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Chaperoning field trips--riding on the bus?

WBs_BrideWBs_Bride member
in Parenting
I'm chaperoning DD's field trip tomorrow. It is her daycare camp class, all 4- and 5-year-olds. When I said I would do it, the teacher asked if I'd be riding the bus with them, and I just assumed that's what you do. She said that some parents drive and meet them at the spot. I figured riding the bus was just part of the "job" and had never considered driving separately. I'm definitely riding on the bus (DD is super excited, she loves the bus), but am I a total dork for doing it or what? When I mentioned it to a coworker she was like, no way would I ride on the bus. (Of course she is single w/no kids, so I'm considering the source, but it made me think about it.) So basically out of curiosity, would you ride/have you ridden the bus on a field trip with your little (4-5 yo) kid?
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Re: Chaperoning field trips--riding on the bus?

  • ccm1203ccm1203 member
    I chaperoned a field trip with school and rode the bus.  I also think it is part of the "job".
    Cheryl, Evan 4.25.05, Paige 7.2.07
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  • AZ_EricaAZ_Erica member
    My kids are not in school yet either, but I would have assumed that is what you did. 
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  • DandRAgainDandRAgain member

    I've done it both ways...not because it was my choice, but how the field trip was set up.

    Riding on the bus---the kids are contained to their seats and really only need one person (the teacher) to say "sit down" "hands to yourself" whatever....its not like you are really doing anything anyways...they are contained.  Its really the part where they are out of the bus and the potential to go in different directions makes chaparones neccesary...for the "stay with us, Johnny!" or whatever.

    The time we didn't ride the bus it was because they were cramming the entire first grade on ONE big bus and there wasn't room. 

    I can see parents chosing to meet so they can run errands before or after....or to avoid the whole noisy crammed bus....I don't think its a big deal.

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  • PinkPianoPinkPiano

    I rode the bus for my dd's Kindergarten field trip.  Why bother to drive separate if you are going where the bus is going.  Maybe some parents are "too cool" to ride the bus. I'm not though and neither were several other parents.

     

     

     

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  • hopankahopanka member
    Our school only allows 3 adults on the bus, including the teacher...so only two parents. The rest of the parent volunteers drive their own cars. I was told its for insurance purposes, in case of an accident.
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  • phd_y2kphd_y2k member

    I work for the public school system of a very large city.  Our regulations say no chaperones drive on their own, they must ride the bus.  We do this in large part because the destinations have limited room for adults, and we already selected the maximum amount of adults allowed to attend.  If at my school we said you could drive, we'd have 28 sets of parents on every field trip.

    My LO attends private school; I just chaperoned a field trip for 2-5 year olds, and I drove (FT was close to my house, school is 10 miles away in opposite direction).  I also drove my DD, in her car seat.  Nice and safe.

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  • WBs_BrideWBs_Bride member
    Thanks, everyone. At least I'm not the only one who thought riding the bus was just fine.
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