Excursion Day

Despite having just gotten back from vacation, and there being no class on Monday due to it being Istanbul Liberation Day, on Wednesday we took off for excursion day. This is one of those things that is mandated by the Turkish Ministry of Education, which while a great idea does not always achieve the goal. "The goal?" you ask. Well that would be to take students outside of school and show them how what they learn in school is related to real life. This year we took our set of students (about a third of the 10th graders) to Buyukada, the largest of the Prince's Islands. In the past we've attempted to do a navigation activity which has been somewhat loosely organized and never ends up working out to well. This year we actually paid a company to run an orienting course (at least that is what they called it - not quite what I expected). Basically it was a treasure hunt for information that required students to plan a course, read a map (no compass needed), and participate in some activities (like donkey riding, bike riding, rappelling and darts). What I can say is that this year at least our students seemed to actually participate (which is more than I can say for previous years). I had a good time, as we entered one teacher team so that we could analyze the course and see how it worked and if we liked it. Along the way I did get to go a down small cliff, and was pleased to see a side of island that I had missed in my previous three trips there.