The Field Trip I Never Tripped

This morning’s events (or lack thereof) are the kind that can ruin your whole day. I feel so sad. I’ll have to tell the whole story for this to make sense.

Last week, Peter brought home a permission slip to go on a field trip today. The field trip consists of taking the light rail train downtown, going to a movie, and then taking the light rail back to school. I thought this sounded like a really cool and fun field trip. I volunteered to be a chaperon. On Monday, when I was picking up the boys from school, Peter’s teacher saw me, came up to my car, and told me that I could definitely go on the field trip as they needed all the chaperons they could get. But she said that in order to be a chaperon, I needed to sign up as a volunteer with the school district, which involves filling out an application and having them perform a background check. I told her that I had signed up as a volunteer with the district last year, and she said I would need to renew it for this year. I said okay. Then I totally forgot to do so.

Yesterday, Melanie asked me about signing up to be a volunteer. Peter’s teacher had asked Melanie about it because she could see that, as of yesterday, I was still not approved. I cringed as I realized I had forgotten to sign up and the field trip was scheduled for the next morning. But Melanie told me not to worry. I could fill out the volunteer application online that night and things might yet work out. If the application wasn’t approved by the morning, perhaps something could yet be done to allow me to go. Peter’s teacher was determined to have me go, since she really needed the help. And so, last night, I filled out the online volunteer application, and I then went to the grocery store to get Peter and me some lunch stuff to take on the field trip. Melanie and I talked to her mom to see if she could help us out by picking up Creegan after preschool, since I wouldn’t be available, and she agreed. Everything was set.

This morning, I got up earlier than usual so I could get ready for the field trip. I dropped Melanie, Eddie, and Peter off at school around 8 AM. I told Peter I’d see him soon. I then took Creegan to preschool and reminded him that Grandma would be picking him up. I then drove back to Peter’s school. I thought the field trip was supposed to start around 9 AM, so I sat in the car listening to a podcast for a little while. At 8:54 AM, I got a text message from Melanie saying I definitely could not go on the field trip. My application had not been processed and there was simply no way around it. I felt absolutely heartbroken for Peter, and very sad that I couldn’t explain it to him myself. I would just be a no-show. (Hopefully, his teacher explained it to him.) I also felt bad that I was leaving Peter’s teacher in a bind, since I know she was desperate for chaperons. It was an all-around crappy situation.

I drove home, feeling very sad. When I got home, I checked my email. My application to be a volunteer with the school district had been approved. I received the email at 8:46 AM, eight minutes before Melanie’s text message informing me that I could not go on the field trip. I can only assume Peter’s teacher had checked on my application mere minutes before it was approved. At the moment I stood outside of Peter’s school, about to meet up with his class, I was actually an approved volunteer. But I turned around, left, and went home because nobody knew it. Talk about frustrating and disappointing.

Let’s hope the day improves from here.