What were school trips like for you?

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One of the clearest ways that I could see that I was different to the other kids growing up was my inability to cope with school trips. I mean both day trips and overnight trips.

Its only as an adult that I can see what was going on. Breaking of routine, not really being told what we were doing/what to expect, sensory overload....

On school trips I would become seriously overwhelmed. I needed an adult to stay with me 100% of the time just to cope with the anxiety, confusion, feeling sick, shutting down. They thought I was too dramatic or immature to cope with the situation. I was just absolutely freaking out.

Anyone else see this in their past?

yes, when i reflect back on my school
daze and trips I can remember it as
hell. I was totally overwhelmed and
often would try and get out of them.
I even tried to brake my arm to get
sent home from one summer cam

To be honest i hated being around
my peers in new settings, all the
screaming and hypoarousal was
distressing.

Home life was hell to, but at least
i had my routines that held and
contained me.

I was a very, very quiet kid, and more intelligent than my classmates, so on school field trips I would always stick close to the teachers and listen intently to presentations or speeches, or if it was an outdoor, open-air field trip I would always seclude myself somewhere away from other children, or, even better, stay on the bus and take a nap. I remember thinking that they were always so noisy and bothersome when I was trying to hear about the historical significance of such-and-such a place.

I actually liked school trips except for the overnight ones. I always followed the teachers or some of my good, quiet friends, though.

I always had to make sure I was near an adult, or the other kids would bully me. Usually they were careful not to let the teachers see them do it, but on one occasion the teacher happened to see a boy deliberately splash me with mud. The teacher scolded him, and made him get a rag and clean the mud off my clothes. That was one of the rare times such a thing was ever caught.

I dreaded buddy systems. Nobody wanted to be paired off with me, and the teacher would have to draft someone--who would complain, loudly. Exceptions to this rule occurred when there was another child in the group who was more outcast than I was, for example what they used to call mentally ret*d. In that case we would almost automatically partner up, since we were the only ones who would accept each other.

As a kid, I was placed in special ed for emotionally disturbed kids from grade 1-3 where we had field trips every week. I usually enjoyed this experience because the ratio was 1 adult for every 3 kids at most and we were transported by private car and the staff really prepared us for where we were going. However, when I was mainstreamed in fourth grade, my first field trip in a "regular class" was a nightmare. We went to visit a mission and there was 30 students, one teacher, and just a couple of parent helpers.

The teachers made everyone find "buddies" and the one girl who was "forced" to be my buddy complained loudly while her friends kept sympathizing with her in my earshot. I ended up clinging to the teacher the whole time and she ended up getting mad at me for not staying with my buddy and dominating her attention while she was trying to manage the rest of the class. I also got in trouble for insisting on sitting on the bench instead of on the floor at the presentations at the mission. I had sensory issues and the floor was too cold but the teacher accused me of being "stubborn" and told my parents that I wouldn't be allowed to go on field trips with the class anymore and would have to stay behind in third grade class when they did their next field trip. That was actually moot because by the time that field trip came around, I had been kicked out of the regular class and sent back to special ed.

They were okay. At least I didn't have to do any school work. Other than that, I hated being with my typical peers all day. I was in Special Ed where things were a lot quieter and classmates had more respect for one another.

Day trips were ok, they were just a fun day out. Except for a trip to a farm, when we went in the building where the pigs were, the smell was overpowering and I had to run outside to get away from it, then when everybody had finished in there they went out through a different door and left me there. It was probably quite funny to see a panicking eight year old trying to run with oversized wellies on.

They were tolerable. I never went on any long ones, though.

field trip- YAY
anything to be able to get away from that awful place [school classroom], at least for a little while.

I like field trips for the most part. The only problem if I go with entire grade field trip like my eight grade with Canobie Lake Park and I have trouble socialize with others, since I tend to talk quietly and just about most of the students were as loud as you can get. I had fun going to the park but the few sped students didn't I went on the rides by myself with the regular students and the other two only went on rides like cars and Di Vinci's Dream.

I didn't have anything against school trips when I was younger, but when I opened my eyes to the computer I quickly began thinking "I would rather be home by myself surfing the web or playing a game".

The field trips I hated with passion were the outside ones. I can't stand feeling cold over a considerable amount of time.
Overnight camping is pain. Having to lay in a tent next to a gazillion other people all clammed up, with sweat and moisture from weather. Not to mention when you wake up and you feel like you've been raped by the small rocks under the tent pressing up towards your spine. The horrors

Day trips were great - but camps were entirely different. I'll always remember the first camp i was supposed to attend. My good buddy (who in hindsight was probably an aspie) refused to go. I saw this as my opportunity and joined his revolt. Soon enough we found ourselves at the headmaster's office being told there was no option - we must go - it's part of the curriculum. At which point my friend bolted! I've never seen somebody run so fast. The headmaster was fuming, but seeing as I wasn't giving in either he begrudgingly let me out of it

The camps were fun - but so stressful being in a completely different environment for a week with no self determination. I remember one camp they held a talent show and we were all expected to get up on stage and do something. Talk about rubbing salt into a wound - I stressed all week over that one.

(first post.. yay)

Mostly boring. An riding on a bus can become uncomfortable very quickly.

ruveyn