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I've always been a fan of the old saying, "The more things change, the more they stay the same."
I believe that's true and often notice examples of how it applies in life.
Each May I am reminded of this old adage when I organize the Adrian sixth-grade class trip to St. Paul.
The more things change, the more they stay the same.
It was 25 years ago this spring when my sixth-grade class from Luverne traveled to St. Paul for our field trip.
Sixth grade is the year you learn about Minnesota history, and the annual year-end trip to the Twin Cities to see the Capitol building and other sites is a rite of passage for young Minnesotans.
Each year when we take our Adrian sixth-graders, I think back to my own sixth-grade class trip.
In May of 1991, the LHS Class of 1997 toured the State Capitol, Science Museum, and the Minnesota Zoo, all in one big day.
I remember loving everything about the Capitol building (especially going to the top to see the "golden horses" up close), the museum, and the zoo for the first time.
I remember stopping at the Blue Earth Rest Area, having our class picture taken on the steps of the Capitol, and taking a break at the Albert Lea McDonald's on the way home.
Two weeks ago our Adrian sixth-graders got up early to get on a school bus with no air conditioning, bathroom, or seat belts to enjoy a big day of seeing the sites in the Twin Cities. We stopped at the rest area in Blue Earth on the way there and the Albert Lea McDonald’s on the way home.
The more things change, the more they stay the same.
Sure, in 2016 we had kids wanting to spend the whole bus ride on cell phones and we used GPS to help find bus parking. The kids shared pictures on Snapchat and waved as a drone flew over us at Fort Snelling.
We also, however, had excited kids from a small town, some seeing the big city for the first time, enjoying time together on the bus and taking pictures while learning about their home state.
The more things change, the more they stay the same.
Thankfully not everything stays the same, however.
As I recall, all 100 or so of us were on two school buses for the big trip in 1991. When we got to Albert Lea on the way home, one of the two buses broke down at the truck stop on the far west edge of town.
The one remaining functional bus took us back to McDonald's where we sat for over two hours waiting for a replacement bus to arrive from Luverne.
The teacher in me today can only imagine what our teachers were thinking 25 years ago when 100 kids were stranded in a McDonald's for two hours longer than expected.
The memories I have, now 25 years old and processed as a sixth-grader, are of the teachers and chaperones stepping up to make an otherwise bad situation tolerable.
For example, I remember parent chaperone Mary Tilstra filling the time arm wrestling — and defeating — all the boys in our class. We were all amazed and impressed by her strength.
Two weeks ago, as the bus started and we left the Albert Lea McDonald's on time, I couldn't help but be thankful that, even as more things change, not all things stay the same.