Help me to organize my thoughts around this LONG field trip

[Anonymous]

Our 4th graders go to Jamestown, Yorktown and Williamsburg all in the asme day. They leave in the wee hours and get back around 7:00pm. It is a long day, but they all seem to enjoy it. It is one of the those kind of field trips that attract fathers as chaperones.

[Anonymous]

Op again. Perhaps I am too hung up on this being a fact filled educational outing as one pp noted. And thank you for the breakdown in hours, that really helped me to focus in on that aspect of the trip. Considering that we do have lots of enrichment outside of school I guess I should relax. Although I do see it as somewhat of a wasted day (I needed that phrase, thank you pp!). I couldn't really hone in on exactly what was irking me about the trip, but that's it exactly!

I do feel for the kids who don't get the same kind of enrichment, they will just have a fun day without much by way of learning. Their parents will have to cough up $70 for them to just have fun, not learn. And some of the kids will be left out due to the cost alone.

Thanks for the input!

[Anonymous]

I don't understand the big deal. It is one day. Not every day has to be full of enrichment. Sometimes kids should just get to have some fun with friends.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Op here. Thank you for the feedback. We've been to many museums in DC and, no, these are not big like Museum of Natural History big. However, there is a lot of information to absorb at each stop.

My "beef" is the long day and seemingly diluted educational component of the trip. As long as they're going I'd like there to be a real educational benefit and it doesn't seem that there can be much if there are simply zooming through each one.

This is the only field trip of the year. Why can't it be split into two trips? Are the teachers saving time on planning by jamming it all into one day? And traffic will be a huge factor. They will likely spend 1.5 hrs each way in traffic with 24 miles each way.

It's about scarce resources. The buses cost money. Plus if the city is 1.5 hours away, they'd miss a whole day of classes whether they saw 1 thing or 4. So this is a way that a school that can only afford to take the kids to the city can make it possible for the kids to see multiple things. Your kid may have had similar types of experiences before, but other kids won't so they are trying to get their money's worth.

Will your kid remember everything? No. Will he have fun and have a memorable trip? Yes.

[Anonymous]

Field trips aren't intended to be "fact filled education". You can get facts from a textbook sitting in a classroom.
They are about exposure and a change of pace. Getting the kids out into the "real world" and seeing things (including their teachers and classmates) in a different environment. Seeing that there are lots of learning resources beyond their classroom;

This is a huge success for a field trip: "Mom, the natural history museum is really cool! We saw the dinos but didn't have time to see the apes - can we go back there sometime soon?"

[Anonymous]

I taught for years. I think lots of field trips are worthless. I did teach in the projects and do think field trips were enriching for kids who never go anywhere.

[Anonymous]

What I mean is, I don't think field trips for somewhat affluent kids are particularly useful. I do think they are useful for those kids who don't have advantages.

[Anonymous]

It's one day. Sounds like a lot of fun. I'm sure it would be more educational to break up each museum into it's own trip, but then you would be complaining about 4 days with several hours missing from the classroom, te extra cost of busses and time spent commuting instead of getting it all done at once. When I visit another city I often cram several outings into each day to make the most of my trip, seems to make sense the school would want to do the same thing.

Your child will probably learn something and have fun. It sounds like each stop is tied into what they are learning in different classes, so it won't be a total waste of a day.

Your alternative is to keep her home where she will certainly not learn as much and will be sad to miss a fun day with her friends.

[Anonymous]

omg

What about kids in aftercare? I don't see them shriveling up and dying.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What I mean is, I don't think field trips for somewhat affluent kids are particularly useful. I do think they are useful for those kids who don't have advantages.

I also used to teach at a school with almost 100% FARMS. Field trips were great for those kids. I don't think they are really necessary for high SES kids because they have already visited most of the field trip locations. I would NOT be willing to cough up 70 dollars for this field trip for my oldest kid who hates crowds. My youngest would enjoy the social aspect of the kids. I have kept my oldest home from school on a really long field trip day because he had already been to the location, I didn't want to pay for it, and he wouldn't have enjoyed it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What I mean is, I don't think field trips for somewhat affluent kids are particularly useful. I do think they are useful for those kids who don't have advantages.

I also used to teach at a school with almost 100% FARMS. Field trips were great for those kids. I don't think they are really necessary for high SES kids because they have already visited most of the field trip locations. I would NOT be willing to cough up 70 dollars for this field trip for my oldest kid who hates crowds. My youngest would enjoy the social aspect of the kids. I have kept my oldest home from school on a really long field trip day because he had already been to the location, I didn't want to pay for it, and he wouldn't have enjoyed it.

Same here. Our kids never did the 4th grade trip to Jamestown/Yorktown because I've seen the school tour groups down there and it looks like a nightmare. No one can hear the tour guide, it's rush rush rush to the next place which no one is interested in because again, the tour guide can't be heard, and it's mainly just a super long day on a bus, leaving at 5:45am. We took the kids as a family and they learned so much more and had a much better time spending a few days there instead of a few hours.

[Anonymous]

I don't think the holocaust really lends itself to a quick trip
Unless you are just going to the children's section.

I think if you are against a field trip and don't think your kid is going to enjoy the social/fun aspect then just don't send them. If you can you could stay home even.

[Anonymous]

It sounds like an exhausting day - I wouldn't have liked it as a kid, and I'm not sure my DC would now. And it's the only field trip the entire school year? If the school district is just trying to maximize resources, like bus costs, I can see why they'd do it this way, but it sounds really unappealing. Also a little odd that it would exclude kids who might not be able to afford it ($70 per kid for a one-day field trip to museums is way too high).

OP, do you think your child will have fun? If yes, I'd consider sending DC, but I also wouldn't have a problem keeping DC home if the length of the day/crowds/number of activities was too much.

[Anonymous]

I suggest you start thinking less.

I miss the days when I stressed about stuff like this, and not "10 hours of homework this Saturday and I really need him to do some chores around the house.... Long day"

[Anonymous]

Get a life OP -- seriously - A LIFE