Challenge #04855-M106: Learning Experience

Trying to get a group moving in the right direction. Pick one of these. Schoolchildren on a trip. Visitors to a 3 hour specialist sale event. Agreeing to go anywhere. -- Prompty

"Stop, look, and lis-ten," chanted Educator Dees, primary teacher for the newly literate and numerate class.

There were five kids to each educator, not that that did anything to prevent the inherent chaos of fifty children on the field trip. Some were talking animatedly at each other, some were play-wrestling, some were doing memetic dances, and one was playing with a cats-cradle. Nevertheless, they had grown up with this call and response, so they at least slowed down enough to chant, "Stop, look, and lis-ten."

The majority stopped their shenanigans, all the same.

"All of us together," cheered Dees. "Stop, look, and lis-ten." This time, all of the supporting educators joined hir chorus.

That worked to gain the collective attention. Dees held up a finger and moved it as ze spoke, thus maintaining their mayfly attention. "We are about to head into the Sensory Experience, and we will be understanding how other people experience the world around them. Some things in this exhibit are things you do not touch, and we can all tell because they are on the other side of a barrier. Hands up if you know what kinds of barriers we'll find today?"

A cluster of hands went up, and there's always one who doesn't wait for acknowledgement. "Walls and doors."

"We wait to be called on, Taer. Though we will be finding walls and doors, we won't be looking behind them unless we can go around them. Okay, Cheen."

"Ropes and bollards?"

"Very good, any other ideas? Pon."

Pon mumbled, "...glass boxes."

"Very good, Pon. Boxes made of glass or other clear materials that we call display cases. We want to make sure that everyone can see what's in those so we...?"

"Do not touch," chorused the group.

"Very good. Thank you. What else might we see inside as a barrier? Paul?"

"Ropes and those pole things with the clips?"

"We call those bollards; very good, Paul. That's exactly right. Ropes or ribbons held with bollards help direct crowds in proper directions. They are not toys, Aerd. There are plenty of things to play with in the exhibit, but the bollards and anything attached to them are meant to stay as you find them. Now, I know we're excited to experience everything on offer, but we also don't want to get lost so we...?"

"Stay with our team!"

Each educator pulled a small handle on their backpacks, which raised a little flag. Each a bright colour with a simple picture on it. The kids laughed, but they also knew their teams.

"All right. Everyone with their teams. Let's explore safely and keep ourselves in control of our best manners. Remember to make sure everyone gets a turn, and look after your teammates."

It was fifty kids. Of course chaos broke out five seconds inside the door. The teams scattered to multiple winds and immediately did all the things they were expected to not do. The educators went after the worst offenders first and the security officers in charge helped herd the rest.

Even with the best technology and all the advancements of education it was possible to have, herding cats was an easier job than teaching.

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