Life had gotten hectic and I had not done a community building circle for awhile. I decided that I needed some input on our Camp Jordan experience from the kiddos so we did a circle. Two weeks ago, our team went away on a two-day overnight at Camp Jordan. Students participated in team building and science activities while hanging out at Branch Lake. Then, we finalized our team name and the winner was...Team Fox. Yes, this year we get to be foxes instead of cougars - yay! The whole cougar thing when you are a teacher just does not feel right...
Anyway, students went around and it was so good to see that they loved it, wish it was longer, and want to go back. Their favorite activity was the Ropes Course and close behind was the night hike. Another favorite was finding the porcupine in the tree. Watching the grins on their faces and hearing their laughter as they remembered things that happened was priceless. Even though I was remembering parts where I was ready to pull my hair out, when I heard their responses I remembered why it is so important to provide these extreme team building experiences to my kids: we bond and build our community in a way that no one can take away. We become a family as we eat together, clean up together, learn together, tell stories at night around the campfire, and deal with the snoring. Then, we reflect upon our learning and experiences with a circle. I love the circles because everyone has a voice and is heard and it reminds me of a family having a conversation around the supper table. I got some great data down about the trip as the students shared. I will use some of the quotes as we share our experiences in newsletter. Other quotes I will use for reasons to support continuing to go on the trip each year.
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