Today I got to tag along with Mr. Liddington and the P5's (about 3rd grade) as they took a walk in the woods. The school utilizes the Duns Castle grounds during the Autumn and Spring months. Mr. Liddington especially, incorporates the woods into the curriculum. Students have learned about about hedgehogs, invertebrates, and how to find the deepest mud puddles. To mark the end of the Autumn in the woods the students created a map of the grounds and wrote directions for the Head Teacher (principal). Mrs. Stewart had never been up into the woods so it was essential for the directions to be well written.
There was quite a bit of rain yesterday and this morning so after lunch we all put on our rainboots and jackets after lunch. It took us about 20 minutes to get to St. Mary's Glade (the destination for Mrs. Stewart). Once there the students found a hiding spot and awaited the arrival of their Head Teacher. As she approached (from the wrong direction, she had taken a wrong turn) the students jumped out and surprised her! The children were so excited and not let down by the experience. When we returned to school the students were full of mud and smiles.
As we were walking on the path in the woods I noticed that one side was full of puddles and mud while the other was wet, but a lot less muddy. I made the comment that the path was a "choose your own adventure novel". The adults and I laughed but it really got me to thinking. Life itself is a "choose your own adventure novel" you can make choices that lead you down a path where you can jump in the puddles and get dirty, or you can make choices that take you on a cleaner route. Either option is not perfect and usually you don't stay on one side or the other. I would say I usually prefer the side that keeps me clean and less muddy, but sometimes I make decisions that don't keep me as clean.
Choosing to come to Scotland is probably one of those choices. It is not clean cut and I am going to have some bumps along the way. But sometimes jumping the puddles and getting a little messy is fun. Life is all about getting dirty and taking something from it. In the literal sense I have taken home mud on my pants, but more than that I am taking the reminder that while I am here I need to jump in the puddles and take the most I can away from this experience.
There was quite a bit of rain yesterday and this morning so after lunch we all put on our rainboots and jackets after lunch. It took us about 20 minutes to get to St. Mary's Glade (the destination for Mrs. Stewart). Once there the students found a hiding spot and awaited the arrival of their Head Teacher. As she approached (from the wrong direction, she had taken a wrong turn) the students jumped out and surprised her! The children were so excited and not let down by the experience. When we returned to school the students were full of mud and smiles.
As we were walking on the path in the woods I noticed that one side was full of puddles and mud while the other was wet, but a lot less muddy. I made the comment that the path was a "choose your own adventure novel". The adults and I laughed but it really got me to thinking. Life itself is a "choose your own adventure novel" you can make choices that lead you down a path where you can jump in the puddles and get dirty, or you can make choices that take you on a cleaner route. Either option is not perfect and usually you don't stay on one side or the other. I would say I usually prefer the side that keeps me clean and less muddy, but sometimes I make decisions that don't keep me as clean.
Choosing to come to Scotland is probably one of those choices. It is not clean cut and I am going to have some bumps along the way. But sometimes jumping the puddles and getting a little messy is fun. Life is all about getting dirty and taking something from it. In the literal sense I have taken home mud on my pants, but more than that I am taking the reminder that while I am here I need to jump in the puddles and take the most I can away from this experience.
"And at the end of the day, your feet should be dirty, your hair messy and your eyes sparkling."
-Shanti
-Shanti