middle school overnight

This past Friday, I left school at the beginning of 7th period. The middle school students excitedly piled into vans and a caravan of around 8 - 10 vehicles drove about 20 minutes to Loerrach. We arrived at a youth hostel, where we would be staying for the annual middle school overnight. After the kids found their rooms and made their beds (duvet covers are quite the intelligence test), we gathered outside for some group games. Students played capture the flag as well as another game called that involved a bag of random objects and a list of tasks to complete. Each team had to do things like wrap two members in toilet paper, eat an entire can of whipped cream, pass an orange but only holding it using your chin and neck, eat crackers and whistle, and other crazy tasks.


After games, everyone gathered for dinner. Students searched for sticks, and some of the dads helped to sharpen them. It was fun to teach my students how to roast a hot dog over an open fire, because for quite a few of them, this was a new concept! Also, note the unique packaging. Yes, hot dogs come in jars here, complete with hot dog juice. I heard some of the students talking about a former middle schooler who DRANK the juice last year. Thankfully no one attempted that this year...I might have vomited at that image. We also made s'mores, which was a special treat since marshmallows are rather expensive in Germany and nothing like the puffed sugary goodness we take for granted in the States. One benefit of making s'mores in Europe is that we have these tasty little square cookies that are coated in chocolate on one side. Rather than trying to keep the chocolate and graham cracker from falling apart, you only need to smash the marshmallows between two cookies and poof: European s'more.


Following dinner and dessert, we retreated to the hostel to watch "Paul Blart: Mall Cop." Then we went back to the campfire and enjoyed a time of worship and listened to a devotional given by our chaplain, Lee Evans. He used the fire as the object of his message, explaining that we are like the embers of the fire. When we're all together, we burn brightly and give off warmth. When a burning log is removed from the fire, it may stay warm for a little while but eventually it dies out. The same thing happens when we try to live a Christian life but don't surround ourselves with people who can encourage and build us up. Pray that each student would burn brightly and edify one another this year!


After our campfire time, some students went on a night hike while others went back to the hostel to prepare for bed. Quiet hours began at 10, so everyone was required to be in their rooms and quiet unless they were on the night hike. I stayed back from the hike and supervised the few girls on our floor who opted out of the hike. Night hikers returned around 10:45 and our floor finally began to quiet down around 11. I fell asleep immediately and slept like a rock until around 7:30 the next morning, which I wasn't expecting to happen. For the most part, students did very well about respecting the hostel rules and being quiet in their rooms...in fact, many of them actually slept! We had breakfast between 7:30 and 8:30, then packed up and cleaned our rooms. One of the caveats of staying in a hostel is that you are responsible to make your bed when you arrive and also remove the sheets, return them to a laundry basket, and clean your room: sweep, wipe down the sink, take out the trash, etc. when you leave. It took a bit of encouragement from the teachers, but the students did a decent job cleaning their rooms before we loaded the vans at 9:30.


At 9:45, we departed for the traditional "long hike" through the woods that would take us on a big loop into Switzerland and back to Germany again. Altogether it took about 1.5 hours for the whole trip, and the weather was very pleasant for hiking: perfect temperatures that allowed a light jacket without feeling too warm. Students snacked on trail mix and water as we walked and talked, simply enjoying each other's presence and God's creation. When we finally returned to the hostel, it was time to sort the baggage and we waited for the vans to return and take us back to Kandern.

I had a blast getting to spend time with my students outside the classroom, and I'm also very proud of how they behaved throughout our time at the hostel. It was also fun to hear the kids remembering recent science lessons. For example, outside the door of the hostel some eight grade girls noticed a few silver pipes and were commenting on how they looking like the solid and liquid fuel boosters on a space shuttle! On Saturday morning, I was called over to a cluster of seventh graders debating in which phylum the moss growing in the crack of the sidewalk belonged. They finally settled on bryophyta, which was right! Nothing makes a teacher happier than seeing her students apply what they've learned.

If you'd like to see all the pictures from the overnight, go to my Facebook album by clicking here.