Bring the Appropriate Tools

Hiked today: East Fork Trail (from Walhalla Fish Hatchery to Ellicott Rock - 9.5 miles total)

I can't begin to count the number of times I've asked students to bring the proper tools to class.  The bare necessities include something to write with and something to write on.  Ultimately, having homework completed and being prepared with outside reading are included as well.  I struggle as a teacher of seventh graders to help them understand that coming to school prepared is important.  It's really a matter of perspective.  To me as their teacher, being prepared means that students are ready to learn so that they can eventually graduate from high school and get a job.  To them, being prepared means wearing and doing exactly the right thing as measured by their friends.  Hence lies the challenge of being a middle school teacher - how to help them see beyond who they're going to sit with at lunch and see where they might be in 5 years (hopefully graduating from high school) or 10 years.  This difference in perspective means that I put pencils and paper in my shopping cart every time I go to the store so that I can keep teaching even when students are not prepared.  Anybody who's a teacher can relate!

I've learned some life lessons being on the trail about being prepared.  Today, Mike and I hiked to Ellicott Rock from the Walhalla Fish Hatchery in South Carolina.  We brought the appropriate tools today: hiking poles and worn in waterproof boots.  Last time we hiked this trail, it had recently snowed as you can see from the picture of me walking in the snow.  Mike is crossing Bad Creek in this picture taken today.  Today, he was prepared with hiking poles and waterproof boots. In February, much of the trail was covered with a combination of snow, ice, and slush.  We were not prepared with hiking poles, and the trail was treacherous in spots.  The river crossing was cumbersome and really not fun at all. Luckily, the only price we paid by not being prepared was that it took about 20 minutes to cross that same creek that we crossed today in minutes because we were prepared.  The rest of the trail also took extra time as we navigated slippery areas and hoped for the best.

We have also learned to be prepared with day packs containing first aid supplies JUST IN CASE and plenty of water.  As you can tell from the picture of me walking in the snow, I was carrying nothing with me - not the best idea for a 9 mile hike in the snow.  

School...the trail...life....be ready to make the absolute most of the experience - safely and enjoyably.  This is what I hope to teach my students.