Teacher Tips ~ Settling In

Getting settled into the hostel and preparing dinner can be a bit hectic to manage as a teacher. Plan these hours carefully beforehand, and make sure you have sufficient (6-8) parent volunteers. With parents helping out in the kitchen, your role is to coordinate all the different activities and supervise the students.

4:30 = Hostel Orientation

• Have your parent volunteers start preparing dinner before (a few minutes, at the very least) all of your students return from their farm chores. Type up some simple instructions that parent volunteers can follow without your assistance. Before the field trip, meet briefly with one parent who can take a leadership role in the kitchen.
• As your students return from their farm chores, have them gather on the hostel steps. You could guide a class sharing of farm chore experiences while you wait for the hostel orientation.
• During the presentation, make sure your students pay attention to the hostel manager, who will be going over important rules you will want ALL of your students to understand.

4:45 = Moving into Cabins

• Prepare your cabin assignments BEFORE the field trip.
• Send groups to their cabins with parent volunteers, one parent per group. Send groups one at a time, while you remain with the rest of the class in the hostel.
• When students move into the cabin, they will need to do the following with the support of the parent volunteer:
  • Decide where they are sleeping. (If you have a large class, students may need to figure out a fair way to decide who will sleep on the mattress on the floor. This is a wonderful opportunity for children to practice problem-solving skills and appreciation of their parent volunteers, who should NOT be asked to sleep on the floor.)
  • Put their sheets on their beds.
  • Lay out their warm clothes for the night program neatly on the bed.
  • Lay out their pajamas and toothbrushes separately for after the night program.
  • Return quietly, without running to the hostel.

4:45 = Quiet Time

• Students who are waiting to move into their cabins will stay in the hostel living room with you. Go over the instructions for quiet time before entering the hostel.
• There are a variety of activities students can do. Plan ahead of time to be sure you bring whatever materials you need from school. Here are a few suggestions.
  • Continue writing notes (the more the better!).
  • Quietly read an independent reading book brought from school.
  • Play games, such as scrabble , multiplication bingo, triaminos, memory, crossword puzzles, etc.
• Whatever activity students choose, make it very clear that
  • It is quiet time, so they need to use quiet, calm voices.
  • They may not leave the hostel living room without permission.
  • They must choose one activity and stay with it.
  • They may not meander around the room.
• You may want to rotate small groups of students through the kitchen to help prepare dinner. I have been surprised to discover just how meaningful preparing their own food together can be for students!

5:30-6:00 = Lunch Preparation

• If your class is staying the following day, have your students assemble their lunches during this "free-choice" time, as a pre-requisite for eating dinner. This will save much time and stress during the morning. Set out the lunch fixings on a dining room table. Supervise this activity, calling a few students at a time to pass through the "lunch-bar."
• Make sure students write their names on their lunches. Have a few small boxes labeled for each cabin or field trip group, to help students find their lunches quickly in the morning.