Did your FCPS go on a really pitiful field trip this year to the Smithsonian art museum?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I hated the Jamestown trip as a teacher. Such a long day. It’s very frustrating to take kids to anywhere in DC with a bus from FCPS, because the time you can actually be there is so short. You have to rush the whole time and the kids can’t have lunch until they get back. They are cranky and hungry. There are so many cool places to take kids in DC, but it’s so hard.

I have been on the Kennedy Center trip so many times. The kids cannot get out of line, because they have it all organized by school so that your bus pulls up as you exit. The show is geared to children, but is almost always geared to younger kids, so the fourth-graders are bored. They do try, and the music teachers are supposed to prepare them for what they will see.

I wish they still took kids to planetariums. Those were good trips.

This makes me sad! I grew up in Maryland and felt like every field trip was to a DC museum. And my kids haven’t had that at all!

Me too. MCPS and all of our field trips were to the Smithsonians, to the Kennedy Center, to the zoo. My own kids didnt have the same experience in MCPS. Going to museum, and only looking at three paintings is pitiful. I understand only discussing three paintings, but

just looking at 3 is pitiful

.

How does one go through a museum to discuss 3 different works of art without looking at a lot of other artwork along the way. It's not like kids are blindfolded between each work they discuss--they have to walk through galleries filled with art and then discuss a piece of art within a gallery that contains a lot of other art. I think the description of the field trip that they just "looked at 3 works of art" is off.

Well, the chaperone said they had to sit in the lobby and wait for the docent, then left the museum after less than an hour. That doesn't leave much time for browsing and strolling.

[Anonymous]

This has been an interesting discussion. It is sad that FCPS has so much money but won't pay for field trips. This leaves poor schools to basically do nothing.

[Anonymous]

Field trips are so important. School should be more than just typing into google slides and staring at SOL pass all day.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Our school did a similar field trip this year, but it was really great. The museum has a great program where they really went into detail about certain paintings. I think it’s way better than having kids randomly wander around. They learned a lot and really learned how to appreciate paintings.

But to go all the way to the museum and spent less than an hour there and only see 2-3 paintings sounds really lame to me. Do you work at Gatehouse? Like sure, start the program that way, then let them see the rest of the museum!

I was a chaperone and definitely don’t work at gatehouse (I think most of them should be let go). We were at the museum for more than an hour. Probably closer to two. And it was pretty great. The other parents thought so too. And the kids were pretty engaged and happy to be on a field trip. Did your buses get stuck in traffic or something?

Another 6th grade chaperone parent here… from Laurel Ridge. Sam experience. I thought it was well done and we looked at 3 paintings. I’m not sure the kids could have done more.

You were at the museum for two hours and only looked at three paintings and thought it was great?

I did. The paintings were in different areas of the museum. The kids were encouraged to spend a few minutes examining the painting, then the docent talked about it, then she asked them questions about it to process what they were seeing. It was actually 2 paintings and a sculpture. For the sculpture, kids were given a paper booklet and asked to spend time sketching it as well. For the third painting, there was another brief activity in the booklet.

Look - I love art and art history. I thought this was appropriately focused and that the docent did a great job engaging the kids. So much that I started wondering if this may be my retirement job. Do I wish we could have done/seen more? Sure. But that was the time constraint.

On the other hand, I was really disappointed in such a short trip into the city. We could have picnicked on the mall (if it were warm). We did that when I was in elementary school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I hated the Jamestown trip as a teacher. Such a long day. It’s very frustrating to take kids to anywhere in DC with a bus from FCPS, because the time you can actually be there is so short. You have to rush the whole time and the kids can’t have lunch until they get back. They are cranky and hungry. There are so many cool places to take kids in DC, but it’s so hard.

I have been on the Kennedy Center trip so many times. The kids cannot get out of line, because they have it all organized by school so that your bus pulls up as you exit. The show is geared to children, but is almost always geared to younger kids, so the fourth-graders are bored. They do try, and the music teachers are supposed to prepare them for what they will see.

I wish they still took kids to planetariums. Those were good trips.

This makes me sad! I grew up in Maryland and felt like every field trip was to a DC museum. And my kids haven’t had that at all!

Me too. MCPS and all of our field trips were to the Smithsonians, to the Kennedy Center, to the zoo. My own kids didnt have the same experience in MCPS. Going to museum, and only looking at three paintings is pitiful. I understand only discussing three paintings, but just looking at 3 is pitiful.

First poster here... as I reflect on it, we went to the Zoo, Natural History, American History, Gallery of Art when I was a kid in a southern Maryland school. I don't recall my kids getting to the American History museum on a field trip, but I know they have been to the KC. I don't think I ever did that. I also did the Washington Monument one year. But I would think they should do the American Indian museum. And my high school student studying civil rights right now should get on a trip to the African American museum (why do high schoolers not take FTs like this??).

My 6th grader is also salty about missing Jamestown.

[Anonymous]

I always see out of state groups of kids on field trips to DC and my FCPS kids have never went. I take them on weekends sometimes, but they have friends from low income families who have only been to DC once and never inside a museum. It is a shame that many FCPS don’t offer any trips into DC.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I hated the Jamestown trip as a teacher. Such a long day. It’s very frustrating to take kids to anywhere in DC with a bus from FCPS, because the time you can actually be there is so short. You have to rush the whole time and the kids can’t have lunch until they get back. They are cranky and hungry. There are so many cool places to take kids in DC, but it’s so hard.

I have been on the Kennedy Center trip so many times. The kids cannot get out of line, because they have it all organized by school so that your bus pulls up as you exit. The show is geared to children, but is almost always geared to younger kids, so the fourth-graders are bored. They do try, and the music teachers are supposed to prepare them for what they will see.

I wish they still took kids to planetariums. Those were good trips.

This makes me sad! I grew up in Maryland and felt like every field trip was to a DC museum. And my kids haven’t had that at all!

Me too. MCPS and all of our field trips were to the Smithsonians, to the Kennedy Center, to the zoo. My own kids didnt have the same experience in MCPS. Going to museum, and only looking at three paintings is pitiful. I understand only discussing three paintings, but just looking at 3 is pitiful.

First poster here... as I reflect on it, we went to the Zoo, Natural History, American History, Gallery of Art when I was a kid in a southern Maryland school. I don't recall my kids getting to the American History museum on a field trip, but I know they have been to the KC. I don't think I ever did that. I also did the Washington Monument one year. But I would think they should do the American Indian museum. And my high school student studying civil rights right now should get on a trip to the African American museum (why do high schoolers not take FTs like this??).

My 6th grader is also salty about missing Jamestown.

Because if a class took them they would miss all their other classes and get behind on a lot of work--because many kids in their other classes wouldn't be on the field trip. Also, not many people want to be responsible for 100s of adolescents--and most of them aren't going to want parent chaperones at that age. Field trips in HS are more tied to affinity organizations--band, theater, various clubs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My child's MS Orchestra class is going to Hershey Park in June. It's $140 for the student and an additional $40 to chaperone. It's a Title 1 school. I have no idea how many students will actually go. I will struggle to find that kind of money and no, the PTA doesn't really exist to help with scholarships. It's ridiculous.

What do you find ridiculous? That the school coordinated the trip or that those attending are expected to pay?

My child's MS orchestra is going to Kings Dominion for $50. That seems very reasonable to me. $140 for Hershey Park in one day? Ridiculous.

Are you sure? DD’s MS orchestra is also going (RRMS), and the $50 is a deposit to secure a spot. I can’t remember the estimated final cost, but it was around $80.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It seems like only kids who go to wealthy FCPS ESes get field trips

Our school is in a well-off area and I'm still shocked by the cost of field trips that they expect us to pay for. For our school it's $90 each to go to Philadelphia (or in 1st grade they went to Mount Vernon, $80), and you pay double if a parent wants to chaperone. They have no lack of chaperones, so I guess the cost isn't really an issue.

That’s nothing. I just paid $900 to send my kid on a band trip to Universal.

That’s totally optional.

[Anonymous]

When did FCPS kids stop going to Philly for the 6th grade field trip?

[Anonymous]

I saw that some K classes go the zoo. How does that work with the tight bus schedule?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This has been an interesting discussion. It is sad that FCPS has so much money but won't pay for field trips. This leaves poor schools to basically do nothing.

I work at one of those “poor” schools. With the exception of COVID and the year after, we have always done 2 field trips a year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:When did FCPS kids stop going to Philly for the 6th grade field trip?

The locations (Philly, Richmond, Williamsburg) are school dependent. Except for Jamestown in 4th, the locations are not “fixed” within FCPS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:When did FCPS kids stop going to Philly for the 6th grade field trip?

our school is having that trip again this year, but no field trips for 5th grade at all.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I saw that some K classes go the zoo. How does that work with the tight bus schedule?

My kid is going next month. The bus is meant to leave at 9:30/10. Departure is at 1:30, I think. Our school has one bus per class going so it's basically open season on parents being able to chaperone.