One of which is fieldtrips. I was shocked that first year of kindergarten when the note came home for their fieldtrip and it said something like "champerones will be picked on a first come, first served basis". What? Not every parent could go? I was lucky enough to be one of the chosen for that particular trip.
Other years your name would be put into a hat and the teacher would draw the number of chaperones needed. I think I got picked a lot not because I was lucky with the draw, but because I was active in the school and the teacher and students all knew me. There were very few trips I missed with my boys. I enjoyed those trips (aside from the long bus rides) and am glad I was a parent who was able to do them.
Autumn was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes (T1D) the spring before she started kindergarten. Suddenly these fieldtrips had me feeling sick to my stomach. What if I didn't get picked? I couldn't let her leave the school for an entire day on a fieldtrip without me. At this time I knew nothing about 504's and school plans for Diabetics. Lucky for me the principal at the school was wonderful and helped me with it all. She strongly advised that it be put in Autumn's 504 that I attend every fieldtrip. Woo Hoo! I was in no matter what! Not only could I take care of my child, I would get to experience all the excitement and fun with the other kids.
Monday we went to the zoo. It had been a good 3-4 years since I have been to the Detroit Zoo. (The Toledo Zoo is our zoo of choice). When the bus was on the exit ramp waiting to turn onto the bridge I looked over at the zoo and saw what looked like a million kids and at least a thousand school buses! I have to admit, I got a little nervous. I was only in charge of 5 kids. But mix 5 kids in with a million others and things could get ugly.
My group came up with a plan. We would head to the back of the zoo first and make our way back. It was the perfect plan. It wasn't as crowded as I feared and the kids stayed with me. We had a wonderful time.
Being a chaperone to the boys now is a whole different story. They don't want me to go on their fieldtrips anymore. It hurts a little, but I respect it. I remember what it was like to be a teenager. Now I'm just a vehicle to take them from place-to-place in the off-school hours. I don't dare get out of the car though. Drop off's only! Their friends do hang out at my house and I'm allowed to talk to them, so I guess I'm not that embarrassing!
Either way...fieldtrips or transportation...just call me Mommy Chaperone!
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