Field Trip to Springfield

Had a great day traveling with the 4th graders from Bardwell Elementary to Springfield.  The day started before 5:00 am and we didn't return until after 9:00 pm, but the kids were terrific and we saw some great places.  The Lincoln Museum was particularly impressive and interesting.  Hard to identify the wax from the real people in this picture, huh?  I guess the clothing style makes it pretty easy to identify my group from Lincoln's family, but there were some pretty impressive wax figures!

A highlight of the day for me was getting to spend some time with one of the boys from my son Erik's class who is considered a "bully" (he's not in this picture, because he refused to be associated with our group).  He had some pretty shocking things to say about his dream of growing up and recreating a genocide like the Haulocaust to wipe out all races except Puerto Ricans, and about what he was going to do with the several shot glasses he purchased from the gift shop.  But he was also the most interested of all the kids in the group in actually learning something on this trip and had a pretty amazing ability to synthesize information.  He started off the day by telling me he didn't like "white people," which I took as a warning that he was not going to be pleasant to be around.  But, we ended up having a couple of really good conversations, and I saw a softer side to him that I would guess he doesn't reveal very often.  I see two very clear and opposing possible paths for this bright young man who is obviously a leader.  I fear the one he will take is what everyone is predicting; I pray some positive relationships will step into his life and steer it the other way.