The Cruise: Highights from the High Seas

On board the Carnival Sensation at sunset

I've never had any interest in going on a cruise. I admit I'd always been a bit of a snob about cruises. They seemed, for lack of a better word, corny. The TV ads trumpeting the rock wall and the flow-rider did little to disabuse me of my smug sense of superiority. The experience just seemed too packaged, too limiting--literally being stuck on a ship for much of the journey. The cruise experience with it's casinos, showgirls, and man-made spectacle seemed reminiscent of Vegas, another place that's never had any appeal to me.

But now that I've actually been a cruise I can report. . .that it is a little corny. The overly-shiny decor and faux luxe details are reminiscent of a late-80's three star hotel. But it's also a lot of fun, and definitely something I'd like to do again. After all, if you're going on vacation, this is way better than flying coach on an airplane. Why not make the journey part of the destination?


The six 8th grade graduates along with Pastor Johnson, school principal Brenda Arthurs, and I met at the airport in Columbus late Sabbath afternoon, June 4. We flew to Orlando, FL arriving around 7:30 in the evening. There our group split up. Funds were tight, and I had agreed to flying rather than driving to Florida on the condition that we keep expenses to a minimum. So Mrs. Arthurs, and "The Rose", the one girl among the students (so named because our headwaiter on the cruise referred to her as "the rose among the thorns") headed off to spend the night with a family friends of Mrs. Arthurs. Most of the boys stayed with Pastor Johnson at the airport Embassy Suites, and "The Attorney" and I stayed at my mom's house. Sunday morning we all met up at the hotel for breakfast and then got a ride arranged through one of the local Adventist churches by Pastor Johnson to Port Canaveral. Herewith, some of the highlights from our time on the high seas:

The Sensation in port  at Freeport, Bahamas

The Ship 

Our ship was the Carnival Sensation and it was huge (though certainly not the biggest ship out there. At the next pier over was the Royal Caribbean Freedom of the Seas which towered over our vessel.) Walking into the huge main atrium, looking up five or six stories at the massive skylight above you're suitably impressed by the size of the ship. There's space for a jogging track, a mini-golf course, several waterpark-worthy water slides, and of course the swimming pool. Indoors there's the gym, spa, salon, casinos, various nightclubs and lounges, and an expansive entertainment stage where Vegas-style musical revues are performed each night. At first it was easy to get lost onboard, but after a day we began to get our bearings, and before long we could navigate the vessel from end to end with ease. We found the ship is big but gets smaller the more time you spend on it. But it never gets so small you feel cramped.

The view from the top.  We gathered here with a lot of our fellow travelers as the liner left Port Canaveral

Another view as we departed Port Canaveral

The atrium is a great place to get a sense of the sheer size of the ship as you can see muliple deck levels all at the same time here.

Looking up at the massive skylight in the main atrium.  Doesn't it seem like Batman should come crashing through there at some point?

It's also big enough that you almost never feel the ship moving--something I'd always had a little anxiety about. I've always been a little prone to motion sickness and didn't want to end up spending most of the trip curled up over the toilet returning all the free cruise food. I brought along a healthy supply of dramamine but found I only used it twice. One pill on the first night at sea, and one the last night. Neither occasion demanded the remedy, but I did notice some motion and figured I'd better be safe than sorry. Mrs. Arthurs and I were the only ones who were even slightly affected by the motion of the ocean, and it didn't impinge on our enjoyment of the trip at all.

This web photo of an interior stateroom on a Carnival vessel is identical to the one we stayed in, right down to the color scheme and flat screen TV.  The upper bunk folds away during the day.  There is another set of bunks located at the photographer's vantage point.  Very comfy.

The Staterooms
The staterooms were much better than I expected. I envisioned a closet of a room, a place to change, sleep, and shower and that's all, especially since we'd purchased the cheapest rooms available, windowless interior rooms down in the bowels of the ship. I figured stateroom was an overstatement, a marketing ploy to dress up steerage class, but was pleasantly surprised to find we got substantially more than that. The rooms were small, yes, bu big enough to be comfortable. Our room slept four, with two overhead bunks that were folded away during the day, opening up the room a bit. I actually found the room cozy rather than claustrophobic. A nice touch was the curtained wall-space which gave the illusion of a window, which was surprisingly helpful in preventing one from feeling penned in. The only drawback is that in an interior room it's all too easy to oversleep. 9:00 A.M. feels the same as 4:00 A.M. with no sunlight to clue you in. I shared a room with three of the boys--"The Attorney" (so named for his considerable debating skills--skills he employed on me ad nauseum for reasons big and small all school year long!), "The Quiet Man" (the verbal opposite of "The Attorney") and "Asian Pop Star" (so named because of his super-trendy style). Pastor Johnson shared a room a few doors down with "Freshboi" and his son who I will call "Youngmoney" after one of his many Facebook appellations. "The Rose" and Mrs. Arthurs were quite a hike forward on the same deck as the rest of us.

A view of just part of the gargantuan buffet on the Lido deck of a Carnival cruise ship.  I snagged this photo from the web, and our particular vessel's buffet didn't look exactly like this, but this gives you the general idea.

The Lido Deck
 One of the great perks of cruising is the free food! Indeed one of the key selling points when we decided to go on a cruise was that once you're onboard everything is free (well, almost everything--but the food--all of it--is definitely free). The first place we all headed after depositing our carry-ons (our larger bags would be delivered by the porters later on in the day) in our staterooms was the Lido deck where an endless array of food awaited us. Apparently all cruise ships have a Lido deck, where the outdoor pool and surrounding facilities are located.  For us though, the Lido deck meant a sumptuous buffet spread available at virtually all hours of the day.  Even though the main buffet was only open at meal times, those meal times were several hours in length each and in between the pizzeria and deli were always open.  There was so much food available that I did the opposite of gorging myself on my first meal.  I began with a simple plate of grilled vegetables, olives, and a little eggplant dish.  There was no need to stuff myself because I knew that a feast awaited me at my leisure.

Another view of the Lido deck buffet.  This is the serving line.  Again this is a web photo and not our actual ship.

The Lido deck became one of our favorite hangouts and meeting places.  Leisurely breakfasts of pancakes, scrambled eggs (and a veggie omlet!), hash browns, grits, yogurt, a couple of Danish pastries, washed down with OJ.  Quick snacks of a Rueben from the deli, a late lunch of burgers, fries and fried chicken from the grill, and ice cream—lots of ice cream from the soft serve machines any time you liked.  I confess I had three ice cream cones in a row. . . more than once.  Even when we weren’t eating, we often ended up on the Lido deck.  It was a great place to find a deck chair in the sun or shade and just relax.  Pastor Johnson and I kept up with the NBA championships on the TVs scattered about in the buffet area and the pool bar.  We’d outfitted each of the students with their own walkie-talkies to enable us to keep track of them while allowing them a measure of freedom onboard the ship, but I found that it was easy to keep an eye on them simply by staying on the Lido deck.

"The Rose" and Mrs. Arthurs contemplate their many delicious choices at dinner.  I suppose you could order everything on the menu if you wanted. It's all free!  On at least one meal,  I did order three items from the starter menu--a soup, a salad, and appetizer plus an entree and a dessert for a true full-course meal

Dinner
 One of the high points of each day on the ship, was our seated dinner time. It was nice to come together with the whole group and share a meal together.  It was also a great opportunity for our students to learn the finer points of fine dining.   The setting was quite elegant—nice china, linen table cloths, and so on.  There is something very egalitarian about the cruise experience. Regular people get to feel rich (and if you're not careful, spend like you're rich). There's no Titanic-like restrictions by class. We cellar dwellers ate at the same table as the people who paid for the fancy high-end staterooms.

The menu was diverse with a couple new selections every night in addition to the “Carnival Classics” that were always available—of course everything on the menu was free. Monday night was Elegant Night and the dress code called for formal wear.  Our kids turned out looking sharp and carried themselves like true lady and gentlemen.  We were waited on by a team of three led by our headwaiter, Julie.  Julie was a friendly and solicitous Filipina and her familiar accent brought back fond memories of Saipan and all our friends in the Filipino community there.

Each evening the entire wait staff led by the maître d presented a short performance—a song or dance or both for our entertainment.  On Tuesday night, “Freshboi” provided one of the more memorable dinnertime moments of the trip.  The wait staff were providing an amateur dance number to the tune of “Apple Bottom Jeans” and of course many of the dinner guests joined in the fun.  “Freshboi” jumped out of his seat and started cutting a rug—and I swear, I thought this only happened in movies—the crowd stopped dancing, made a big circle for him, and cheered him on as he showed his stuff.  I guess all that jiving in the hall on the way back from the bathroom finally paid off.  I admit was more than a little impressed that his moves could command that kind of attention.  

Another enjoyable aspect of the evening was getting to know our tablemates.  You are assigned the same table for duration of the cruise and each table is filled so you usually get an opportunity to share your meal each evening with some of the other guests on board.  Our tablemates were Carol, her daughter Jennifer, and Jennifer’s two sons.  The family was from Orlando and had decided on the cruise as a last minute treat.  Getting to know them over dinner was a pleasure.

Passengers living it up on the Lido deck

The Fun Ship
 We cruised with Carnival. They did a great job from start to finish. I had a "personal vacation planner" who knew my by name and was my direct contact from the time I first enquired about the cruise, through our reservations process, and the months leading up to the trip. A big thanks to Roy at Carnival for all your help!  Once on board, the attention to detail and fantastic service continued.  The stateroom steward took the time to learn my name and always greeted me as we passed in the hall.   Guest services allowed “Asian Pop Star” to call his parents from their phone free of charge (Normally, it would have cost over $5 per minute.  And it wasn’t even a dire emergency—at least in my opinion.  He wanted to look even more like an Asian pop star and dye his hair an Asian pop star brown.  I --and the salon staff--wouldn’t allow him to do it unless I knew for sure his parents would allow it.  They gave the okay, but then it turned out he couldn’t get it done anyway because the dye allergy test wouldn’t clear before the cruise ended.  I was also very impressed with how the stylist broke the news to a deeply disappointed “Asian Pop Star”).   At  dinner the maître d arranged for us to change tables to escape smoke drifting down from the lounge upstairs and got us in for late seating when we missed our assigned early seating due to a late return from our day in Nassau.  In every aspect, I found the service and attention outstanding.

One of the neat things the stewards do each night when they turn down our beds, is leave a towel folded in the shape of an animal.  On this particular night, I think it was Wednesday night, June 8, they left us a towel crab.

Carnival bills its vessels as the “fun ships.”  And indeed the emphasis from the moment we boarded was to provide as many ways for the guests to have fun as possible.  Each evening we found a schedule of the next days’ activity choices onboard the ship and there was always something going on.  I’d say we took advantage of about 1% of all the activities they had available, and we were never bored.  Carnival cruise ships remind me a lot of the Pacific Islands Club resort in Saipan—a floating P.I.C.  They have the same international cast of young staff members and the same emphasis on keeping things exciting.   

For the first two full days of the cruise, we were ashore for most of the day.  Still we ate on board the ship and there was plenty of time in the evening to take advantage all the ship had to offer.  The last day of the cruise, Wednesday, June 8, we were at sea for the full day and we were able to take full advantage of everything on board.   The kids spent most of their time revolving between the Lido deck and Circle C, a youth club for kids 12-14 that provided a steady stream of activities and games throughout the day and well into the night.   They also made occasional forays to the gym, where I’d supervise them while they tried out the various machines.  Their main goal was social—to make new friends, particularly girls. (“The Rose” was content with privileging some of her classmates with the pleasure of her company as she saw fit—you can imagine the drama among the fellows on that count!)  

"The Attorney" above and "The Rose" below, working out in the onboard gym

Surprisingly the kids didn’t utilize the pool or the waterpark very much at all.  The boys swam briefly a few times, but complained that the water “didn’t feel right.”  I’m not sure what they meant by that, as I didn’t swim myself. The pool and the two whirlpools on either side of it were usually pretty crowded anyway.  I did try one of the slides in the waterpark though on our last day and found it quite refreshing after reading on a sunny deck chair for an hour or so.

On the full day at sea, I also popped into see one of the short shows/contests they had throughout the day.  The one I saw was a version of the newlywed game featuring one couple that had been married 51 years, one couple that had been married 26 years, and one couple that had been married for four days.  The game was hosted by Skip, the ship’s Australian cruise director.  It was quite funny, and I enjoyed trying to guess what Babs and I might have replied to the questions.  Unfortunately I missed the reveal of the couple’s responses as I was called away to deal with “Asian Pop Star’s” hair dye drama. 

It’s quite possible to fill your day onboard the ship and never spend a dime.  It’s also possible to spend quite a lot. If you want to drink soda, you can pay three bucks a pop plus gratuity or spend $24 for a soda card that allows you to drink unlimited  soda for the duration of the cruise.  Carnival also employs a small crew of ubiquitous photographers who take pictures of you as you board the ship, as you disembark at each port of call, and as you eat dinner.  In addition they have a multitude of backdrops set up along the promenade deck where you can have professional portraits of all kinds taken.  The pictures are displayed on a wall of photos in the main atrium and you can pick and choose which ones you’d like to keep.  A full-size 8 X 10 will set you back well over $20, so buying pics can add up fast.  At our last dinner, the students presented Mrs. Arthurs and me each with a leather bound professional photo of my students and me that we took during the Elegant Night.  It’s a beautiful photo, I must say—everyone looks like the most beautiful versions of themselves.  I’m sure it must have set them back a pretty penny, and I was touched that they used some of their personal funds that way.   Carnival also offers to book shore excursions for each of the ports of call.  The cheapest of these excursions, the basic tour of Nassau runs about $45 per person, with activities such as the Dolphin Encounter in Freeport or the visit to the legendary Atlantis resort in Nassau costing over $100 per person.  If you can’t be away from the web for four days, you can pay a hefty fee to use wi-fi or connect using one of the ship’s computers.  Likewise, cell-phones are functional throughout the cruise, but you’ll be charged exorbitant international rates when you make or receive calls (and, I’m told, roaming charges that are assessed even if you never make a single call).  We just turned our phones off for the duration of the trip.

In addition to these optional expenses, expect to be charged $10 per person per day for gratuities.  These funds go to the wait staff that serve you at dinner, the steward and other housekeeping staff, and other behind-the-scenes workers.  To be fair, if you’re going to leave a fair tip you’d probably spend that much or more anyway, but the $160 for gratuities that our room was charged sure hit the wallet hard.  You’re also expected to leave a generous tip in cash for the maître d on the last night of the cruise.  I don’t begrudge any of the gratuities but in the future I’ll be prepared for the added expense.  Even though I knew we would need to tip, I was still caught a little flatfooted with the amount we ended up spending.

Spending is dangerously easy on the ship.  Each guest is given a Sign and Sail card when they check in.  This card is used for any and all purchases on the ship—the soda card, gift shop purchases, photos etc—and the amount charged is assessed to your credit card automatically when the cruise is over, or you can pay in cash if you prefer.  Because charging is so easy, I imagine it would be easy to rack up quite a bill without realizing it.

The Sensation, right,  in port in Nassau.  In the foreground is a Royal Caribbean vessel, the Majesty of the Seas, I think.

When all is said and done, I have to say that I wouldn’t mind cruising again.  I think it would be a lot of fun with my family.  I might be interested in trying another line like Royal Caribbean, but I’ve heard that some of the other cruise lines skew towards an elderly clientele, and I like the variety of activities available for kids and families on the Carnival Fun Ships.  It’d be nice to splurge abit and get a room with a view or even a balcony.  There’d be lots we could do with the Feller and could even leave him at Camp Carnival (the kids camp/day care for children from ages 2-11) for a little while and spend some time together just the two of us.

 Congratulations, Carnival!  You’ve converted this cruise skeptic!  Hopefully sometime in the near future, I’ll have the chance to hit the high seas again.

Unfortunately, the only photo I could get of an entire cruise ship was of the Royal Caribbean vessel, which was blocking our ship.  You can just make out the water slide of the Sensation peeking out from behind the mammoth RC ship.

Trips are for Kids: Reflecting on the 8th Grade Class Trip

CAA's 8th grade class of 2011 set sail for the Bahamas Sunday, June 5, 2011 from Port Canaveral, FL. In this photo class treasurer, "Freshboi", looks out to sea as the Carnival cruise vessel Sensation leaves port.

This blog began with an 8^th grade class trip.  My first entries in the spring of 2006 were a recounting of that year’s trip to Seoul, South Korea.  Since then I’ve had an ongoing tradition of blogging extensively about the class trip.  I missed a year—my first in Columbus when due to an unusual set of circumstances which I won’t get into here—I ended up not going on the 8^th grade class trip to Orlando even though I was the 8^th grade class sponsor.  The trip entries have always been among my favorites.  But this year before I begin the usual chronicle of my adventures with students and colleagues in the Caribbean, I thought I’d like to reflect on the rationale for the 8^th grade class trip.

My first 8^th grade class trip was to Bali, when I was just 25 years old and a new teacher at Saipan SDA School.  It was a learning experience.  The kids were so terrified of the aggressive vendors on the streets of Kuta that they begged to just stay in the hotel.   I lost $75 of the class’s money to quick-fingered money-changers.  A group of my boys had to be moved from their hotel room because their loud horseplay in their room led to complaints.  I learned a lot that year and since then, I’ve taken groups of 8^th graders to Australia (twice), the Philippines and Thailand, South Korea, Japan and Singapore and Orlando and the Bahamas.  All of the trips have been fantastic experiences. 

Here in America I’ve encountered a question that was never asked during in our years in Saipan:  Why do the 8^th graders get to go on such extravagant trips?  (Well, actually no one has ever asked me that question directly, but I’ve been told the question was asked a lot this past school year.  The board votes at the local, conference, and union level were close, I’m told).  A typical 8^th grade class trip is a visit to a neighboring city, a day at the local amusement park, and maybe a night or two at the Travelodge.  The kids have a good time and go home.  Some schools might even pull out all the stops and make the trek to DC for a few days of national heritage touring.  The kids get to see history first hand, learn a lot, and go home.  But riding an elephant by day in Thailand and sleeping in a five-star hotel in Bangkok at night?  White-water rafting in Bali? Learning to throwa boomerang from an Aborigine and petting a kangaroo in Australia? Attending a Broadway-style musical on the history of South Korea and hearing a world-reknowned pianist play in a beautiful concert hall in Seoul?  Experiencing three national cultures in one city on the island nation of Singapore? Taking a cruise to the Bahamas?  Isn’t it all a little much?  After all why should mere kids get to experience all that?

My response is simple: Why shouldn’t they?  The kids shouldn’t just have a little fun and learn a few things and then go home.  They should have an experience of a lifetime, a trip they’ll never forget.

I think 8^th grade is an ideal time to take students on a major trip—whether it be to one of the great cities of America or to an exciting international destination.  Public and private schools are beginning to offer opportunities for kids as young as fifth grade to go to places like France and China.  This website has an ongoing discussion among teachers a few years ago discussing taking their middle school students to places like Mexico and Spain!  I’m proud to say that at the schools where I’ve taught we’ve been ahead of the curve instead of playing catch-up.

Here’s what I’ve found from more than ten years of touring the world with middle-schoolers:

8^th grade students are old enough to appreciate the experience and are able to handle being away from home, but young enough that they can’t get into adult-style trouble.  With my 8^th graders I don’t have to worry about my kids trying to sneak out at night to find the local nightclub.  I don’t need to worry about the kids trying to take advantage of another country’s lower legal drinking age.  Onboard the Carnival Sensation, I knew none of my kids were going to have much interest in or the ability to sneak their way into the casinos or night clubs.  The kids, despite the already raging hormones and their belief that they know everything, still retain a certain innocence that precludes trouble and also can make more open to the new experience.  To be honest, I don’t think I’d ever want to volunteer to take a group of high school seniors on a major trip—too much stress and worry!  I’ll take my 8^th graders any day.

Traveling with 8^th grade students exposes them to a wider view of the world.  Both in Saipan and in Columbus, I had students who had never been outside of the United States before.  Some had never even been on a plane or left the island (or state).  It’s an invaluable experience for kids to see how people live in a different part of the world or a different part of the country—to see how kids go to school in Thailand or the Bahamas, how the Adventist church worships in Korea or Australia, to learn a few words of a foreign language (or a different way of speaking English!)  It’s important for them to see the world is bigger than what they have known.

I loved my 8th grade class trip!! It definitely broadened my horizons. We were able to experience things that we wouldn't usually experience. I remember when we were in Australia we went into the Outback with the Aborigines and ate ants wit...h green butts. We learned that the ants are what the Aborigines ate while out in the Outback for vitamin C. The other day I was watching Discovery Channel and saw a special on Australia. Sure thing, the green butt ants were featured!! It was pretty cool telling people that I have actually tried the green butt ants!! Not to mention the white water rafting was pretty awesome!--Neischangpi Satur (Class of 2000, Australia)

On Tuesday, June 7, 2011 we visited the new campus of Bahamas Academy of Seventh-day Adventists on New Providence Island, which is still under construction.  Eventually this $10 million complex will house over eight hundred students.

We also visited the current campus of the Bahamas Academy of Seventh-day Adventists.  The kids were amazed to learn that the 8th grade class at Bahamas Academy has more students than our entire school!

And for some, this may be the only chance they get.  Sure there may be trips in high school, but if they’re not at an Adventist or other private school, with thousands in their class all they’ll get is an opportunity.  Perhaps, if they’re a part of the French club they’ll get a chance to go to France or tour the United Kingdom with the AP Literature class.  Maybe the seniors will have an optional trip that a handful of students shelling out big bucks will get to attend.  But the chance to visit a great destination with all of your classmates in a manageable group is a rare and precious opportunity.  With this in mind, I’ve always had a few basic principles that have guided my approach to the 8^th grade class trip.

#1.  Everybody goes. I’m a strong believer in doing whatever it takes to ensure that every student goes on the class trip.  I’m proud to say that in nine 8^th grade class trips, we’ve only had to leave behind four students (One because he and his parents never got around to applying for his passport despite repeated reminders, one who enrolled in our school the week before we left for the trip, one who discovered at the airport that she’d need an entry visa, and only one who I did not allow to attend due to behavior and academic issues).

#2.  The destination should be a place that most of the students have not visited before, and are unlikely to have the opportunity to visit again in the near future.  And I believe in giving kids a voice in where we go.  I know I could simply decree our destination at the beginning of each year, or simply return to the same place year after year.  I’m sure there are advantages to such an approach.  But here’s what I know:  I’ve never had a class complain about their class trip destination (whining on the trip itself however. . .well, they are kids after all!).  I think this is because my kids know that this is the trip that they chose through their votes, through their hard work and discipline (or lack thereof—if the kids end up going to Guam or Cleveland they know it’s because they didn’t put in the work for a more spectacular destination).  I also know that things have a way of working out—the kids may be all gung-ho for a European tour at the beginning of the year, but reality has a way of saying no as loud and clear as any law I could lay down, and I don’t have to deal with the resentment.  So you want to go to Paris?  Go for it.  Here’s how much money we’d have to raise.  Parents, principal, school board, conference board, union board all have to approve.  If you can make that happen, then by all means let’s go.  Reality takes care of the rest.  And hey, those second choice destinations-the ones I’ve been subtly promoting all year--they usually aren’t too shabby either.

The kids originally wanted to go to California, but they ended up here instead.  Bummer. (Lacaya Beach, Freeport, Bahamas. June 6, 2011)

ahhh 8th grade class trip, by far the best week in my life! Australia was amazing. Memories of it are still fresh in my mind. Arriving at the airport, waiting for the bus driver, getting to the hotel, arguing of beds, going to church, e...ating those LARGE mangoes, switching hotels, laser tagging, tube riding, that aboriginal park, that skyrail that was VERY scary, kei learning how to wash clothes, SHOPPING, white water rafting, and the four wheeler stuff. AND POOL, i wasted alot of money playing that. It was so much fun and we learned so much from it. All the fundraisers and all the hard work to get there was all worth it. Learning about the aboriginal people was cool too, I did not know they even existed and I bet they didn't know what chamorros or carolinians were. Imagine that, one week in Australia and I discovered a new race--Kono Remeliik (Class of 2008, Australia)

#3.  Learning is always on the itinerary.  And by that I don’t necessarily mean museums (though those are often included too).  A zoo, a classical music concert, a centuries-old fort, a cultural village are great academic learning experiences.  But I also want my students to learn about the larger Adventist organization our school belongs to.  I make it a point to visit an Adventist institution on every class trip.  I also want my students to learn how to conduct themselves while traveling whether right here in America or abroad.  Whether on a plane, train, or cruise ship I want my students to learn how to travel, how to make their way in a new place with courtesy, curiosity, and dignity.

One of my students poses with a cannon at Ft. Charlotte in Nassau on New Providence Island in the Bahamas. We took a brief tour of the fort that once housed a British garrison in the late 18th and early 19th century and wandered the grounds a bit on our own.

Finally, I believe the 8^th grade is the ideal time for a big trip because often times it’s on the trip that they  grow up.  Literally overnight silly, irresponsible children seem to morph into serious, responsible young men and women.  Almost without exception my students have raised the bar while traveling with their class.  This last group, the class of 2011 maintained the trend.  There was none of the buffoonery, none of the constant arguing over instructions, none of the bad attitudes that had cropped up during the year.  My students were outstanding, throughout the trip.  Not that there was a lack of drama among them or some of the usual minor griping or lack of appreciation of the moment (“Hey guys, look a beach! Let’s swim!” “No, I’ll just sit on the beach here and be bored”).   But when it came to following instructions, staying out of trouble, carrying themselves with dignity in public places, exhibiting responsibility and courtesy to those around them, my students were exceptional.  I was so proud of them.  Of course, I’d had that feeling before:  Watching Myoung Hun barter like a seasoned professional with the street vendors in Bali, Ian changing in money in Australia like he’d been doing it his whole life, Fredo falling in love with Thailand, Nicole and Ana eagerly embracing each new experience in Singapore and South Korea respectively, “J”, “Koala”, and “S” exhibiting a heartening spirit of adventure in Australia.  Every year I get the privilege of watching my students rise to the occasion and shine.

I absolutely love the fact that I fell in love with Thailand. It became to me more than just a trip. The people were great and I really enjoyed the food, the stores, the culture. It was very good at impressing me. Learning some things and learning social norms in different places is also a very cool and neat thing to experience-Wilfredo Paez (Class of 2005, Philippines & Thailand)

This year our class took a cruise to the Bahamas.  Where will the class of 2012 go?  If you ask me, the sky is the limit. But no matter where we go, it’s sure to be the trip of a lifetime

I asked some of my former students turned Facebook-friends to tell me about what they remembered from their 8th grade class trip. Many of those kids are adults now, but they still have vivid memories of their 8th grade trip.  I shared some of the responses in this entry and you can see more here.

Coming up:

The Cruise: Highlights from the High Seas

Blogging the Bahamas Beaches: Onshore in Freeport and Nassau

"Seaing" an Old Friend

The Endorsement: WonderWorks, Orlando FL

More photos!  Pastor Joel Johnson, the father of one of our 8th graders, traveled with us as a chaperone and took lots of photos.  He promised us all copies of all his pictures, and as soon as I collect on that promise, I will add a lot more photos to this entry and the others to come.  Also, I'm going to work on getting written permission from all my students' parents so that I can post photos of the kids on the blog.  After all, it's a bit odd to have blog entries about my trip with my students and never see the kids!

Pastor Johnson armed with multiple cameras.  With this kind of equipment, I think you can expect some pretty outstanding photos!

Win-Win: The Dallas Mavericks' Gift to Teachers

Too often in our world it seems that wrong is rewarded. We try to teach our kids that it’s important to be humble, to be unselfish, to be loyal. We tell them that’s it’s not “all about them.” We tell them it’s important to work hard and pay your dues, stay in school, go to college. But then all around them they see people who are arrogant and selfish, and who, as a direct result of their choices, are showered with success, money, fame, and power. They see so-called role models in sports and entertainment who make it clear that’s “all about me.” They see people for whom the regular rules seem not to apply—they didn’t really need to bother with boring hard work. They didn’t need to stay in school or even go to college. The good life seems to have come to them simply because they demanded it.

But every now and then, the values that we strive to teach are vindicated in the flashy world of popular culture. Every now and then hard work and teamwork triumph over exceptional talent and individual superstardom. Every now and then humility and selflessness triumph over braggadocio and self-interest. Every now and then those who paid their dues get paid back at last. Such was the case Sunday night when the Dallas Mavericks defeated the Miami Heat in the sixth game of this year’s NBA championship.

Of course, most readers know that I’m the farthest thing from an avid sports fan, but this season’s contest piqued my interest. As I bantered with my students about the game as we cruised the Caribbean on our 8th grade class trip, I sensed that more was at stake than a mere game.

Like most Ohioans, I was familiar with basketball star LeBron James' ungracious departure from the team of his youth, the Cleveland Cavaliers last summer. For months before his decision James let the rumors swirl about whether he would stay with the Cavs or sign up with another team. The intense anticipation culminated in an unprecedented one-hour primetime special on ESPN entitled “The Decision.” Like Results Night on American Idol, James milked the full hour, before dramatically revealing to the world (and his former team) his decision to leave Cleveland and join his friends Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh on the Miami Heat. Together this powerhouse Trinity would chase the championships James had been unable to snag with his less talented teammates in Cleveland.

The Cavs were horrified, Cleveland was devastated, and basketball fans quickly divided into two camps. There were those that felt that James showed tasteless arrogance in the way he left his home team (all but the most die-hard Clevelanders respected his right to choose another team, but many objected to the self-indulgent way he unceremoniously dumped his former team before millions of viewers). And then there were those that felt that “King James” had the right to do what he had to do in whatever manner he chose to get a championship ring.



And for much of the year, it appeared that LeBron James had made the right move. Any hopes that Cleveland would somehow beat the odds and succeed without him quickly evaporated. Meanwhile, Miami proved a dynamic force in NBA basketball, muscling their way through the playoffs and into the finals against the Mavericks, a team with only one big star Dirk Nowitzki, oldsters such as Jason Kidd, and a bunch of relative unknowns. The outcome of this matchup seemed a foregone conclusion.

But something strange happened as the finals began. Miami won the first game at home, lost the second, then won the third game which was played in Dallas. Game Four, last Tuesday, is when I began watching—following the action an TV poolside on the deck of our cruise ship in port in Nassau, Bahamas. It was noted that LeBron was having difficulty, especially in the fourth quarter when his outsize talent was especially crucial. He just couldn’t seem to deliver when he was needed most. Was it nerves? The pressure of the game, the media, his own exorbitant expectations? No one seemed to know, not even LeBron himself. In a sense, it didn’t matter what the reason was—the fact was James was virtually scoreless in the fourth quarter of the fourth and fifth game. The games were close with both teams just points a part right down to the buzzer—had LeBron been himself, there’s no doubt Miami could have won.

By the time Game 6 rolled around and the action shifted back to Miami, Dallas definitely seemed to have the momentum and while the two teams remained close in the first three quarters, in the fourth, Dallas pulled away opening up a lead that Miami was powerless to chase down. The final score was 105-95.

Granted, if the Heat had won and James’ choices had been seemingly vindicated, as a teacher I still could have carved out a teachable moment of sorts. I could have made the argument that though LeBron might have won the basketball championship, in the game of life personal character is what really counts, blah, blah, blah. But the argument would have been a tough sell against the obvious tangible benefits LeBron would have been reaping.

I’m not here to make a judgment about LeBron James as a person. I don’t know him personally. I’m sure he has many fine qualities, and I dare not claim to know his heart. However, we can and should judge his actions, and we can decide whether his public image is worthy of emulation. This is the critical thinking we want to teach our students to engage in. The critical question is not: “Is LeBron James a good person?” The question is: “Were his actions good? Is his public persona worth imitating?” The lack of payoff for his choices makes answering those questions just that much easier.

Count this week’s win for the Dallas Mavericks, a win for teachers and parents as well.

This post by Andrew Sharp on the SB Nation website provides some great insights into why "King James" failed to live up to the hype as well as several links to some other great articles on the subject.

ElijahQuotes on Twitter

So, I finally joined the Twitterverse. I did it in order to hear Mat Kearney's new single, "Hey Mama" which he had released on Twitter for 24 hours a few weeks back. After taking a listen, I did nothing else while I pondered what to do with my newfound outlet to the world. I always knew that if I ever began tweeting it would have to be something more than inane updates about "what I'm doing right now."

I finally hit upon an idea. When J and I were student missionaries in Chuuk, we both made a habit of writing down quotes--funny, insightful, and just plain weird things that our students and colleagues used to say. Those quotes, more than our full journal entries, do more than just about anything else to take us back to that special year of our lives. So, with that in mind, I've decided to use Twitter to record all the new, funny, and interesting things that our son says from time to time. It seems like every day he says something that makes us smile or laugh, something that indicates growth in his understanding of the world around him. Twitter, with it's 140 character limit, seemed the perfect place to share these little pearls from our Little Feller.

Now I know for many the musings of a toddler are about as inane as what I had for breakfast this morning, but that's okay. But for those that know and love Elijah and think you'd enjoy keeping up with what he has to say, I invite you to follow me on Twitter at @maycocksean.

The first two quotes are already up!

Family Worship

Family worship on a Friday night. Winter 2011


The three amigos.

For the past six months or so we've been having semi-regular gatherings for food, fellowship, and worship on either Friday or Saturday evening. J and I had been talking about organizing something like this, something reminiscent of the Friday night missionary gatherings that were a part of our history back in the islands. I was particuarly inspired by the Stafford's Friday Night Haystacks tradition they'd established in Saipan. While we rarely went when we lived in Saipan, we did join them on Friday night when we visited last spring. I loved it. The simple but scrumptious food, the company of good friends and new acquaintances, the joyful singing, the kid-friendly worship thought. We need something like this back home in Ohio, I thought to myself.

Here in America, we're all so busy with our lives. We generally don't live clustered together in a mission compound as we did overseas; here getting together may main a drive of at least 20-25 minutes rather than a thirty second one from one apartment to another. There's not the automatic sense of camaraderie missionaries often feel that comes with being far from home and extended family in a different culture. Here, biological family is close at hand and there's little need to create a sense of family beyond that circle. In short, family worship beyond the nuclear unit seems impractical and unneccessary. But just because it isn't needed in quite the same way doesn't mean it can't be a rich blessing anyways. And indeed, we have been blessed each time we've found an opportunity to get together for family worship here in America.

The core group has been three couples, all with a history in the islands. There's Erwin and Rachel C. Erwin and Rachel met while she was serving as a student missionary in Saipan back in 2004-2005. Erwin, the brother of one of my former students, had just moved to Saipan from the Philippines to work. They eventually fell in love, moved to the States, and got married and settled down, ultimately right here in Columbus. Just a few months ago they welcomed the third member of their family, little D..C.

J and Evelyn Carlos also met in the islands, when both were missionaries on the island of Chuuk. They were the first to relocate to the States, moving to the Columbus area from Guam, I think around 2003. Their son is almost exactly a year younger than our little Feller.

And then there's the three of us rounding out the group. On some occasions one couple will be missing from the gahtering, and on others the group as enlarged by others--visiting family members or other friends from the area. Whoever is there, the atmosphere is always warm, the food is always good, the music enthusiastic, the Spirit of the Lord present.


Story time with the boys.


These gatherings are all the more precious now because soon our group will lose three, as the Carlos family moves to the Chicago area this summer. They didn't plan to move, but circumstances made it necessary, and they are going trusting the God who has led them always in the past, to continue to do so as they head into a knew and unknown future. The C's and Maycocks will continue to gather for worship from time to time after they're gone, and perhaps others will become "regulars" in time. These gatherings by their very nature are all-inclusive after all, and there's always room for one more. But for now we'll treasure the Friday and Saturday nights we have left with the Carlos clan.

We'll miss J, Evelyn, and Benji of course, but we'll plan to visit every now and again--most likely on weekends, when once again we can gather for another family worship.



At the table with the C's. The Carlos family was away that particular weekend, but Rachel's parents who were visiting were able to join us. D.C. was just a few weeks away from being born when this photo was taken.


Rachel reads to the boys during worship to end the Sabbath. Sabbath, April 30, 2011.




Our Feller loves the guitar. Here he "plays along" with J during worship at the C's home, April 30, 2011.

Still Learning

This entry began as some random notes I jotted to myself on my laptop while sitting through a belle plates rehearsal Mrs. Arthurs, the principal of our school, was conducting with my students. It was Friday night, the last night of the first annual Allegheny West Conference Arts Festival, and the entire experience had been one of learning—for students and staff.

What I’ve learned:

Talk less. Just talk less. I talk too much. The kids talk too much. We all talk too much. The more I talk, lecture, explain, cajole, threaten, the more I lose the kids. The gift of gab can be a curse. A few words of instruction, well-chosen are far more useful than long lectures or explanations. I’m as guilty as the students of wasting time with talking.

You’ve got to have your stuff together. Dead time is deadly. It’s better to do a few things well than to attempt too much and have it turn out poorly.

There comes a point when all you’re going to get is diminishing returns. Learn to recognize when that is and let it go.

Recognize when kids are (and aren’t) giving their best. Allow time for growth rather than blaming them for not listening. At the same time, don’t settle for subpar when the students can give more. Remember that most things are easier said than done.

It’s easy to criticize. It’s harder to do the work.

Follow through. Once you say something, you have to back it up. Understand that you will not want to do that when the time comes, but you must do it any way.

Focus on prevention, rather than the cure.

When speaking to students, think about how you would feel and how you would respond if someone were saying the same words to you and in the same tone of voice.

I’ve been learning a lot lately and I’ve been trying, with some success (and with a fair amount of failure too), to put what I’ve learned into practice. Two books have had a profound impact on the way that I approach my work as a teacher.



It wouldn’t be an overstatement that these two volumes have literally shaken the foundation of everything I thought I knew about teaching.



The first book is Soul Shapers: A Better Plan for Parents and Educators, by Jim Roy, a volume that focuses on radically different take on classroom management and discipline. In the book Roy seeks to draw parallels between William Glasser’s educational philosophy of Choice Theory and Ellen White’s counsels on education. (For readers that are not Seventh-day Adventist, Ellen White was one of the founders of our church, a prolific writer on topics from health to education, and considered by many Adventists to be a prophet). According to Roy, the crossroads of these two educational thinkers is that ultimately classroom’s must be “lead-managed” rather than “boss-managed.” Students cannot be (or perhaps more accurately) should not be forced to conform to the will of the teacher, but instead teachers should seek to encourage students to take ownership of their choices. There is much in Roy’s book that challenges me, and I’m not sure I entirely agree with all his conclusions, but I have also found a great deal of wisdom and truth in what he says and already I’m seeking to change the way I manage my classroom to reflect greater respect for my students free will and encourages them to truly take responsibility for themselves.

The second book is the textbook for the class I’m currently taking for my Master’s degree. Classroom Assessment: Supporting Teaching and Learning in Real Classrooms by Catherine Taylor and Susan Bobbitt Nolen is about techniques in assessing student learning but really it is about a new approach to learning—one that emphasizes authentic classroom experiences (tasks that have real-world application and importance) over rote learning, quality over quantity, and the use of assessment (often better understood as “testing” to the layperson) as a means of enhancing the quality of instruction. In this approach the test is not taken at the end, but essentially taken throughout and used not to judge the student, but to help the student succeed. This book and this class has been revelation to me. I’ve been a bit overwhelmed by the magnitude of it all. I look at some of my classes and feel like they need a complete overhaul. A lot of that will have to wait until next year, but at least some of what I’ve learned I’m beginning to try to put into practice right away.

Learning is a funny thing. It is one thing to intellectually comprehend something and another more difficult thing to actually put it into practice. But that process of learning leading to change is what makes any learning meaningful.

Together Again

The whole family in July, 2009, the day we left Kimo behind for the States. This was the beginning of the Great Seperation.

The whole family in April 2010, when we returned to Saipan to visit. This was a reprieve for Kimo from the Great Seperation. The whole family in April 2011. This was the end of the Great Seperation. At long last we are all together again!

It's been just over a week now since Kimo rejoined the family and so far her adjustment continues to be seamless. She's into a regular schedule and eagerly looks forward to her brief visits outside in the early morning and early afternoon and her longer walk in the evening. Babs has been doing most of the Kimo walking duties during the week, but I took her out this morning and after church, and I have to say it's a very peaceful thing, this buisness of walking the dog. I'm usually constantly engaged in something. If' I'm not working then I'm watching TV, reading, blogging, surfing the web, browsing a magazine--something. I rarely leave time to just be with my thoughts. But walking Kimo provides me that time, and I have found it very soothing.

In just a week Kimo appears to have put on weight. Her coat is shiner and fuller in appearance. She's showing a little more energy, scratching at the door to go out like she used to do in Saipan (she's still learning that here in America there is no unsuprevised wandering of the compound at her leisure). The other day she and I had some fun playing together in the house. Elijah wasn't sure what was going on with all the racing up and down the hall and Kimo's playful yips.

Speaking of which, our son and our dog seem to be doing really well. The Feller has taken to Kimo like he has no other dogs. He really loves her and considers her "his dog." He likes to pet her, lie next to her and put his face next to hers. Kimo, for her part, will patiently endure as affections. She rarely walks away from him or tries to avoid him as she used to do in Saipan. We still keep a close eye on them whenever they are together and we are continuing to teach Elijah how to properly approach and treat Kimo.

It's good to be together again.

Babs, the Feller, and Kims out for a Sabbath afternoon walk in our neighborhood, last Sabbath, April 2, 2011, the day after Kimo's arrival. Elijah is clutching our mail, which we picked up while out on our walk.

Kimo enjoying a car ride.

Babs and Kimo. April 9, 2011.

What a difference a week makes! Spring has definitely sprung this past week, as evidenced here by the absence of coats, scarves, and hats that were present in the photo of these three from a week ago.

"Well my mom told me if anyone hits me, I should hit them back!"

What do I say to this kid, in trouble for hitting another kid—usually because the other kid messed with him in some minor way? What I usually say is, “Well, there may be times when you feel you need to defend yourself, but you need to understand that our school is never going to have a policy that you can fight with another student if provoked and not receive any consequences. If you feel you have no other choice but to fight, you need to also understand and accept in advance the consequences that will come with that decision. If you’re man (or woman) enough to fight, you’re man enough to accept the consequences of fighting”

What I want to say is this:

Well, your mom is wrong. If mom is teaching you to lay out anyone who lays a hand on you, she's simply teaching you how to live a life where problems go unsolved and trouble dogs you at every step. No one needs to “teach” his or her child that if “anyone lays a hand on you, you hit them back.” Just about everyone, including kids, are smart enough to know when they are in real danger and will fight back in self-defense. A few years ago, a good friend of ours literally had to fight for her life for hours against an assailant, who she remarkably was able to fight off. Ordinarily she is one of the most gentle, unaggressive people I know. I’m reasonably certain her parents never taught her “hit back if any one lays a hand on you.” They didn’t need to. The instinct to protect one ’self is inborn. “Fight or flight” is the technical term, I believe.

We’re fortunate that in our school fights are rare occurrences, but often times the “mom/dad told me I should always defend myself” argument comes up during lower level disciplinary events, and when a schoolyard scuffle does break out, invariably this argument makes an appearance.

Okay sure, there may be times when a kid needs to stand up to a bully. But I find when parents take it upon themselves to teach their children to “hit back” the result is often hyper-aggressive, hyper-sensitive children who fly off the handle in “self-defense” at the slightest provocation and who are often bullies themselves. These are the kids scowling in the principal’s office yet again, because “Johnny pushed me” or “Jane got in my face” or “Jason was calling me names.” These are the kids shouting down the hall at other kids to “say it again and see what happens.” These are kids that are as likely to throw the first punch as put up fists to defend themselves. Children often times aren’t mature enough to discern when to apply their parents’ advice to “handle their business.” Dad might be thinking this is to be applied if his son gets jumped by some thugs on the street, while “Junior” assumes this means to lash out if another student bumps him.

If parents seriously believe their children are under constant threat of physical harm then the least they can do is provide their child with proper self-defense training, whether martial arts, or even basic fighting skills. But to send a child off with little else but a supposedly street-savvy admonition to hit back can only lead to trouble.

I understand the impulse, though, as a parent. No one wants to see or imagine their child hurt by someone else, picked on, or bullied. On occasion my two year old son will report that one of his little playmates at the daycare hit him. I have to admit telling him “Well, if he hits you, you just him back” sounds a lot tougher and more effective than the wimpy-sounding “Well, if he hits you, you just tell Miss Rose.” But when I put my ego aside, I realize that except in the most extreme circumstances (like my friend’s experience above), “telling Miss Rose” is exactly the appropriate response in civilized society. For us adults, “Miss Rose” is better known as the police. We deal with aggressive situations while still following the law. In the real world, the law generally frowns upon the kind vigilante justice some of us expect our kids to mete out. So for now, I’ll keep telling my son to take his concerns to the proper authorities. My boy, like most toddlers—and most of us for that matter--is willing enough to hit if angered. There is no need for me to encourage or teach it.

The Perfect Dog

After 42 hours of travel, Kimo is finally home here in America

We always felt that Kimo was the perfect dog, but we never expected her to be. . .well, this perfect. She came to us perfectly housebroken without a day of training by her previous owner; she didn't chew up things; didn't bark incessantly; didn't bite; wasn't overly hyper. She was more civilized than a lot of people. But surely, I theorized, a transPacific flight will put her into a state of severe emotional distress and all those wonderful traits will evaporate. I had steeled myself for the worst, and expected days and weeks of stressful retraining before she gradually readjusted.


Exactly one year ago, we piled on a plane and flew to the other side of the world to see Kimo (among others) in Saipan. This year, it was her turn to make the trip. Babs took this video of Kimo in her kennel, just after Babs arrived to pick her up at the airport.


I couldn't be more happy to be totally wrong. I've joyfully conceded that Babs was right all along. Kimo's adjustment has been essentially perfect. Her travel time, including an overnight stay in Detroit was 42 hours. She arrived in good spirits and extremely excited to see Babs. Her kennel appeared unsoiled and it would appear she "held it" that entire time, and gratefully relieved herself--for a long time, Babs reports--once released from the kennel here in Columbus. Since then she seems to have automatically continued with her housetrained ways even though now we have to to take her out, rather than just letting her out to take care of her business at her leisure.


Kimo finally gets her potty break in a grassy area by the airline cargo office where Babs picked her up Friday morning, April 1, 2011. She arrived about 8:30 Friday morning and Babs was able to take her after completing all the paperwork and such by around noon.

Kimo's health is actually quite good, all things considered. Her skin is in pretty bad shape, but should improve with time. Babs took her for a deep-cleaning at Petsmart after picking her up at the airport and then to the vet for a check-up. The vet put her on a couple medications to deal with the infections in her ears and to clear up a couple of other issues. Babs says that Kimo charmed people everywhere they went.


Kimo looking elegant and graceful as always while waiting at the veterinarian's office.

Her temperament seems virtually unchanged despite what must have surely been a very confusing and disorienting journey for her. She has seemed a bit more tired than usual but not sluggish or lethargic. She's a bit more clingy than is typical, but not excessively so. She watches Barbara carefully whenever she moves towards the door, and I think she was very relieved that we took her with us to return the rental car this morning (We wented an SUV to pick her up from the airport, as the kennel was too big to fit in our car). By and large she seems about the same as she's always been. As I type this, she sits curled up on the carpet by the dining room table while Elijah plays with his play-doh in his booster chair at the table.


Kimo hanging out with the family in her new home, Sabbath, April 2, 2011

Our one "episode" was a brief spate of barking last night when our neighbors returned late and tromped up the stairs past our front door and then creaked about upstairs. I posted a rather panicked message on a dog lovers thread on Interference where some regulars have been giving me some dog advice. But it turned out that the barking ended after a few minutes and there have been no further incidences since. And that incident itself wasn't actualy unsual for Kimo, as her one vice had always been barking furiously any time someone approached the door of our home in Saipan.

And so it appears, at least so far, that Kimo will make a smooth adjustment to her new life in here in America, a world away from the tropical island where she was born. We are glad to have our family whole again, and even though we now have new responsibilities (and expenses--yikes!) added to our already busy life, we don't mind. Kimo asks so little of us as it is--to give her what we can is no sacrifice at all.

Welcome home, Kimo.


Kimo's number one advocate looking quite pleased with herself. . .as well she should. Babs always believed that Kimo could handle the journey here and that she'd be all right once she got here. And to her credit she did virtually all of the work on this side of world to get her here, working in tandem with Virle in Saipan. It must have been just like the old days for Virle and Babs working together again. And since Kimo's arrived she's taken the lead in her care as well.