As I sat on the coach bus in Week 11 last term, I wondered what I had got myself into again. I was sick, my ears were ringing, I was tired from the 5am start and all I wanted to do was to be at home still in bed. We were on our way to the Year 6 camp which goes to Melbourne and Ballarat. We saw some amazing things while we were there. We attended the Melbourne Cricket Ground (one of my favourite stops!), The Old Melbourne Gaol, Sealife Aquarium and Sovereign Hill, just to name a few.

Going and visiting these locations is great for a few reasons. The first reason is that it teaches so many realities of our history that we wouldn't really even know about, had we not visited. There were so many times where the students had their eyes opened to things that used to happen back in the early 1900s that would never happen today. Side note - we actually found out that the youngest person to be jailed in Melbourne at the time was 6 months old! The second reason is that as teachers, we can teach all we can about certain topics, but until we go and visit, experience first-hand and get our hands dirty, the students don't really appreciate the significance of many of the events that have shaped Australia. Events like the Eureka Stockade and the terrible way that the new people to the diggings were treated, the students really had their eyes opened to these events when they visited. The students appreciated how physically tough you had to be to be successful in the goldrush after having to try to pan for gold. Many students gave up within 5 minutes but those who perservered often got a reward of finding gold in the river.

One other thing that is great for the students is the bus trip. These days, anytime we are bored, there is often something to keep us occupied. Whether it be a phone or device, there is always something to fill in the times of boredom. I was really impressed with the students as some chose to bring small board games, others chose to look outside and play finding games, and some even talked to each other. Being bored was a choice that some students made and made it known to others, but this was also good as being bored makes us appreciate the exciting times in our lives.

At Sovereign Hill, we learned about education and how students interacted with adults. Children were seen and not heard and if they stepped out of line, they would be reminded often in a physical way. Our students were amazed at what teachers could do to students! Again- experiencing these events and seeing these places first hand is invaluable and we, as teachers, appreciate being able to take your children away to learn.

The point that I am trying to make is that life is about learning. We are constantly learning. Even teachers are constantly learning. Some learn better by reading, I know myself, I prefer learning by doing. Students who attended the Year 6 camp learnt many things over the 5 days and hopefully can appreciate how lucky we are to live in this amazing country.

The long bus trips and ringing in the ears from the noise on the bus was ultimately worth it!

Have a great Term 2!