I suppose that actually getting stranded on an uncharted island may be quite difficult. Assuming, however, that our genius of a field trip director would somehow find a way, this is how life may become.
The first job would be for someone to take attendance. We would all want to know who was missing or dead. We would probably discuss what had happened and where any of us thought we were.
We would then shift to the future. A simple form of government would have to emerge. Instead of one person chosen as leader, I would suggest a complete democracy. With such a small group, this form of governing would work. Each person would be able to speak when they held a certain item, a conch possibly. Instead of a leader making the final decision, however, a vote would be taken. Each person would be allowed one vote. The majority would rule.
Jobs would have to be assigned. A list of jobs would be issued and volunteers would be selected or voted upon first. We would then have to begin picking people for the remaining jobs. A signal fire would have to be set up quickly. Exploration of the island would also an important and immediate duty, with, I would assume, an abundance of male volunteers.
After several days of realizing that we were alone on an island, we would most likely begin to build shelters. Eventually we would finish enough shelters to last us a while. These buildings would be enclosed four or five person sleeping quarters only. Guys and girls would not be mixed.
Within a few months, a church would most likely emerge. A township with specializations of trades may also occur. Citizens in our community will have to decide whether to live in town or in the outskirts. I would estimate that before six months a massive rebuilding of shelters would take place. These would be large, individual huts built by each person. They may have more than one room and most likely a place for a fire.
By the one year mark many things will have changed. I would estimate that no less than three females will have become pregnant. The signal fire would have been stomped out by than, as would any hope for rescue. Various simple machines would have been invented by this time. One important thing would definitely occur by this time. Government would have lost a lot of its power. Instead of a true democracy, a number of smaller groups would emerge. We may form hunters' , farmers' , builders' , female , or minority groups. These would be made up of people who think they deserve more for what they do for the community. If divisions could not be ironed out, we would either have to agree upon an elected leader or allow the creation of new communities.
Though we would have problems designing a workable government and society, I believe that our English class could survive together on an island. We could possibly do more than just survive. We could prosper on this island if we would all just treat each other with respect and put in a little hard work.