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Show THE ZEPHYR AUGUST 1993 PAGE 8 From the New York Desk Of the Zephyr I students on field philosophy, I learned to drive a school bus so that could take my trips. At the heart of my drawing class was the notion that an artist begins by looking carefully at the real world. An artist never looks away or turns away. An artist's job is to see. And to go out in the world and see it first hand, just as it is; to report with line and words what is seen. To be in the world, not just study about the world, that is the artist's task. So we got in the bus and sallied forth. Even as a parish minister I held to this notion. When I was in seminary I Movement. These men read about something called the French Catholic Worker-Prie- st electrician, teacher-a-ny had regular jobs during the week like everyone useful job at all. On the weekends they celebrated mass. They chose to be part of the world, not just work in the church. I decided to follow their example. During the years I was a parish minister, e I usually had a weekday job like everybody else. I had to be at work on Monday at 7:30. I made a clear choice. One could concentrate on being in the world or one could spent time mostly in the church. One could address the world or one could do church workwork. Only now have I finally realized that my life has been an unending field trip. And I tried hard not to be a tourist. But to be an adventurer, a traveler, an explorer, a learner, and a pilgrim. So you can understand my enthusiasm when I was asked if I would like to field trip. This is not kid stuff. "Of course! Wonderful! be involved in a first-graWhere are you going to go?" else-plum- ber, full-tim- de By Robert Fulghum Robert Fulghum is on vacation this month. The following story is from his new book. Maybe (Maybe Not), published August 1 by Random HouseVUlard. A telephone call last October. "Mr. Fulghum, our first-graclass would like to involve you in a field trip." It's the chairlady of the Outside Education Committee for the first grade class in the only elementary school in our small nearby town in de "Oh, I'm sony, Mr. Fulghum, I guess I didn't make myself clear. We want to come see you. You are our field trip." I didn't know what to say. The ultimate turn of the wheel of life, I guess. I have become a field trip. zoo is open." "Well," I sighed, "Come on over-- my Copyright 1993 by Villard Books Part one of a two part story. Next Month: The First Grade Comes to Visit. Utah. I liked Next to field trips best when I was in school. Actually, I'd been thinking about field trips quite recently. About a month before receiving this invitation I stood on the sidewalk of the town and watched with envy as a fire truck rolled by very slowly with its rs sirens wailing. This was to please the who were sitting in back on top of the hoses, holding on for dear life, grinning from ear to ear, thrilled beyond words by a trip down Main Street with the firemen. A small voice in the back of my head said. Take me, too." I remember with astonishing clarity my own field trip experiences fifty years To a fire station, a bakery, the Coco-Col- a ago. bottling plant, a dairy, the police station, the city dump, and a construction site. During second grade we visited an automobile repair garage, rode a city bus around and back to the place where the bus was kept at night, and toured the county museum. We walked up and down our Main Street going in and out of businesses to see what was going on behind the scenes where groceries and goods were being unloaded and unpacked. And, of course, the zoo-- we went to the zoo several times. And when the circus came to town, we were there to watch them unload the animals from the train and set up the tent. Looking at a book in the classroom could not ever compete with a field trip. How sorry I was when education shifted to matters that could only be studied in the classroom. How glad I was to take geology in college and go out on field trips again-- to walk on and touch what I was studying. A field trip! Yes! Talk about magic words! Show-and-Te- U first-grade- When my children were young and the call came from school for parent volunteers to chaperone field trips, I was their man. Once a field trip project involved flying it at a nearby park. building a fifteen foot high hot air balloon of paper-th- en floated in balloon fire a the and The toward landing on the roof of a air up caught called. fire house. The was Very exciting! When calm had been nearby department it restored, the students wanted to do again. Not just the balloons, but the whole catastrophe, launch, flaming balloon, fire department, and all. When I became a schoolteacher myself, of drawing and writing and ENTRADA R A N c "Come to where the action isn't." ...Just the river, Hj the canyons, and the quiet. Complete houses & adjacent cabins P.O.Box 567 Moab, UT 84532 801-259-57- 96 From the Women of the 90s who Co-ow- ner Marty referred to as "hi s Babes" in the July issue...... Babe THIS. taria. .I |