So I have my very first field trip coming up, and tomorrow I need to announce the chaperones.
I can take two, and six want to go.
I am feeling so guilty and I don't know who to pick!!!!!!!! :(
Should I go with...
- the mom who works a lot and would probably appreciate a day to spend with her kid? Her kid is also INCREDIBLY well-behaved, which leads me to believe that she can definitely handle a group of kids.
- the stay-at-home mom who is super nice and volunteers at school? She has helped me out with a few things in the past. I love her daughter even though she is a little wild...
- the single working mom who only has one kid? She might not have a lot of other opportunities for field trips!!
Or should I just assign everyone a number and use Random.org?? Haha!
What is your school policy on choosing chaperones? Do you ask for volunteers and choose randomly? Do you ask for volunteers and "choose randomly" (that's what we do!!)? Do you call parents ahead of time and never ask for volunteers (that's what my student teaching school did)?
Help me out here!!
Jill,
ReplyDeleteI take the chicken way out; I let everyone come who wants to come. We went on a field trip this week and I had 24 students and 12 parents. We went on a bus and were the only class going so there was enough room. (The bus was small, but we fit.) For that field trip, the cost was the same for up to 25 children and no limit to chaperones. On an earlier field trip we had to pay for each adult so I had the adults who wanted to go pay for themselves. (It was $10 per adult to visit a farm; that seems steep, but my parents paid it.)
So if there is a way to take more parents, I would say let all six go. But again, I am a chicken at saying no to anyone!
Camille
An Open Door
Any parent can go on our field trips. However, they have to drive because they are not allowed to ride on the school bus.
ReplyDelete❤First Grade Delight❤
imgoingfirst@gmail.com
We also let as many parent go as we want to when we can, they have to provide their own transportation and pay their own way. We've had a couple trips to hockey or baseball games where seats were limited we have done both first permission slip in first to go and random drawings, although we got huge complaints about the random drawing when the same parents were choose year after year so now if we say it's random we have to put names in a hat and draw at a parent teacher meeting! I hate having to limit parents, I wish they would all go and enjoy an educational experience with their children, unfortunately in our area they don't do that much.
ReplyDeleteAmy
I really don't like to have parents go because I have three paras and that's usually enough. However, I just let them go if they want to.
ReplyDeleteWhen we go on field trips that have a limited number of chaperones, we usually go with the first to volunteer. Our problem is that a lot of parents DON'T want to go. I've had to ask people to volunteer for the last few field trips.
ReplyDeleteEmily @ Second Grade Silliness
FIRST COME, FIRST SERVED!
ReplyDeleteThat would be my choice!
We just had a field trip yesterday and I had 4 parents that wanted to go and they went! We went to the zoo so I wanted them all to come! My sister and her friend, a reading specialist, and intern also went!
I have the same problem as Emily, most parents don't want to go! In our district, the parents have to be fingerprinted. The community that is our school doesn't generally want to do that!
Hope that helps!!! :)
❤ Sandra
Sweet Times in First
sweettimesinfirst@gmail.com
Haha I probably should say first come, first served but....
ReplyDeletePersonally, I would go with the parents that you think will be the most helpful with your students. The whole reason they are chaperones is to make your life easier on the field trip and keep the kids safe. So I would pick the two moms that you think will be able to be the most helpful to you.
Luckily, we don't have a chaperone limit and I just take as many that want to come. I have 8 parents coming on our zoo field trip! It makes it a little chaotic, but I figure the more eyes on my kiddos the better :)
I do pretty much everything above! First come first serve, but if they aren't chosen, they can follow the bus. Although I don't advertise the following of the bus for any field trip except for our end of the year one to the Smithsonian. Sometimes the parents are more work than the kids! =)
ReplyDeleteMeg
Third Grade in the First State