Finding Fieldtrips

Last week in class we were discussing teaching strategies and one of the books had a list of strategies connected to class field trips. He called me to his desk and asked how these could be adapted to Mauritania. Indeed, next year my students will be sent all over the country to remote villages to teach. The schools where they will teach will likely have four walls, a simple corrugated iron ceiling, desks that will cram together four students, and a worn-out chalkboard. The school building will be a long cement structure, with little around it in terms of inspiration. There probably won’t be a school garden or any other possible “attractions” nearby.

Fieldtrips are a privilege, even in America, where schools often have so much bureaucracy and red tape to get through that teachers decide not to even bother. Not to mention the lack of funding or resources available for such important experiences. Yet everyday, all over the world, teachers make the effort to bring their students to see performances, art exhibits or places of natural beauty because of the inherent value in removing students from the four walls of the classroom and sharing in a new experience together.

I tried to brainstorm with my teacher-trainees what some alternatives could be. We decided that we could turn our classrooms into “museums” by asking our students to bring in objects from home, the outdoors, and create artwork themselves. This seems to be the most simple solution in these challenging circumstances. I also suggested to my students that perhaps a fieldtrip site could also be set up outside, under a tree, or in some other easily accessible location within the school compound. I keep trying to show my students that there is always another path to reach any goal. An isolated school environment is definitely difficult but does not mean that creativity must be kept outside of the classroom.

Then I had a realization. Our school (teacher training college) is also a research site for an important national project documenting the native plants of Mauritania. This project has many international donors, including the Natural History Museum of Paris. I asked the class how many of the students were aware of this research conducted on our very campus? The class drew a blank. No one knew. Often, we aren’t even aware of the opportunities around us. Every day there are hundreds of potential “fieldtrips” to take.

The next time I saw the Professor (who happens to teach a class at the same time, right across the hallway), I asked him if he would be willing to show my students around the secret garden and research facilities. He said he would be honored.

I met up with Professor Vall and followed as he led my students through the corridor and into the forested garden. He carefully showed my students the trees and plants for aloe vera, jujubes, henna, gum arabic, and many others. He even let my students taste the cactus fruit, which I peeled with my bare hands, as I had stupidly done the first time someone gave me one in Ethiopia. My hands were covered in tiny blond needles for the next 12 hours.

Perhaps the best part of our class “fieldtrip” was the guide. Professor Vall’s pride in his work and achievements was infectious and made him an excellent role model for my students. Even if the place itself wasn’t of strong interest to some of the students, the passion of the presenter certainly made the experience worthwhile.

I am now thinking of more fieldtrips that I can take with my students. I would love to organize a class retreat of some kind. There are too many ideas going around in my head.