Dear Teacher,
You are conditioned. You do a head count about every 5 minutes, and that’s IN the classroom. You know that your primary job is to keep children safe. You are constantly thinking about their safety. You feel irresponsible if you don’t know where a child is, or if you can’t see where they are. Your classroom is designed so you can see children from wherever you are. You know you need to see the children. You are doing a great job.
Now stop it.
Go outside and stop doing a good job. You have to do a better job…but do what you are used to, but do it differently. Because in order not to drive yourself nuts, you have to change some of your habits.
You won’t be able see all of the kids. They will run ahead, or walk slowly and lag behind. They will play in a ditch or behind a hill. They will find a cozy spot and you might not be able to see them. Relax. You have to relax.
Now I’m not talking about the kids who run away when they are mad or the kids who wander off and get lost all the time. WATCH THOSE KIDS. But the others? They’re probably ok. Let them run ahead- You’ve told them the boundaries, right? Trust the children. Keep an eye on them, but don’t worry. And if you do worry, ask yourself if that child would do anything to be concerned about…often the answer is no.
“Jack fell in the water!” I heard that from about a 2 minute walk ahead. I was walking slowly with some students, and others were up ahead. It was winter. Falling through the ice is bad…but I scanned my memory of the woods, and there isn’t any large body of water. What could it be? I started to get nervous. It was icy and I could only walk, not run because I was sure I would fall. Is Jack OK? My heart was pounding and I was barely breathing. Then I remembered that of course Jack is OK… I listened closely and the kids were still playing. No one seemed too concerned. As I got closer I could see the huge icy puddle and Jack, sitting with his boot off, assessing the wetness of his soaked sock. I exhale and feel relieved, and silly. I didn’t need to get so worked up. Everything is OK.
You don’t either. Relax, everything is probably OK.
Over the years of going outside, I realize that it is only sustainable for my sanity if I get to play, too. If I get to relax and enjoy the day and the students, then I’ll do it again. If I’m stressed and worried? Why do it again? Let’s just stay inside. So, in closing, here is your self-talk when you get worried:
– “Everything is ok.”
– “The kids will take care of each other.”
– “I would know if something was wrong.”
– “I can go over there and check it out, but I’m not panicking.”
– “Everything is ok.”
Actually say those things to yourself. Because when you go outside with children, the control you normally maintain in your classroom will look different. Everything is OK. Everything is fine. Because most of the time, it is. And if it isn’t, it probably wouldn’t have changed if you were right there, watching like a hawk.
Outdoor Learning with Weslie 