NSFW Field Trip transcript
One of the many good things about teaching in Europe is taking students on field trips using public transportation.
For example, the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam has free lunch concerts every Wednesday. Both the school and the Concertgebouw were close to the 5 tram. So I found a parent for every two children which left me free to deal with – well anything that came up – and we had a wonderful afternoon.
There was also a memorable trip to the Allard Pierson Museum organized for both second grade classes. I arranged for buses to drive us back to school at the end of the visit.
But I had my heart set on taking the tram to the museum, I was younger back then. So I scouted the route in advance to make sure it would work for about 40 kids with parents, teachers, and helpers attached.
And, I’m glad I did.
At a specific place on the short, straight walk from the Spui to the Allard Pierson Museum, I started looking around for a distraction.
Now, if there were a prize for the most boring, least interesting architecture in Amsterdam, the brick wall on the south side of that street would have been overlooked. There were no windows, no doors, nothing but bricks from ground to pointy roof. Just under the roof there was a date carved into the wall. It would have to do.
On the day of the field trip, I led both classes of second graders with parents attached, my colleagues, and a couple extra helpers from the Spui straight to the Allard Pierson Museum. When I reached that specific place, I swept my arm and gaze dramatically skyward, pointing to the top of the least descript brick wall in Amsterdam and I started walking faster.
When I was brave enough to look back, I saw the last few people in line staring up at the pointy roof trying to figure out what was so interesting or if they had missed something.
As far as I can tell, everybody missed it.
No one ever mentioned the walk from the Spui to the Allard Pierson Museum or the flamboyant displays in the windows of the adult toy store we passed along the way.
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