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Just An Event

Today is not going to be an "I'm awesome" post after all; unless you count going on a field trip with about 200 second graders and riding on the bus with them for 30 minutes each way and losing my charges in the crowded museum about 6 times awesome. If that is awesome, then I'm awesome. So are all of the other parents who went and so are the teachers who have to put up with second graders every day. Do you know the song that has a line that goes, "'though we adore men individually, we agree that as a group they're rather stupid." That is how I feel about second graders. I was a bit dumbfounded when I was having a conversation with Sarah's and Estelle's first grade turned second grade teacher say that she hoped to be teaching second grade next year because she loves second grade. I'm glad she does. I'm glad she does. She was a cute first grade teacher and first graders are cute, but kids go a little weird in second grade. They learn all the silly jokes and inappropriate potty talk in second grade. The same ones that I learned when I was in second grade are being spread around still. 

And I have to say that I'm counting down the number of elementary school field trips I will be required to attend. I am pretty sure I will do a happy dance, much like the one I did after I went to my last Cub Scout pack meeting, when I have gone on my last elementary school field trip. Usually they are fun and I enjoy spending the time with my kiddos and getting to know their classmates; this one was different. 

It started out a little off. I had actually forgotten to put the field trip on my calendar and I was also supposed to go to Spencer's school to have his annual meeting with the counselor. Destry couldn't go, so I told Spencer to just go without me, something I did not want to do.

 Then when I got to the school Sarah told me that I wasn't on the list to go on the field trip and she had on a sad face. Her teacher told me that I wasn't one of the first five to sign up so I didn't get put on the list, but not to worry, I could have her group and she would move Sarah to be with me. Fine. I offered to drive, but alas there was plenty of room on the bus.

Neither the bus driver, nor Sarah's teacher knew where the Bean Museum was so we drove right past the turn off and into the parking lot of the Art Museum followed by two other buses. After a short discussion and some directions from someone who did know where it was, we made it to our destination. After unloading the 200 second graders, we walked over to a Pavilion and grassy area near the Creamery for a 10:30 a.m. lunch. After lunch, each parent gathered up their little minions and headed toward the newly renovated museum ready to learn and explore. As we approached the area where you could either go down the stairs or turn a bit and go down a ramp, some of the children in the group in front of us, who were heading toward the stairs all holding hands with their caretaker mom, decided to take an abrupt turn to go to the ramp instead. The poor mom, when she made the abrupt turn tripped on the concrete and fell, hitting her head on the handrail in front of her. Her head went between the rungs of the bars and so she hit it twice. It happened so fast and she was holding two little hands so she was not even able to break her fall with her hands so her torso hit the ground hard. Another mom and I tried to help her as others soon congregated. Some moms decided it was not the best idea to have the 200 second graders standing around gawking so she gathered up her group and mine and encouraged others to go inside. Another visiting parent made a call for medical help. It was clear that she was not seriously hurt, but hurt nonetheless. We were able to get some ice out of the cooler and put it in a bag onto her bumped head. Since several moms were now helping, I decided to go inside and help with the kiddos. 

At the time I arrived, they were in an auditorium ready to learn about habitats and see some live reptiles. During the presentation, a teacher walked forward, took the mic and asked if there was anyone who had seen the accident happen. I raised my hand and was instructed to go upstairs to talk to a campus police officer. I was happy to tell my story, but in my mind I was thinking it is a sad world we live in when we have to file a police report because a woman accidentally tripped and hit her head. It was sad and unfortunate. It was nobody's fault. Thankfully, she will recover; even though I suspect her body will hurt in more places when she wakes up in the morning. People fall. People get up again. End of story. Right? Sadly, no. We live in a litigious society so we have to have witnesses make statements and sign them when someone trips and falls down.

At one point the plan was for me to drive the woman's minivan back to the school since she had driven there herself, but her husband and a coworker were going to pick her and the minivan up instead. Sarah was glad I got to ride the bus back with her after all. The ride home was loud, but gratefully, uneventful. 

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