Responsibility by Judy Lyden

If the word "responsibility" can be defined in regards to the project of caring for children outside the home, I believe one would say, "Responsibility is the ability to see the larger picture, understand all the human dynamics, and then enter into the play making a difference for the better."

On June 17, our staff of five took forty-eight children and seventeen adults on a twelve hour field trip to an aquarium two cities and two states east of our own. It's a huge responsibility to endeavor even to plan such a feat of human engineering, but to make the trip successful and know the children will have a great time takes super commitment. So when I started thinking about this field trip in regards to the project of our care for the children who come to us, I had to examine the larger picture, all the human dynamics, and the entering into the play...

Here are the steps to making a trip like this possible:

Making a decision on whether it can be done with such a large group of very young children (3-12) means understanding the larger picture of early child care. Children should be able to do these things - go by bus to another city to see something wonderful. They should have the discipline and the interest to see something as breathtaking as the Newport Aquarium and remember it. They should be able to separate long enough to do this. They should have the deportment to behave well enough to enjoy this.

And I knew the trip would never come about by simply thinking about it. It's easy to say, "Oh, let's take the kids..." and name a destination and then step out of the play to wait for someone else to take the initiative and do all the work. It's no different in families when one of the spouses casually initiates a vacation, and then drops the ball waiting for the other to do all the legwork, the calls, the reservations, the finances etc. And it's not a power play; it's a quiet commitment of time, talent and treasure to a larger purpose - educating children.

So taking the job on the dreary and ponderous work of time schedules, time zones in this case, places to stop, and reservations means putting "me" away for a short time as a test of human dynamics. How early can we leave; how late can we return; who is going to want to come along; will parents like this for their children; how is lunch going to fit into this; where we will toilet; and how many reservations do I need and when? Questions, questions, questions, and each one needing an answer NOW!

Once these things are organized, it's time to make the plan public and get the faculty and parents excited about it. Once again, having the big picture and understanding the human dynamics come into play. Will parents think their children are too young? Will teachers want to do this work? Will this be too long for some kids? Announcements help and direct and forthright talking to parents helps re-set a questionable stage.

On the day of the trip, the responsibility of faculty to be on time, to be well rested and in a child friendly mood in order to do the work each has promised to do is crucial to the success of the trip. Responsible people will enter the game on time, will fulfill the responsibilities that hold their name, and will make a difference and not just be along for the ride.

Making absolutes is a gigantic part of understanding all the human dynamics:

"We are leaving at 7:00 a.m., and we will leave without anyone who is not there."
"You may not come without your reservation form and fee."
"You may not come without your field trip shirt, your green card filled in, shorts and your socks and shoes."
"Your child must be picked up on time after the field trip."
"Your child must keep track of his own belongings."
"Children must toilet on all group occasions because we are not stopping the bus."

How will parents cope with the absolutes? Who will take the responsibility of turning families away from a school trip who simply will not assume their part of the responsibilities? Late? Half dressed? No forms?

Can faculty be expected to keep track of thirty- six green shirts, four blue, one pink, six white and one flag shirt because parents couldn't find...didn't know...didn't think...? And what about the faculty member who says it's OK that parents couldn't find, didn't know, didn't think? That's more than an oops. That's more than mutiny; that's a punishing disregard for everyone present and a total lack of responsibility.

It is a fact that when a child is accompanied by his parent on a field trip, his or her behavior drops to the lowest level of his human history. Tears, tantrums, dirty tricks, refusal of cooperation, special consideration, special rules all apply to kids with parents. But at the same time, if parents want to spend this holiday day with their children, that's a good thing, right? Knowing that children will behave poorly or at least differently than if the parent was not there is understanding the dynamics. Knowing when to step in is the hard part. When parents give into all the tricks children are able to juggle at one time, trips can become nightmares for parents who don't want to "spoil" it with discipline. Yet children couldn't care less that they have spoiled the trip for themselves, the parent and everyone around them.

This is when good teachers should step in. Head count lines are for everyone; even Mr. and Miss Spoilo. Bathroom times are for everyone too. Lunch lines are for children only. Parents have their own line. These headcount, toilet and lunch lines are probably a good times to separate parents from children, and understanding that and understanding how to do that is a "responsibility" of good childcare.

Keeping order, keeping the schedule, making sure everyone is accounted for, fed, watered, and toileted is all in a days work for someone holding responsibility by the throat. When staff and parents cooperate, children will too, and the day rolls by without a glitch.

Doing the big trips, pulling it all together, working out the details, and doing the job at hand is what makes a good place for kids better. It's a matter of seeing that huge picture of experience and discovery, understanding who is going to do what to whom, why and how, and still stepping into the play with an even hand and a smile. It's about kids...