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I don't really have time for a long post, but I'll try to preserve some happy memories anyway.
On Thursday, I went on a school trip with half of my class (grade 7) - the other half was doing work experience - to the nearby open-air museum for crafts and technology. Despite bad auspices - unseasonal cold, some very unenthusiastic students (ugh, a museum! and not even a cool one like the chocolate museum!), both other adults who were meant to come along dropping out, overcrowded buses, and an unexpected addition to our class (another grade 7 had everybody doing work experience... but somehow managed to overlook the Ukrainian girl who didn't get a placement and showed up to school as usual so she was unceremonially added to my group whether she wanted or not) - it was a really nice day. It was cold but sunny and the open-air museum was, if anything, even better than it was when I last visited (in 4th grade, which was *mumblemumble* 30 years ago).
I had booked two workshops for my class so it would still be in line with the work experience theme of the day, although it would be historical work experience. The first was at the rope factory. The museum education officer was slightly challenged by the morbid humour of my students ("Now, what do we need ropes for?" - "Tying people up." - "... yes, I suppose... any other ideas?" - "Making a noose.") but made the best of it. Students managed to work together in small groups and produce four perfectly decent hemp ropes ("Hemp. Hurr hurr, get lit" - "No, this is a different plant. But fibre hemp is related to medicinal hemp, very well spotted" - "Medicinal, hurr hurr"). Without tying anyone up.
One student who is usually a bit of a nuisance (rarely pays attention, constantly moving around and touching everything) asked lots of questions that showedthat the poor fellow has never seen a single episode of Sendung mit der Maus that he may not know a lot, but has decent observation skills and curiosity. This was one of the loudest "ugh, a museum" kids, so it was great to see that he was actively enjoying the museum.
The second workshop at the oil mill wasn't quite as successful. It did exactly what it set out to do - show just how much effort there is in getting oil from seeds or nuts - but of course it was frustrating for the kids that after an hour of hard manual labour they had about a teaspoon of oil to show for it. But again, there were lots of questions and curiosity.
Student: "Why can't we see the oil mill in action?"
Museum lady: "Unfortunately we currently don't have an oil miller here."
Student: "Oh is that like a real job?"
Museum lady: "Sure, although the modern oil industry works differently. This is a historical mill of course."
Student: "If you still don't have an oil miller when I finish school, can I come and work here?"
Museum lady: "Well, you'll have to do three years of job training first, but generally, yes."
Student: "Cool!"
Between workshops, we raided the museum bakery. There's just something delightful about the sight of twelve extremely cool (TM) teenagers sitting by the roadside and tearing into whole loaves of museum bread like Hobbits on the lose. It is very good bread. Back in fourth grade, when they heard that we were going to the open-air museum in Hagen, all sorts of neighbours and family members gave us shiny 5 DM pieces to bring them a loaf of museum bread. I was kind of curious whether the real bread would hold up to the memories, and it did. (The loaf now costs €3.50, which, all things considered and inflation-adjusted, is actually cheaper than back then.)
Student, mouth full: "BEST BREAD IN THE WORLD."
When we walked past the bakery again, after the trip to the oil mill, there was a sign on the door reading SORRY, WE'RE SOLD OUT. Oops!
After that, the students had an hour to roam the museum freely, which a couple of students chose to tag along with me even though they didn't have to (with the exception of V., the Ukrainian girl, they all had a slip from their parents which allowed them to roam the museum in small groups). Had a chat with a very enthusiastic blacksmith who made a tiny horseshoe, and an even more enthusiastic printer who extolled the virtues of the Gutenberg press and its products (It's a pity they didn't have design awards back then because Gutenberg would be sure to have won one. He'd still get one if he were alive today. Did you know that modern grouped style printing is less precise than Gutenberg's. Did you, did you?) By the time we met up in the playground to take the bus back to school, everybody was slightly sunburned and pretty tired, but buzzing with excitement. One of the "ugh, a museum" kids asked if we could do another trip here soon. Three of the other "ugh, a museum" kids talked about coming back at the weekend. Even though we had to let the first two buses go because they were stuffed with other classes returning from their respective school trips, and thus got back to school later than planned, that makes it the most successful school trip I've ever been on.
And now there's a long weekend ahead, which is also very good news.
On Thursday, I went on a school trip with half of my class (grade 7) - the other half was doing work experience - to the nearby open-air museum for crafts and technology. Despite bad auspices - unseasonal cold, some very unenthusiastic students (ugh, a museum! and not even a cool one like the chocolate museum!), both other adults who were meant to come along dropping out, overcrowded buses, and an unexpected addition to our class (another grade 7 had everybody doing work experience... but somehow managed to overlook the Ukrainian girl who didn't get a placement and showed up to school as usual so she was unceremonially added to my group whether she wanted or not) - it was a really nice day. It was cold but sunny and the open-air museum was, if anything, even better than it was when I last visited (in 4th grade, which was *mumblemumble* 30 years ago).
I had booked two workshops for my class so it would still be in line with the work experience theme of the day, although it would be historical work experience. The first was at the rope factory. The museum education officer was slightly challenged by the morbid humour of my students ("Now, what do we need ropes for?" - "Tying people up." - "... yes, I suppose... any other ideas?" - "Making a noose.") but made the best of it. Students managed to work together in small groups and produce four perfectly decent hemp ropes ("Hemp. Hurr hurr, get lit" - "No, this is a different plant. But fibre hemp is related to medicinal hemp, very well spotted" - "Medicinal, hurr hurr"). Without tying anyone up.
One student who is usually a bit of a nuisance (rarely pays attention, constantly moving around and touching everything) asked lots of questions that showed
The second workshop at the oil mill wasn't quite as successful. It did exactly what it set out to do - show just how much effort there is in getting oil from seeds or nuts - but of course it was frustrating for the kids that after an hour of hard manual labour they had about a teaspoon of oil to show for it. But again, there were lots of questions and curiosity.
Student: "Why can't we see the oil mill in action?"
Museum lady: "Unfortunately we currently don't have an oil miller here."
Student: "Oh is that like a real job?"
Museum lady: "Sure, although the modern oil industry works differently. This is a historical mill of course."
Student: "If you still don't have an oil miller when I finish school, can I come and work here?"
Museum lady: "Well, you'll have to do three years of job training first, but generally, yes."
Student: "Cool!"
Between workshops, we raided the museum bakery. There's just something delightful about the sight of twelve extremely cool (TM) teenagers sitting by the roadside and tearing into whole loaves of museum bread like Hobbits on the lose. It is very good bread. Back in fourth grade, when they heard that we were going to the open-air museum in Hagen, all sorts of neighbours and family members gave us shiny 5 DM pieces to bring them a loaf of museum bread. I was kind of curious whether the real bread would hold up to the memories, and it did. (The loaf now costs €3.50, which, all things considered and inflation-adjusted, is actually cheaper than back then.)
Student, mouth full: "BEST BREAD IN THE WORLD."
When we walked past the bakery again, after the trip to the oil mill, there was a sign on the door reading SORRY, WE'RE SOLD OUT. Oops!
After that, the students had an hour to roam the museum freely, which a couple of students chose to tag along with me even though they didn't have to (with the exception of V., the Ukrainian girl, they all had a slip from their parents which allowed them to roam the museum in small groups). Had a chat with a very enthusiastic blacksmith who made a tiny horseshoe, and an even more enthusiastic printer who extolled the virtues of the Gutenberg press and its products (It's a pity they didn't have design awards back then because Gutenberg would be sure to have won one. He'd still get one if he were alive today. Did you know that modern grouped style printing is less precise than Gutenberg's. Did you, did you?) By the time we met up in the playground to take the bus back to school, everybody was slightly sunburned and pretty tired, but buzzing with excitement. One of the "ugh, a museum" kids asked if we could do another trip here soon. Three of the other "ugh, a museum" kids talked about coming back at the weekend. Even though we had to let the first two buses go because they were stuffed with other classes returning from their respective school trips, and thus got back to school later than planned, that makes it the most successful school trip I've ever been on.
And now there's a long weekend ahead, which is also very good news.
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