is prompting probing questions into the world that buzzes around us.
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