WWYD? A recent field trip issue....

My DH just got home with my oldest son, from a field trip to a local natural sciences museum. From the sounds of things, it was an absolute nightmare and I feel so badly for my husband.

He was given a group of 4 other boys and our son and one of the boys was a real problem. He said that the boy would not stay with the group, that he literally got off the bus at the museum and RAN. No matter what my husbnd did, the boy wouldn't listen, wouldn't stay with the group and they spent half their time there chasing after him. I think from the sounds of it, he ruined the trip for pretty much he whole group.

My husband is such a patient person when it comes to kids. He is great with keeping them engaged and also he's strict enough to get them to listen. But this time he came home just livid at being put in a situation like this, to the point that he's completely turned off to doing things with our own child at school.

I believe that the problem is that my son's teacher went out on maternity leave 2 weeks ago. So I want to think that this teacher may not have known... but that doesn't make sense either, because if this child was that bad, he has to act this way in class too!

I'm very tempted to contact the teacher about it, just because I think that it's such a shame to have a parent as turned off to school interaction as my husband is right now. Is that crazy? I'm not one of those people that calls the school a lot, or really at all, but I'm just really bothered by this situation.

Is it possible that this boy is "special needs?" Honestly, my Devin would do exactly what he did, only he truly has very little control over his impulse to just RUN and DO. It's not defiance on his part...I wish it were, lol!

Either way, I'd call and speak with the teacher. She needs to know what this boy did so that it can be addressed with HIS parents as well, and noted for future trips that he should be group with the teacher only. That's how it works for Devin, but we have that in his IEP because we already know how he'll behave.

I was gonna ask the same as Leila. I know if my son was put with a stranger, not a regular teacher or aide ... that his behavior would be very similar. My son is impulsive and has sensory seeking behavior and it takes a special person to "wrangle" that in that is familiar with my son.

I agree that you or he should call the teacher and follow up for the same reasons as Leila stated.

Not all kids like this are "bad" kids I would hate for a little boy to get that label because or a situation that really might not have been his fault.

The ladies gave some good advice

I'd call too, and for the same reasons already mentioned. I think there's a good chance that there's more going on here than your DH knows about, but you're right that your DH shouldn't have been put in that situation and that child needs to be with a teacher or have one of his parents come on future trips. My guess is that it wouldn't have happened if his regular teacher was there. (I can't believe they scheduled a field trip for so soon after someone new was taking over!)

pretty good advice already given, i just wanted to say, "your poor poor hubby!!"

Thank you for the advice ladies!

I think it is entirely possible that the child did have special needs, but as my husband was not notified of anything, I don't know for sure. If that is the case then I think it was even more irresponsible of the teacher to place him in a group with a parent chaperone, as opposed to one of the teachers or classroom aides.

The tripped had been planned for quite some time, so I also belive that if there were issues with certain children, that the actual teacher should have planned better for the sub.

I definitely am not labeling the child as "bad", more I'm disappointed in the teachers and saddened that a fun experience was ruined for my DH and my son.

i would definitely call the teacher just so they are aware and if there are any other field trips maybe she can keep him in her group...sometimes teachers have a little more control over students than a parent who is a stranger to the student...

btw...so sorry your hubby didn't enjoy his experience...

though not as bad as that, I've had my own experience with a couple kids in my field trip groups that are tougher to keep together and don't listen to the parents direction. Special needs concern aside, the kids should really be instructed in the classroom, that like the teacher, ANY parent helpers are in charge and should be obeyed. During a field trip, the kids are expected to follow directions or the teacher can and will remove that disruptive child from their group to stay with her. This goes for all ages, K - 5th that I've witnessed so far.