This morning I chaperoned my daughter's preK class trip to the local fire station. I'm used to taking older students out on trips, so it was great to have the opportunity to see what experiential learning looks like for 4 year olds - and what struck me were the similarities between taking preschoolers and teenagers out of the classroom. Of course, there was the familiar stress of being responsible for students in an uncontrolled and unpredictable environment, but there was one thing that really struck me... Whether the students were preschoolers or high schoolers they all had the same look of AWE when they were able to INTERACT with something they usually see in books or discussed in theory in class. Seeing the faces of these 4 year olds light up when they held the giant hose and then feel the water splash their faces as the firefighter sprayed it, was beautiful. But I also see that joy on the faces of my high school students who, when seeking feedback around a Design Thinking project based in our local community, received positive feedback from a passerby they interviewed (although admittedly there was probably a little less squealing and jumping up and down than what I saw at the fire station!). These memories and this learning do not fade and I am so proud to be building something that encourages these incredible opportunities for students. I founded chapperone as a way to get more kids out of the classroom and to do it in a safer and more secure way, and after my adventure with the preschoolers today, I have never been more motivated to keep doing it.
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