Is it just me, or what?

[cap n chris]

It does happen.

However, my definition of a good group is one which immediately makes plans to go caving again, often before even getting back to the car park.

 

[shotlighter]

A spectrum has two ends. How about a report of a trip with children from the other end of the spectrum?

I took a kid into Goatchurch once. He was fine.

Doesn't make such good reading does it? 

Your'e both absolutely right. There are a vast number of trips done where the groups are wonderful which go unreported. Just like the last time you read in a newspaper "White, middle class kid does well at school". Regardless of what we feel at the end of the day, the kids will have had an unforgettable experience - sadly the ones who stick in the mind are usually the more challenging!

Funnily enough of the many kids I showed round Apedale Colliery (now a museum) the one that stuck in my mind was about 11 & far from obnoxious.
His knowledge of mining was superb & when I tried to catch him out about a mine rescue member killed in a local disaster, he knew the chaps full name, title & which pit he worked at - & it happened a bit before his time, 1918!

 

[cap n chris]

BTW, usually it's an Asianist doing well at school; often scoring far higher, on average, than Caucasiopeans, Hispanishes and Afromicans.

 

[paulf]

I usually get Scouts thanking me for a good trip if it's their second or third trip & have something to compare it to. 
My fellow Cave Leaders rarely give me the useless (Moany ones) as they know I don't listen & unless there's a obstacle or climb will let the party follow behind me.
My best trip into Goatchurch for Years has got to be a very nervous group of Scouts from Deptford, South London. One particular girl was giving it a good go & trying everything 
When it came to the 40ft Crawl I was leading in when someone said "Ellie's crying" as I was flat out & just in front all i could do was try & calm her down I said "the passageway wasn't going to come down & crush her as it was completely solid & stable etc."
I then said "you don't walk down the Street thinking that a Meteorite will come along & crash into you ?"
" I Will Now !!" she replied 
Once I'd stopped Laughing  I managed to persuade her out. 
She then went down the Bunny Run without a problem followed by Sidcot & Piere's after Lunch  8)
The Worst Scout I've ever took was too Knackered just walking up to Sidcot  Then on the Sunday he sat in the Van while every other Scout went into Swildon's  when I returned i asked him "how it had been ?"
"Brilliant I'd been playing on my DS"  :chair: :chair:
Gawd help us Grumpy old gits 

 

[Dep]

I've had a fair few hundred kids on various local trips over the last few years, fortunately I have only ever had two who needed to be taken aside by their adult supervisers, one was removed to another group at my request.
I recall an odd handful of kids who didn't really have the right attitude, and a few groups that were poorly supervised and allowed to run amok - but overall I have found that most kids are keen enough if you get them in smallish groups and engage them or challenge them. Inquisitive kids enjoying an activity is a really great thing to see and makes it all worthwhile.

I think it's also true to say that however much of a warm feeling I get leading the good kids, it only takes one bad one to make you wonder why on earth you are there at all, and question ever doing it again.

 

[Graigwen]

Blimey, everyone seems so mature and responsible now.

It wasn't like this in the 1960s. When I was in my final year at Uni, someone suggested 'outreach' work, you know, put something back into the local community. So we took a load of 14/15/16 year old scouts and lads who had been exploring disused mines on a couple of 'proper caving trips. I was a bit surprised when a couple of schoolgirls tagged along, and even more surprised when I ended up married to one of them.

 

[cap n chris]

The rest of the week we took similar groups from the same school as Burt's group and they all (mostly!) enjoyed themselves; the last group of the week must have been the sparkiest since they were accompanied not by a teaching member of staff but by a policeman! - anyhoo, they managed to successfully cuss their way around underground without punching each other too much.

Out of the many thousand youth I've taken underground the most troublesome was undoubtedly this year when one of the group, (each of whom was out-numbered 2:1 by assisting adult "staff"), decided to go berserk when we returned to the car park - resulting in a member of staff calling the police and having him arrested! Mind you, I have heard tales about other such groups where they've set fire to cars, deflated all the tyres on parked vehicles nearby etc. etc..

Marvellous.

This week I have definitely witnessed some of the largest hoop ear-rings in my life! - almost as big as a small football! - yerhbut, nobut, yerbut, nobut! Brizzle's gert lush!

 

[gus horsley]

I can't decide whether kids are worse nowadays than when I were a lad.  perhaps it's the quality of cave leaders which has improved.  I can remember getting kitted up for a trip into Dow when I was about 15 and the leader said "hold on a minute, I'm just going to smoke a couple of spliffs before we go underground so I can appreciate the trip more".  That was fairly normal for the mid 1960s.

 

[Peter Burgess]

Nowadays you have to remind some of them to turn on their lamps so they can appreciate the trip more.

 

[Broken Chris]

Some kid's will always be annoying sods, whatever generation. I'm just grateful for the great job that outdoor activity centres and guides do - good work guys  . I first went caving 14 years ago when I was about 11 on a trip organised by my Home Economics teacher (and led by Andy Sparrow - cheers Andy!). I had to wait another 7 years before I could go caving regularly with the Uni club but it was one of the best things that ever happened to me and gave me a real appreciation for outdoor activities - it's just a shame that more schools don't / can't offer this to kids for fear of legal problems.

BTW, does anyone in the industry know what happened to Lord Adonis's manifesto for outdoor education? It was published back in 2005 - that's the sort of thing they should concentrate on bringing in, not just more tests...... Link here: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/4407868.stm

 

[cap n chris]

BTW, does anyone in the industry know what happened to Lord Adonis's manifesto for outdoor education? It was published back in 2005 - that's the sort of thing they should concentrate on bringing in, not just more tests...... Link here: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/4407868.stm

Yep. I think you mean this:



.... Obviously I read my copy every morning before I plaster on my fake smile and plough through my routine once again!....

Seriously, though; it was presented at one of the centres I work for as an example of the "new direction" etc. etc. yawn, etc... problems are, however:

* No extra money
* No extra training
* No extra anything
* Just another glossy brochure with management speak in it

So, "situation normal", as they say.

 

[cap n chris]

...I've given up my youth work with Brizzle kids cause it was driving me nuts  ...

Driving anything like this, perchance?....