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Post by katlady on Apr 11, 2021 20:00:46 GMT
Did you ever go on an overnight or longer school trip? It was never an option in my K-12 school years. I read here how 8th graders go to D.C. or NY and I think how cool that would have been. Probably the demographics of my school district did not make it feasible, and while I was in K-12 I never knew there where such trips.
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Post by myshelly on Apr 11, 2021 20:07:43 GMT
No
Sometimes teachers at the school were travel agents and would plan student group tours of DC or Europe or Costa Rica and invite specific students of their own choosing, but it was NOT done through the school and was not an official school field trip or school trip.
That’s the way it should be.
I don’t think it’s fair to our teachers in the position of caring for kids overnight.
We did occasionally go on trips for competitions for extra curricular activities, but they were not required and the teachers were not required to offer them (teachers had a choice).
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Post by cindyupnorth on Apr 11, 2021 20:08:36 GMT
I never did, but both my girls have done 2 trips each to DC for band trips. It was usually a 5-7 day bus trip out and back, stopping on the way for things like the Rock and Roll HOF, gettysburgh, etc. It was a wonderful experience, and so glad they got it. I went as chaperone one yr, and my dh went twice. He loved going with the kids.
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Post by cindyupnorth on Apr 11, 2021 20:11:41 GMT
I don’t think it’s fair to our teachers in the position of caring for kids overnight. It's usually not just a teacher doing it. Many parents chaperone. The teachers that do this often have done this for years, and have the whole process down to a well oiled machine.
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Post by myshelly on Apr 11, 2021 20:13:24 GMT
I don’t think it’s fair to our teachers in the position of caring for kids overnight. It's usually not just a teacher doing it. Many parents chaperone. The teachers that do this often have done this for years, and have the whole process down to a well oiled machine. I’m a former teacher. My husband is a teacher. The minute we are asked to do an overnight trip is the minute we quit.
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Post by 950nancy on Apr 11, 2021 20:13:53 GMT
I don’t think it’s fair to our teachers in the position of caring for kids overnight. It's usually not just a teacher doing it. Many parents chaperone. The teachers that do this often have done this for years, and have the whole process down to a well oiled machine. The few teachers I know who do it love the trips and plan for them themselves with some help. Our foreign language teachers and science teachers generally have a blast on these trips. We didn't have trips like that in high school that I know of.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Apr 11, 2021 20:17:52 GMT
No, it started after I graduated.
There is the 4th grade Science overnight camp up in the mountains for 5 days, and 5 day Catalina science trip.
Ours were always day trips.
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Post by vspindler on Apr 11, 2021 20:19:55 GMT
We went on an overnight trip in middle school to a nature center. My kids, in a different district, also went on a similar overnight trip. There were band trips in high school that were overnight and a DC trip that was through the school but not the entire class going.
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Post by 950nancy on Apr 11, 2021 20:20:45 GMT
No, it started after I graduated. There is the 4th grade Science overnight camp up in the mountains for 5 days, and 5 day Catalina science trip. Ours were always day trips. We always took our sixth graders up to a camp in the mountains for a few days at the beginning the school year to get to know the kids better for their last year in elementary school. I have the best memories of going for about 20 years. We always had about 10-15 teachers up there at a time because everyone wanted to go.
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Post by ntsf on Apr 11, 2021 20:20:53 GMT
no-- and though I have a degree in environmental education, the two overnight outdoor camp in 5th grades were disasters as far as I was concerned. my one child was on an iep.. and I called to meeting to ask on how they were going to support my child on this trip. and basically they threatened me.. and made it my fault my child needed help and they would cancel the whole program if I pushed. then I got a call the final night, and I had to drive three hours one way to pick up my child at midnight.. .. and this is a kid who had camped all her life, had been away from home.. and unfortunately.. because of what I had taught her.. would correct the high school students on ecology. In high school, she went on school trips.. but it was a private school and the whole experience was good.
I feel like the public schools should not do overnights. too many pitfalls.
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Post by 950nancy on Apr 11, 2021 20:25:35 GMT
no-- and though I have a degree in environmental education, the two overnight outdoor camp in 5th grades were disasters as far as I was concerned. my one child was on an iep.. and I called to meeting to ask on how they were going to support my child on this trip. and basically they threatened me.. and made it my fault my child needed help and they would cancel the whole program if I pushed. then I got a call the final night, and I had to drive three hours one way to pick up my child at midnight.. .. and this is a kid who had camped all her life, had been away from home.. and unfortunately.. because of what I had taught her.. would correct the high school students on ecology. In high school, she went on school trips.. but it was a private school and the whole experience was good. I feel like the public schools should not do overnights. too many pitfalls.
I totally disagree. It isn't fair to the public school kids to not have the experience that the private school kids/wealthier kids might have. Are there a very few kids who shouldn't go? Perhaps, but that shouldn't mean the rest miss out.
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Post by cindyupnorth on Apr 11, 2021 20:28:20 GMT
The few teacher I know who do it love the trips and plan for them themselves with some help. Our foreign language teachers and science teachers generally have a blast on these trips. We didn't have trips like that in high school that I know of. yes!! They have a German teacher, and she does a trip to Germany every 3 yrs. She loves it!! These are great teachers that love what they do. And like I said, they have it planned so well, so organized. They get a lot of support from parents, other teachers and staff. I feel like the public schools should not do overnights. too many pitfalls. why would it be any different from a private school? pitfalls like what? I would think if there are any problems, it's going to be there no matter what. Many many public schools do overnight trips. When our kids were in DC, there were many other schools there too.
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Post by bc2ca on Apr 11, 2021 20:38:08 GMT
We had overnight school trips starting in elementary school. In 6th grade my class did an exchange with another class in a neighboring, bigger city. We took the trip first, ferried and bussed to their school where both classes spent the day visiting a local museum, etc. Then we billeted with one of the families for the night. A few weeks later their class came to our city where we toured the legislative buildings and museum, then the students had the same student partner sleep over at their house. DD's MS school had a 7th grade four day trip to Catalina and an 8th grade trip to DC/PA/NY. Both were optional and took place over breaks IIRC. DS's 3rd grade class did an overnight stay on the Star of India tall ship. The kids were all treated as sailors and given assignments like moving cargo, swabbing the decks, etc. I remember him being so indignant that the kids were fed swill and gruel with the captain & mates ate better. His 4th grade class took a day trip to Sacramento, which meant leaving the school before 7 for the airport and returning around midnight. I know some schools did the Sacramento trip as a 2-3 day thing.
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scrappinwithoutpeas
Pearl Clutcher
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Aug 7, 2014 22:09:44 GMT
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Post by scrappinwithoutpeas on Apr 11, 2021 20:39:02 GMT
Yes, even my tiny high school had a senior class trip, where both teachers and parents chaperoned (by choice/opt-in). We went to Toronto (by charter bus), and it was an awesome trip! We even stopped for a brief look at Niagara Falls. We got to see a lot of things we wouldn't necessarily have gotten to see otherwise coming from the small town I did (where some of my non-college-bound classmates never left, or never planned on leaving/going far).
As a resident of the DC/MD/VA metro area now, pre-COVID I always dreaded this time of year because just when the weather started to get nice and you wanted to spend a day at one of the many great (and free) museums here, the tourists and 8th-12th grade class trips descend on the area in droves. Giant blocks of kids in matching t-shirts swarming everywhere, not paying attention to where they walk...this was especially fun when I used to commute via metro! One of their meeting/gathering points is usually the Pentagon City Mall so you can't get anywhere near the food court. Again, all pre-COVID, so I have no idea what it's like nowadays. I do remember having to explain to my kids (who, of course, all grew up here going to the monuments & museums all the time) when they were in upper elementary/middle school that this area was a major tourist destination, and was especially popular for class trips -- they had no idea at that age! We'd be out somewhere and they'd be asking "why are there so many teenagers wandering around with matching t-shirts? Is there some sort of special event going on?" Uh, no hon - it's just their class trip, they're from Iowa (or wherever), LOL!
My kids only had day trips for band competitions (Hershey Park, Busch Gardens), and a day trip to Colonial Williamsburg. Longer overnight trips were available (again, for band) but they were optional and very expensive so none of my kids went on those. My DDs who rowed went on overnight trips to the Stotesbury Regatta with their crew teams, coaches, and parent chaperones. All of them also did part-day trips to DC for various museums or other outings.
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Post by MissBianca on Apr 11, 2021 20:39:37 GMT
Public school - yes Private school - no
The private school only did day trips to Boston and NYC
My oldest went to DC for 3 days for 8th grade. 2 teachers and 10 parents went with 30 kids. The teachers other than the advisors volunteered to go, if he advisor knows they are required to go when the accept the 8th grade advisor position. If the second teacher slot doesn’t get filled the principal goes. The same was for me when I was in 8th grade.
The HS does international trips. The foreign language classes go to Quebec or Paris, they alternate annually. My oldest went to Quebec. I believe it was 5 days. That was with his French teacher and maybe another chaperone.
Over summer they do 2-3 week trips. Usually it’s just kids and teachers but this year (meaning 2022 when travel opens back up) they have opened it up to parents as well. On the current schedule it’s Costa Rica (2023), Italy, Austria, Slovenia, Hungary and Croatia (2022), and Norway, Denmark and Sweden (2022). We are looking at the Scandinavia trip.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Apr 11, 2021 20:47:18 GMT
There was a tradition of area 6th graders going to a camp for 4 days. It was a nature center that every 6th grade class went to if their district was a part of the county immediate district. Not all at the same time, but spread out so that each school had the place to themselves for the week. That tradition continues today.
DH grew up in a different county and he did not have any overnight school trips.
This isn't including high school in which we both had the opportunity to go on a senior trip. I went on two band trips. DH went on one. DS went on a band trip.
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Post by peano on Apr 11, 2021 20:48:33 GMT
I never did. The closest thing was tennis tournaments in HS, but not overnight. All our public middle school students do a weekend in Washington DC. DS's marching band did at least 4 overnights.
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kibblesandbits
Pearl Clutcher
At the corner of Awesome and Bombdiggity
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Post by kibblesandbits on Apr 11, 2021 20:51:16 GMT
This public school teacher loved taking kids on trip, and as a parent, travelled a lot as a chaperone. Great experiences.
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Post by whipea on Apr 11, 2021 20:54:43 GMT
Yes. I was in a public high school and was in a competitive band so we traveled and even left the county. I went to the Bahamas and Mexico City. We raised money all year to pay for the trips. Our senior trip was a three day cruise.
I remember the foreign language club took a trip to Russia.
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Post by jennifercw on Apr 11, 2021 20:55:50 GMT
I have vague memories of a few overnight trips in high school - I think one was with the drama honor society to see a play on Broadway and the other was a drama competition of some sort. There was also a super fun choir trip to a competition with a side visit to a nearby amusement park. I may have also done an overnight as manager of the track team in junior high. I lived overseas at that time and meets were spread out over DOD schools in Germany.
Both my girls did a Disney trip with their middle school band. My oldest DD did a trip with the HS band to NYC and an overnight to our state capital (and capitol) for a mock government experience. My youngest did an overnight trip to a soccer tournament with her high school team.
All of the above were public schools.
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Post by leannec on Apr 11, 2021 20:56:10 GMT
My dd#1 spent a week in Spain and Switzerland when she was in grade 12 ... an awesome experience ... this was just before Covid
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Post by psoccer on Apr 11, 2021 20:58:34 GMT
I did. I think it was 8th grade. We went to Yosemite for 5 days. It was so fun. Lots of hiking. We went into an Indian cave and learned to listen to silence. I still remember our guide, Felix. My kids did science camp in 6th grade for like 3 days and then they did Catalina for a few days. In high school they went to Indians for FFA for a week as well as some small overnight trips for ag competitions. I was lucky enough to chaperone some of those.
I totally forgot in high school where we drove from Northern California to Magic Mountain for our “S” club trip. I couldn’t imagine high school students driving 7-8 hours, with other high school students in their car, for a school sponsored trip now a days. We spent the night in some seedy motel with very little contact from our advisers.
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Belle
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Post by Belle on Apr 11, 2021 21:00:10 GMT
Yes, in elementary school I spent a couple of nights at a camp on a lake. It was awesome!
In middle and high school, trips with the school orchestra to Victoria, Canada, a couple trips to Disneyland and a trip to the Oregon coast.
Both of my kids had elementary school trips to a camp for a couple of nights. So far, no trips in middle or high school. DS was supposed to go to Disneyland last May for a band trip through his school and that was obviously cancelled. DD begged us to find a trip for her in 7th grade to go with her art teacher to Paris....it was ridiculously expensive and we had just visited Paris the summer before as a family.
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Post by padresfan619 on Apr 11, 2021 21:05:50 GMT
Yes 6th grade camp and the 8th grade trip to DC/NYC. We went to NYC the April after 9/11, we all thought the trip would be canceled and really had to recruit kids to come, I’m glad we went I’ll never forget our trip to ground zero.
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Post by gorgeouskid on Apr 11, 2021 21:09:42 GMT
I never did. I doubt that these kinds of trips were a thing.
DS went to Italy with a school group (private high school) and had a blast. I'm glad we were able to give him that experience.
My previous school (as a teacher) did offer these kinds of experiences- Space Camp Florida, etc.
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Post by pierkiss on Apr 11, 2021 21:10:10 GMT
Yes. In 6th grade there was the mandatory 2 night 3 day camping trip. It was awful because mosquitos got into our tent and I wound up with over 250 bites (yes I counted them!).
There were 2 sections of 6th grade in my middle school. The other section had teachers that LOVED Chicago. They arranged to take their students on a weekend trip every year. Not sure how administration thought that was a fair deal, but whatever.
In 8th grade the social studies teacher took a group of kids on a 1 month trip to various countries in Europe and Russia. My parents didn’t let me go. I was so upset. 😂
In 9th grade there was a Washington DC trip for 4 days. I didn’t go, because my parents grew up close to DC, and we had been going out there every summer since I could remember and had already seen and done all the things. Turns out that was a good decision because the government was shut down during that trip, so those kids did not get to see and do most of the things on their itinerary.
In 10th grade the band and choir went to Disney world for a week. I was in neither so I didn’t get to go.
In 12th grade I went to Spain for 2 weeks immediately following graduation. And that trip was amazeballs. 😁😁😁
My daughters middle school band will be going to Disney next year to perform. She is excited and already making plans with her friends. In 8th or 9th grade there is the DC trip. She would like to go, we are reluctant to send her. We’ll see.
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Post by epeanymous on Apr 11, 2021 21:16:39 GMT
My elementary school had sixth-graders do a five-day stay at a nature camp. It was a rite of passage, and I loved it. My oldest two did a similar camp in fifth grade here (my poor current fifth graders have to skip for COVID).
I was on the speech and debate team in high school, and it was part of an academic class. We did about one overnight to a tournament elsewhere each month.
My oldest did a few overnight drama festivals in high school as part of that class.
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Post by huskermom98 on Apr 11, 2021 21:17:36 GMT
The few trips offered were class specific--not for an entire grade or the entire school. I went on a trip to DC in 8th grade (open to anyone who wanted to go, but only a handful did) and to France in 12th grade (open to students taking French class, maybe only if they were in year 4).
My oldest son went to DC in 8th grade (open to anyone who wanted to go) and is planning to go to Germany/Austria/Switzerland in March 2022 (open to anyone taking German classes, regardless of what year). If he's still in band by his senior year, he can go on a band trip to Disneyworld in March 2023. The district offers (or did offer pre-Covid) lots of opportunities for international travel, mostly based on language classes, but some were not. The trip that I would have loved for him to experience (or at least I would love) is a highly exclusive exchange trip to Japan for a couple of weeks to our district's "sister" school.
My youngest should have a class trip with with his 8th grade class at his private school next year--that one is for the entire grade (of less than 12 kids....). Previous classes have gone to Chicago or St. Louis so it will be interesting to see where they end up going. If he had continued band he would be eligible for the band trip to Disney that his brother is going on because it will be the one year they overlap in high school, but that hasn't been enough incentive to start band again.
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Post by ntsf on Apr 11, 2021 21:39:34 GMT
until these trips with public schools can take kids who have no money.. and their families don't have the money for it.. and include kids with ieps.. with appropriate support at no cost to the family.. the trips aren't equitable.
my kid's private school had a senior overnight trip to a city.. 10 kids, 3 teachers.. every moment scheduled and planned. she went on a school sponsored trip to greece over christmas..2 teachers, 4 students. her school had 50 students. that's why there were no pitfalls. I also wonder how many of these trips are just fun.. and few curriculum goals.
course we barely have field trips in our schools..unless you can go on a city bus to your location. I went along on trips with 50 kids catching the train to go downtown to visit museums.. the city buses were free to school kids.
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Post by supersoda on Apr 11, 2021 21:40:30 GMT
Yes. 5th graders always did a 3-day "outdoor education" trip to a camp. It was hugely anticipated and so much fun. My kids did the same thing.
In high school we would travel for band contests. I switched high schools between my sophomore and junior years from the poor high school to the better-off high school (because of the music program and not entirely legally). The first school didn't take trips because we weren't very good and nobody could afford it anyway. The second school took a trip every year, alternating between a bus trip and a flying trip. I knew we couldn't afford the flying trip my first year at the second school, so I didn't even ask my mom. Once the band director realized I wasn't going, he bullied her into letting me go--I know we cashed some savings bonds that were supposed to be for college to pay for it.
I also was one of three kids from my high school who qualified to audition for all-state band and the audition was out of town so the three of us who made it (all girls) shared a hotel room. That same band director came up and spent about 2 hours in our room the night before the audition. After he left he called and spent half the night on the phone with one of the other girls. Turned out they were in a relationship and he left his wife and kids and married her when she graduated. That was the only trip with no parent chaperones. Usually they taped the doors to our rooms so they knew if someone tried to leave after lights out.
My kids took trips regularly for competitions with theater and robotics in high school. There were always parent chaperones, along with at least two teachers. I think most student organizations took at least one trip a year. It was one way to entice kids to stay involved.
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