Rick Rolling, youth hostels, and a sugar-fueled army of students. Here’s how I survived 48 hours of chaos, questionable planning, and just a little bit of wine.
Apr 25, 2010
You don’t want to miss my posts Thursday AM thru Friday PM – I will be chaperoning 30 teens to DC for 2 days. And if that is not fodder enough … we’re staying in a youth hostel. Yes, she who thinks roughing it is a hotel without a masseur will be staying at a dorm style youth hostel. Oh, this will be fun …
Apr 29, 2010
I now know what the “Oh” stands for in military time, as in oh-four-thirty: Oh Christ on a cracker, four-thirty is early!
Apr 29, 2010
Estimated time of departure: 6:15.
Real time; 6:45.
Number of children in van 12.
Number of adults: 2.
Odds of all 14 making it to DC uninjured and/or without a felony: 50/50
Apr 29, 2010
I have discovered:
- my favorite children are unconscious children
- headphones turned up too loud sound like mosquitos in a dog fight
- if you promise a child you will throw him from a moving vehicle if he asks to go to the bathroom before you get to the bridge tunnel he will definitely go before you leave on the trip.
Apr 29, 2010
Well, they’re awake now. Check your bingo cards, we have:
- I have to go to the bathroom
- Are we there yet?
- How much longer?
- She spilled her drink on me!
- Tell him to move over.
- We need: I’ll turn this van around and don’t make me come back there for the diagonal.
Apr 29, 2010
To pass time the children decided to sing … Commercial jingles! Managed to tune them out and suddenly I get acapella Rick Rolled! Yes, my students are singing Never Gonna Give You Up, a song older than anyone of them, and watching me giggle insanely.
Maybe I should have gotten more sleep last night.
Apr 29, 2010
Fuel, potty, convenience store stop:
8 monster energy drinks, 2 one liter mt dews, 2 dr. Peppers, 6 bags of chips, 5 donuts, 7 candy bars, various and assorted slim jims, gum & candy.
Please god, don’t let the sugar rush hit until we’re there!!!!!!
Apr 29, 2010
So up at 4:30, 3 1/2 hours in a van with 12 teenagers and 3 hours at the Holocaust Museum.
Such an up with people morning.
Can it get any more fun?!?!?
Apr 29, 2010
Lunch at the Lincoln memorial- couldn’t ask for a more beautiful setting!
Apr 29, 2010
Lunch, Lincoln, & Vietnam done. Onto White House & more Holocaust Museum.
Kids whining about all the walking. Lightweights!!! Little do they know we’re marching their little butts off so they pass out at the hostel.
Adults- crafty & evil!!!!!!!!
Apr 29, 2010
Headed to the hostel … Brace yourselves!!!!
Apr 29, 2010
Oh Christ on a cracker. You would not believe this shit. This show is officially being run by Laurel & Hardy with technical consulting from the 3 stooges.
Details later..
Right now I have to go well, most appropriate visual would be unfuck a brothel….
Apr 29, 2010
Sooo … Really no organization & planning on this trip.
Today was supposed to be Holocaust Museum & Dunbarton Oaks. Planners realized museum is actually a whole day event after about 20 minutes in the museum.
Well duh.
Museum in the morning then drive to monuments for lunch.
Bright idea fairy visits during lunch and one of the leads decided “let’s have kids walk back to museum via White House!”
Clearly no concept of distance but ok.
Back to the museum by 4:30. Rushed to finish by 6. Walk back to the park 6:30, hostel by 7 hahaha
Not funny!
Apr 29, 2010
I’m preparing to enter “the shower room” if I’m not back in 30 minutes start looking for a body!!!!!
Apr 29, 2010
Oh sweet Morpheus, wrap me in your oblivious embrace for I have battle yet again tomorrow and rest is the armor of the intrepid.
OR
F*ck am I tired & I have to do this shit again tomorrow?!?!?
Apr 30, 2010
The kids in my room finally died at 1 am– how the hell do you do the day we did & then stay up to 1 AM texting?!?
Oh well.
They popped out if bed at 7 and were ready with no fuss at all.
Kids dressed, lunches made, breakfast done.
Time to conquer the city!!! Natural and Air & Space Museums today. What shenanigans will Friday bring?!?? 😉
Apr 30, 2010
Dinos!!!! Chillaxin till 10 when we get to see the dinos!!!!
Apr 30, 2010
Love the Smithsonians!!! Where else can you see a T-Rex, Maria-Louisa’s diadem AND monkeys in one stop!!!! Although I am a bit hungry right now, lol
Apr 30, 2010
Jeanine came up & had lunch with me on the lawn. Thank you sooo much for the mental health break!!!!!
At Air & Space now.
1 hour until we head for the buses & home.
All still alive & the only one we lost was an adult, hahaha
Apr 30, 2010
Well it’s official — I’m a shit. Just made one of our chaperone moms cry because I was yelling at some lolly-gagging kids. I suck.
Apr 30, 2010
He he he my OTHER dastardly plan has worked. 20 minutes in the van & and all 12 are ZONKED!!! Quiet ride home – YEAH!!!!!
Apr 30, 2010
Food stop in Ruther Glen. Still 3 hours from home & the kids have fallen on a poor unsuspecting Wendy’s like the Vandals on Rome. A moment of silence for the unsuspecting fuckers in the funhouse (credit to the late great George Carlin for funhouse line)
Apr 30, 2010
Departed with 30 kids & 8 adults, returned with 30 & 8- hope we brought the right one’s home.
Left with 0 felonies on my record, returned with 0 felonies on my record – note I did not say “without committing a felony.”
Stopped by the stop & rob on the way home for a bottle of cheap wine, heading to MY OWN SHOWER and curling up in MY OWN BED with cheap bottle of wine.
Someone wake me up around June.
Final Thoughts:
Field trips remind us that the classroom isn’t the only place where learning happens—it’s in the messy, chaotic moments where we connect with students as people, not just pupils. Sure, there were bumps (and sleep deprivation), but the laughter, shared experiences, and memories made it all worthwhile. Sometimes, the greatest lessons come from stepping outside of our comfort zones—whether that’s staying in a youth hostel or braving a van ride with 30 teens.
- Teachers: What’s the craziest field trip story you’ve ever experienced?
- Parents: How do you survive long road trips with kids? Any tips or tricks?
- If you could take a trip to any museum, which would you choose and why?
30 Teens, 2 Days, 1 Hostel: A Teacher’s Survival Story
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R Gardner

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