So my first year teaching 8th grade is coming to a close (I know...it's sad) and it's about time I resubmitted myself to my life in the blog world of 8th grade. It has been a jam packed year in my 8th grade world. Remember...it was this year that I made the switch from 6th grade to 8th grade, Language Arts & Social Studies to Math & Science, and North Carolina to South Carolina. I have absolutely loved it! There were always the little bumps along the road, as there are in every school year, but overall it was a fabulous decision to move to 8th grade and the Clover community.
All of our tests are over for the year, PASS and Algebra EOC, so it was time to celebrate with a trip to Charleston, South Carolina for these 8th graders. We left Thursday morning around 7am and made it to our first stop at the Drayton Hall Plantation around 10. This was the first time I had ever visited this place and let me tell you...it was B-E-A-Utiful. We started the stop with a lunch from home, carried in our little lunch baggies, before moving into a guided tour throughout the house and surrounding grounds. After about forty minutes on the tour, groups from our school switched locations and we went through three stations to learn more about the property, time period, and people who lived on the plantation. Our stations covered rice mashing, blacksmith jobs, and kitchen importance. It was a great first stop!
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| Drayton Hall Plantation |
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| The ceiling in the main room. All made from hand-done plaster. |
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| The gorgeous view from the front door. |
After the Drayton Hall stop, we went to the Charles Towne Landing. This site was really cool! The only thing was...we didn't have enough time to really enjoy it. Students were rushed through the site looking for specific information relating to their course in South Carolina history. Because of our time crunch and finding the necessary information, I think students missed the importance...not to mention coolness...of the place. I would DEFINITELY take kids back there to explore for a longer time. It was a great site :)
After Charles Towne Landing we went to Patriots Point. The boys went crazy at this place! They absolutely loved it! It was right up their alley. They enjoyed the hidden passages throughout the boat, the airplanes on the deck, and every ounce of the trip. This was by-far the boys favorite place!
Finally to call it a day...we visited Frankie's Fun Park. The place was our dinner, hamburgers and hot dogs, and our kids release of energy for the day. Of course this teacher participated as well; yep, I raced go-karts. Not to mention I came in 2nd ;)
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| The wonderful group of girls I was in charge of throughout the trip! |
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| Mrs. Stine and myself with a fierce go-karter! |
After calling it a night around 11:30pm on Thursday, we woke up and were ready to go Friday morning. This morning started with a historical downtown tour of Charleston. We went through the visitor center, picked up our tour guide on our bus and she talked us through the historical pieces of Charleston. We visited The Citadel, Rainbow Row, and The Battery among other interesting places. Definitely got our learning in for the day!
After our tour we made a stop at the South Carolina Aquarium. This was another huge hit among kids. They loved the sharks, turtles, eagle, alligators, and other unique animals we rarely get to see. This was actually my first time at the aquarium too; I loved it as much as the kids!
Our final stop for our two-day trip was the Charleston Market. Students loved seeing souvenirs and pieces of their stay in the city. There were pieces representing the aquarium, the plantations, the historical pieces of Charleston and more. I had many students grab themselves littler souvenirs from the market. They bought everything from straw-hats, Charleston t-shirts, and candy, to bracelets, photos, and sunglasses. It was a fabulous experience.
I have to say that the trip itself was wonderful! The kids totally enjoyed exploring a new city, new history, and places that they may or may not have visited before. I also have to say that seeing the light in their eyes throughout the trip really made me fall in love all over again with Charleston. I go there regularly to visit my in-laws, but gained a new appreciation for the historical town of Charleston.
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