A moment of crisis

Yesterday I had to take another batch of minions to the war museum for Field Trip #2. They needed another teacher to chaperone, since this last group only had one teacher going. So, 3 buses–around 90 kids :slap:–and I had to learn 29 names in 30 minutes or less. I did pretty well, if I do say so myself.

So we arrive at the museum, and I go to greet the docents. Opening the door, I find the museum strangely empty. Last week when I took my own students, we were greeted at the door. Today? Crickets chirping and that’s about it.

I check my watch. No, we’re not early. I walk inside a little ways and eventually see one of the staff. He asks, “May I help you?”

“Yes, we’re here for the field trip.”

He then speaks three words that will strike fear into the heart of any normal teacher. “What field trip?” :confused:

You see, the museum did not know we were coming. They had forgotten to write down the last date of our trip and wrongfully assumed that our group had finished up last week. So here I am, with 90 children, and no museum program. I remain calm. After all, what’s the bottom line here? Do I take them back or will they throw something together for us?

To be fair, the guide looked even more panicked than I was. “But we have another group coming in,” he fumbles. “And we don’t have enough staff members here.” Uh oh.

Again, I ask him what’s the bottom line. Eventually they gave us the lecture in a hallway surrounded by tanks instead of the auditorium. They then helped the kids tour the museum in 3 groups. Somehow, they salvaged the trip, and for that I give them credit. I believe he finally saw the mix-up (the educational coordinator and I had been e-mailing back and forth about the dates) and apologized profusely.

Then, to make matters even more interesting, we had a child begin fainting on us and had to call her mother. And, to top it off, we had a stowaway. Yes, one child had not paid her admission fee nor turned in her permission forms and got on the bus anyway. None of us were aware that any students were supposed to remain behind since they weren’t our students.

All in all, a day that warranted feet up on the couch when I arrived home. I worked on some line edits on a book I owe an agent, and deleted the pages off my current mss that were “off.”

Is it really only Tuesday?

How about you? What was your worst crisis at work?