Caly's DC trip.

Caly's 8th grade class went on a trip to Washington DC this week. They are still there. She called yesterday and they had witnessed a mugging from their tour bus. The kids all wanted to call the police but they didn't know where they were to direct the police. The adults said isn't that too bad and continued the tour. She was upset and I don't blame her. I know that the police can't stop every crime and it probably wouldn't even have been a priority but I take that sort of thing seriously. What if it was your son or husband or sister? Wouldn't you want someone to help them?

Then tonight I noticed that Caly had send me a text just to say hi earlier in the day. So I texted back to tell her a joke. She sent a one word reply ('yeah'), which is totally not her style. I replied to see if I could figure out what was up. Turns out one of her friends was having a seizure. He was in his room and according to the other boys in the room, they were rough-housing, he hit his head, and then he started having a seizure. The other boys called Caly and her friends in their room to see if they knew where the school nurse was. The girls called their chaperones and got him help, but Caly and her friends were in near hysterics and crying uncontrolably by the time her dad and I realized what was happening and called them. They'd never seen a seizure and it scared them terribly.

So tomorrow is day 3 of the trip and their last day in the city. I'm crossing my fingers and saying a quick prayer that it's a better day for them.

OMG!! thats awful!! Its one of the most wonderful trips I've ever taken (7th grade, 4 days 3 nights in DC with 7 other kids- ONE chaparone, 20 some odd years ago... ) but we didnt see ANY of that. the worst we did was the boys threw all of John's underwear (he was a shit head of a kid) out the window of the hotel room onto the roof of the adjoining building... That was before cell phones, and I can remember having to walk through this huge hotel trying to find a payphone to call home collect. the FIRST night I got there. ALONE. LOL That was the only contact I had with home-

I fiqure this will really make her see things in a new light. I cant imagine seeing someone get mugged. Thats awful. and then seeing your friend seizing? I've never seen that as an adult and not sure what I'd do. Poor thing!! Is he okay? or did they have to send him home?

Praying that she comes out of this with a good understanding, and not jaded or scared because of it..

DC really is a bad place. BR and I have talked about that being the first trip we take the kids on- especially now that they are homeschooled. But, I'm not sure about it now... to see someone mugged in broad daylight? I live too sheltered of a life.

I hope he is okay now. Seizures are VERY scary to witness. I hope today goes well and she gets a few positive memories from the trip.

I hope it gets better for her, and everyone is not too traumatized.
These are some of the reasons I go on school trips, ever since Kristin went to Disney world in the 8th grade. I swore I would go on all the trip from then on.....it was a nightmare.

I think he's OK because she hasn't called back or texted. He was already out of it and recovering when her dad talked to her last night. And Chelle, you don't have to do anything for a seizing person. You just move things out of their way so they don't hurt themselves. They used to say to put something in their mouths because they bite down so hard and can hurt themselves that way, but they don't even recommend that any more. You just leave them alone and call 911 so that an EMT can check them out when it's over and so there's a record of them doing it. It's important to keep a record of it because most people don't remember ever seizing and many of them deny it happened at all. But you don't want someone who has seizures on a regular basis driving a car or semi. So you report it to the police and if the police keep getting reports on the same person they make them see a doctor and get treated or lose their lisence.

What happened at Disney?

ERin, I'm the same way- refuse to let my kids go anywhere with out me. Thats why I have seen some REALLY sucky plays in the last few years.. LOL (our school decided the kinder teachers were bored with the zoo, and the kids needed some 'literary appriciation' and we ended up going to the local colleges to watch some STUPID shit).... and if there is a chartered bus, I dont let my kids ride. I drive them. those chartered things are SOOO dangerous..

Kristin was with the school choir, they were asked to perform at Disney.....well, on the 2nd day she and her group of 4 other girls got lost for about 6 hours, NOONE knew where they were, keep in mind these kids are 13-14 at the time. They had apparently gotten on a ride, and ended up in another part of the park and could not find their way back. The teacher blamed it on them, and threatened to leave them in Fla......she is no longer a teacher there, but you don't threaten kids like that

The teacher also had the bus stop in Miss. to pick up her "stepson", who turned out to be a 30yo man, and was sharing a hotel room with her. He was not cleared by the school, and should not have ever been on a bus with 35 little girls.

Times like these are so glad I'm not a young mom....

hopefully, Caly will come back unscathed, but more aware of what happens in the real world (I'm talking mugging as well as the boy's seizure) and Erin, what happened to your daughter and that horrible teacher is beyong reprimand!

Wow, Erin! They'd still be peeling me off the ceiling after finding out about that.

Caly is home and seems OK. She's very disappointed in her teacher for not calling the police during the mugging. More upset at the apathy of a beloved and respected teacher than she is at the mugging itself. Honestly I feel the same way. Scott and I have always tried to do the right thing when we saw people in trouble. We've called 911 on drunk drivers, spoke out (gently and with respect) when we saw young parents losing their cool with their kids, given money to strangers who said they needed help even when we figured it was a scam. To not even bother making a 30 second anonymous phone call is something I would not have imagined this teacher doing.

She seems to have enjoyed a lot of the trip, particularly the Smithsonian's Air and Space museum. She went to three parts of the Smithsonian and liked Air and Space the best. She only got to see a tiny bit of Natural History because they had to eat lunch in the museum and the lines were so long to eat that it wasted most of her time. She also saw some of the National History museum and said it was boring except that she saw Michael Jackson's hat and it was the coolest looking hat she'd ever seen.

They went to several of the monuments and to the cemetary. She liked those quite a bit. But she liked the museums more.

I love everything DC !

I'm glad she had a good time Karen, and I agree with her, I couldnt have sat by and let nothing be done either. I dont deal well with people who can or do.

I got to be in the changing of the guard at the tomb of the unknown soldier when I went. I thought it was sooo cool, but sooo weird cause it was ME and my ex boyfriend (we were 7th grade) and my new boyfriend was also on the trip. LOL

I got to go to the smithsonian, and loved it. but didnt get to see that much. and honestly, I dont remember much about the trip 20 years later.

I do remember trying to find the bank of payphones in that huge hotel, and it felt like I was gone for hours while I Was trying to call, the smithsonian( or parts of it), the tomb of the unknown, arlington cemetary (I still cry when I think about it. there was just such a feeling of .. loss, but pure love too. no other cemetary does that to me, but seeing those crosses just blows my mind).

I remember the guys (4 of them I'd known since kinder) telling me there was a rocket in the Washington monument and beliving them. (yes, I've always been blonde... )
Seeing Lincoln memorial , and meeting my house rep.
oh and we got to sit in on a House vote, and I remember thinking (I dont know what the bill was) that the disintrest was amazing, and the lack of people who showed up to vote was sad... It was boring so we left after about 30 minutes.

I wish I could do it again, I'd love to take the kids, and BR and I would love to walk around and find all the Masonic symbols that are in DC.

OH and I remember going to the federal reserve, I had a TEENY tiny camera like 3 inches long by 1 1/2 inch wide and 1/2 inch thick--- it was a spy camera- my grandmother had bought it in a box at an auction, it was VERY high tech for the time. special film and everything. . We had to check everything with a guard, and had to turn off our cameras. they turned off the camera's for us, and told us no pictures. He was looking at mine, asked me what it was, I told him a camera, he slid it open, and couldnt belive it said he had never seen one. and then he took a picture. He said "PUT IT UP and dont say a WORD!" LOL



I wonder what happened to that camera?... I'll have to look at my grandfathers. it was a 35mm, but you had to special order film. it was TEENY TINY!!

This is the type of camera..

http://www.pimall.com/nais/pivintage/minox.html

I didnt take it on purpose it was just the only camera we owned. we never actually used it, couldnt afford the film for it. LOL