Let go, and let THEM do

Simply put, I learned that I can let go a little and count on my kids to do exactly what I expect them to do. I had the privilege of taking ten students to the SkillsUSA Fall Leadership Conference in St. Simons, Georgia Thursday through Saturday. It was my first time chaperoning a field trip solo as an advisor, so I was nervous about everything going as planned. Our advisors (and even our students) have set very high standards that we expect everyone to follow, so I started the trip by reiterating the importance of following the rules and behaving at all times. As soon as the wheels on the bus started rolling, it’s almost like a switch flipped and every one of my students acted like little angels. I didn’t even have to remind them of our rules. Other students, from our school system and others, were misbehaving, and my students just turned their heads and repeated our school motto (which has to do with pride in our school). As nervous as I was to not disappoint the other advisors, I learned that my kids know how to behave and set an example for other students. Also, while I was out of school for the field trip, I left sub plans for my classes. All of my students had two projects to finish and turn in while I was out, and when I returned to the school Saturday afternoon I was surprised to find that everyone met their deadline and the substitute had nothing but nice things to say about my students. This just further shows me that I need to worry less, and know that I can count on my kids more.