Pat's Musings on Living La Dolce Vita!: WHAT'S IMPORTANT?...or Pat's Polemic from Portugal

I see them everywhere I go---teeny, tiny ones, bundled up, standing in straight lines, or not-so-teeny-ones sitting attentively in a half circle on the floor, or gaggles of girls sauntering cooly, looking very unimpressed while watchig the boys' every moves, or young women hanging on to every word uttered by the bespeckled, slightly mussed young man, or, my favorite, youngsters sprawled on the floor on their stomachs, paper in front of them, pencils clutched in their hands, seriously focused, trying to duplicate the Rembrandt on the wall.

Groups of school kids visiting museums. Groups from 5 to 20 years old. Groups no fewer than 5, no larger than 20. EVERY SINGLE MUSEUM we've visited has at least one student group--from the British Museum to the Gaudi Museum in Barcelona, to the Port Wine Museum in Porto, Portugal, yep, the PORT WINE MUSEUM....a group of kids seeing art, gleaning a part of their history, getting out of the classroom, putting culture and art in perspective (no pun intended), expanding their worlds.

And, of course, at the helm is the teacher. Mostly, they're young and energetic, mostly they're women, run a little ragged keeping track of everyone (there is always the counting of bodies; is everybody there?), they have questions and answers, worksheets and information...they love their kids and their kids love them. I think, basically, they love their jobs.

My reactions are twofold: first of all, I'm bereft. In California we don't have the money in the educational system any more to take kids on field trips, certainly not to museums, not without the kids paying for the buses. The legal ramifications of taking kids off campus, being sure all the waivers have been signed, exonerating the school district from liable, takes the primary focus--not the experience. The enrichment and vicarious learning that lie outside the classroom is largely unavailable to our kids. Sometimes this trip is the only exposure a kid will get...isn't this integral to the educational process? Isn't it incumbent upon educators to expand the experiences of our students?? To open minds with new ideas and take them out of the malls and into concert halls and and dance recitals??? All over Europe kids are doing just that....and in California??

PHEW, polemic indeed....my second reaction is pride. I am soooo proud of these teachers who bring their expertise and professionalism and dedication to their students. I wanted to join each and every student group just to bask in the love of learning with a really good teacher. It's a difficult profession...teach on!

AND ON A DIFFERENT NOTE, MY ATTEMPT AT PHOTO JOURNALISM: