For me, a major benefit of moving to Japan was not having to chaperone school field trips anymore.
I'm sure there are parents who enjoy going on field trips with their kids, but I'm not one of them. I don't like being outnumbered, especially by little people. Riding on a bus with noisy children is not my idea of a good time.
Unfortunately for me, it's standard practice at American schools to ask parents to help when students go on any kind of excursion. Most schools want at least one or two parents to accompany a class of 20 to 25 students, so teachers send a handout home asking for volunteers. If that doesn't work -- and it may not in schools where many mothers work full time -- teachers get on the phone. I don't think I ever volunteered, but I couldn't say no when a teacher asked me personally.
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