by Jennifer Woods
Middle School English Teacher
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With a dull thud, I was shot directly in the chest. No worries. An arrow with a marshmallow-like arrowhead delivered the exacting blow. You never know what to expect at Rockbridge Adventures, the site of this year’s fifth and sixth grade retreat. I arrived as a chaperone but quickly found myself in the middle of a fierce game of archery tag. Normally, I would love the opportunity to compete. But this time I was a reluctant participant—I had never before shot a bow and arrow—not ever. However, my moment of incompetence allowed my sixth grade girls to reveal their cooperative, supportive nature, as they ducked behind barriers and raced to my side to show me how to use my bow and arrow, sacrificing themselves to help their teammate in need.
This game of archery tag was just one example of how well the fifth and
sixth grade students cooperated throughout the retreat.
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I watched as groups of students attentively listened to instruction and then developed an action plan to successfully launch a tennis ball 50 yards to the intended target. I watched students lend a helping hand, saving classmates trapped in the foam pit. I watched students cheer each other on as they reached the top of the rock-climbing wall or executed a somewhat graceful flip on the bungee trampoline. I watched and I watched and I watched, and I was so encouraged by my observations.
Some of these students came in knowing most of the other people in their class. Some of these students came in hardly knowing anyone. By the end of the retreat, however, everyone had
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someone to call friend. This retreat set the tone for the school year as students engaged in physical games and teambuilding activities that taught them the importance of putting others ahead of self, how to be a gracious winner and loser, how to be an effective leader, and how to be a cooperative follower. As a teacher, I am encouraged and excited about how their learning will translate to the classroom
Middle School English Teacher
With a dull thud, I was shot directly in the chest. No worries. An arrow with a marshmallow-like arrowhead delivered the exacting blow. You never know what to expect at Rockbridge Adventures, the site of this year’s fifth and sixth grade retreat. I arrived as a chaperone but quickly found myself in the middle of a fierce game of archery tag. Normally, I would love the opportunity to compete. But this time I was a reluctant participant—I had never before shot a bow and arrow—not ever. However, my moment of incompetence allowed my sixth grade girls to reveal their cooperative, supportive nature, as they ducked behind barriers and raced to my side to show me how to use my bow and arrow, sacrificing themselves to help their teammate in need.
This game of archery tag was just one example of how well the fifth and
sixth grade students cooperated throughout the retreat.
I watched as groups of students attentively listened to instruction and then developed an action plan to successfully launch a tennis ball 50 yards to the intended target. I watched students lend a helping hand, saving classmates trapped in the foam pit. I watched students cheer each other on as they reached the top of the rock-climbing wall or executed a somewhat graceful flip on the bungee trampoline. I watched and I watched and I watched, and I was so encouraged by my observations.
Some of these students came in knowing most of the other people in their class. Some of these students came in hardly knowing anyone. By the end of the retreat, however, everyone had
someone to call friend. This retreat set the tone for the school year as students engaged in physical games and teambuilding activities that taught them the importance of putting others ahead of self, how to be a gracious winner and loser, how to be an effective leader, and how to be a cooperative follower. As a teacher, I am encouraged and excited about how their learning will translate to the classroom