Why are the field trips so underwhelming?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Appropriated funds cannot be used for field trips. This means parents have to fund buses and any entrance fees. Or there have to be fundraisers and/or PTA subsidies. There are some grant funded trips such as all the fourth graders going to the Kennedy Center and all sixth graders going to the Portrait Gallery.

Different grade levels at different schools go on different trips that are connected to the curriculum. Our 4th grade visits Jamestown and 6th grade goes to Gettysburg. First grade studies animals and visits the National Zoo.

My kid's elementary doesn’t do Jamestown anymore. They went to Luray Caverns, which returned an hour after school got out. My kid is really into history so I was telling my kid that some schools do still go there for a field trip. My kid said the teacher said they can't go anymore because Jamestown has a gift shop. What?!

I thought that fcps dropped Jamestown and a lot of other cool historical fieldtrips when the school board decided the district was anti founding fathers and anti colonialism.

They used to do cool field trips like Jamestown and Richmond to see statuary row, the Virginia history museum, and the church where Patrick Henry gave his famous speech. But those field trips preesented the founding fathers and early settlers in a positive light, which doesn't align with fcps values, so they were nixed.

Where did you hear that? The school board never made such a decision and those trips have never been district-wide. Individual schools and grade level teams decide which trips they are going to take.

PP is making things up. My DC went to Jamestown 2 years ago. It was probably $80 per kid to pay for a tour bus, so I can see why all schools don’t do it.

Oh yes, they’re totally making things up. I went with my 4th grader to Jamestown a few months ago, like in May 2025. It’s amazing how people post gossip and rumors as facts.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The FCPS field trips at our ES were so, so, so sad.

Wait until your kid goes to the "mandatory" art museum field trip. They aren't allowed to walk around the museum. They are herded into a room, shown three pieces of art, lectured about the art, and then back on the bus.

Our principal said the field trips were pathetic because they couldn't leave until a certain time and had to be back by a certain time, and that meant only about 60 minutes available at the actual DC destination.

This is accurate. I teach at an ES that starts at 8:45. We can’t leave for a field trip until the buses get back from their later runs. By the time you make it in to DC there isn’t a lot of time before you have to head back so the buses can start their afternoon runs.

\

yes, my kids were at a late starting ES (Bull Run) that was far from DC.

They had to fundraise for a full year to take a 6th grade trip to Philadelphia, and almost the entire trip was spent on the bus there and back. It seemed like a huge waste of money when they could have gone somewhere closer and not spent the whole day on the bus.

The big Jamestown trip in 4th grade was amazing for one dc, but the other one didn't get to go as they were canceled post Covid.

The art trip in 6th grade to DC was a complete joke. I volunteered on that one and the kids were really interested in the museum. An hour to get downtown, the bus driver got lost, then we had to sit and wait in the museum lobby for 15+ minutes for the docent, we were herded into a room, she showed three pieces of art, then we LEFT! I couldn't believe it. The teachers said we had to get back before lunch service was over. It was so pitifu..

That was IT for ES field trips.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It depends on the pta.

YEARS ago, our school sent kids to Jamestown. Then, principal wanted to use PTA funds for technology instead.
He won, but it was a big deal in the PTA. Lots of emotional arguments over it. Not sure what they do now.

So, at least at that time, PTA funds paid for this type of field trip.

FWIW, I don't think it is worth it. It is too long for a day trip.

There are other ways to teach about it.

I was a teacher who took kids on field trips in a different system. They are not as valuable as you think.

The kids who really benefit are the poor kids whose parents never take them anywhere. I doubt anyone on DCUM is one of those parents.

[Anonymous]

The schools with PTAs that aren't as flush with cash so they can't rent buses just don't get any decent field trips. Especially the 9:15 am starting schools. You can't execute a worthwhile field trip in the amount of time you have.

[Anonymous]

I have experience with field trips in a different district. There isn’t enough manpower to organize the field trips, especially in poorer schools with a lack of volunteers (where sadly kids need those outings the most). Many teachers don’t like dealing with field trips, and again, they are easier to shirk in poorer schools because “the kids need to study” and because there’s no parental pressure on admin. Then, there are too many regulations, including those related to time.
Overall, there’s not enough interest where it matters (from admin to parental pressure) and too many obstacles.
I used to be a huge fan and always offer to help organize but teachers and admin weren’t always interested! There was also a lottery based school in our district that was parent participation and its philosophy included many a field trips with volunteer drivers and such. They would go on 4-5 trips per year minimum. One of the superintendents made it his mission to slowly kill the school citing equity. He did not succeed but the changing demographic and lack of parent volunteers as a result may actually do the job for him (the school is still there but I’ve heard it’s not the same).

As for the bigger trips in MS and HS, there were two MS in the district and an outside company offering trips to DC, they only worked with the richer school since parents had to pay out of pocket. Last I heard they were planning to offer it to the other school as well but idk what came of it.

My kid is in HS now in a different district and I haven’t heard of anything resembling field trips even though it’s a mostly high income school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It depends on the pta.

YEARS ago, our school sent kids to Jamestown. Then, principal wanted to use PTA funds for technology instead.
He won, but it was a big deal in the PTA. Lots of emotional arguments over it. Not sure what they do now.

So, at least at that time, PTA funds paid for this type of field trip.

FWIW, I don't think it is worth it. It is too long for a day trip.

There are other ways to teach about it.

I was a teacher who took kids on field trips in a different system. They are not as valuable as you think.

The kids who really benefit are the poor kids whose parents never take them anywhere. I doubt anyone on DCUM is one of those parents.

I disagree. I think all kids benefit from seeing new things and having new experiences, getting out of the daily grind, etc. There should be a lot more field trips. How incredibly pathetic that money for a field trip went to useless Ed tech instead.

Kids LOVED Jamestown. Teachers of course did not see the value as it was a very long day for them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It depends on the pta.

YEARS ago, our school sent kids to Jamestown. Then, principal wanted to use PTA funds for technology instead.
He won, but it was a big deal in the PTA. Lots of emotional arguments over it. Not sure what they do now.

So, at least at that time, PTA funds paid for this type of field trip.

FWIW, I don't think it is worth it. It is too long for a day trip.

There are other ways to teach about it.

I was a teacher who took kids on field trips in a different system. They are not as valuable as you think.

The kids who really benefit are the poor kids whose parents never take them anywhere. I doubt anyone on DCUM is one of those parents.

I agree that poor kids actually need it the most (and get the least of it sadly). However my kid got this weird homebody bug where he didn’t want to go anywhere with me (he still had to) but would be happy to go with his classmates. Field trips were a good way to expose him to stuff. So I guess there are edge cases like mine

[Anonymous]

with so many kids glued to screens with poor social skills, going somewhere with a group and not your parents is really important life skill!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It depends on the pta.

YEARS ago, our school sent kids to Jamestown. Then, principal wanted to use PTA funds for technology instead.
He won, but it was a big deal in the PTA. Lots of emotional arguments over it. Not sure what they do now.

So, at least at that time, PTA funds paid for this type of field trip.

FWIW, I don't think it is worth it. It is too long for a day trip.

There are other ways to teach about it.

I was a teacher who took kids on field trips in a different system. They are not as valuable as you think.

The kids who really benefit are the poor kids whose parents never take them anywhere. I doubt anyone on DCUM is one of those parents.

I disagree. I think all kids benefit from seeing new things and having new experiences, getting out of the daily grind, etc. There should be a lot more field trips. How incredibly pathetic that money for a field trip went to useless Ed tech instead.

Kids LOVED Jamestown. Teachers of course did not see the value as it was a very long day for them.

Yes it all usually boils down to people in charge who just don’t want to bother, unfortunately. I mean I can’t really blame them but it’s sad overall. I am a huge proponent of field trips and used to organize them and you won’t believe the amount of quiet resentment plus bureaucratic hurdles

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Appropriated funds cannot be used for field trips. This means parents have to fund buses and any entrance fees. Or there have to be fundraisers and/or PTA subsidies. There are some grant funded trips such as all the fourth graders going to the Kennedy Center and all sixth graders going to the Portrait Gallery.

Different grade levels at different schools go on different trips that are connected to the curriculum. Our 4th grade visits Jamestown and 6th grade goes to Gettysburg. First grade studies animals and visits the National Zoo.

My kid's elementary doesn’t do Jamestown anymore. They went to Luray Caverns, which returned an hour after school got out. My kid is really into history so I was telling my kid that some schools do still go there for a field trip. My kid said the teacher said they can't go anymore because Jamestown has a gift shop. What?!

I thought that fcps dropped Jamestown and a lot of other cool historical fieldtrips when the school board decided the district was anti founding fathers and anti colonialism.

They used to do cool field trips like Jamestown and Richmond to see statuary row, the Virginia history museum, and the church where Patrick Henry gave his famous speech. But those field trips preesented the founding fathers and early settlers in a positive light, which doesn't align with fcps values, so they were nixed.

Where did you hear that? The school board never made such a decision and those trips have never been district-wide. Individual schools and grade level teams decide which trips they are going to take.

PP is making things up. My DC went to Jamestown 2 years ago. It was probably $80 per kid to pay for a tour bus, so I can see why all schools don’t do it.

Oh yes, they’re totally making things up. I went with my 4th grader to Jamestown a few months ago, like in May 2025. It’s amazing how people post gossip and rumors as facts.

It sounds like the schools with wealthy PTAs or good principals still go, but the other ones have been allowed to quietly cancel and avoid the hassle.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Appropriated funds cannot be used for field trips. This means parents have to fund buses and any entrance fees. Or there have to be fundraisers and/or PTA subsidies. There are some grant funded trips such as all the fourth graders going to the Kennedy Center and all sixth graders going to the Portrait Gallery.

Different grade levels at different schools go on different trips that are connected to the curriculum. Our 4th grade visits Jamestown and 6th grade goes to Gettysburg. First grade studies animals and visits the National Zoo.

My kid's elementary doesn’t do Jamestown anymore. They went to Luray Caverns, which returned an hour after school got out. My kid is really into history so I was telling my kid that some schools do still go there for a field trip. My kid said the teacher said they can't go anymore because Jamestown has a gift shop. What?!

Yeah, that sounds like a 10 year old misinterpreting something their teacher said.

You'd think, but it's oddly specific and kid went on saying people would bring money to buy things and it got out of control. We actually just got back from Jamestown as a family and it wasn't hard to imagine that the location and size of the giftshop might present challenges.

Oh I believe you. And it’s such a great excuse to never bother with a field trip there

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The FCPS field trips at our ES were so, so, so sad.

Wait until your kid goes to the "mandatory" art museum field trip. They aren't allowed to walk around the museum. They are herded into a room, shown three pieces of art, lectured about the art, and then back on the bus.

Our principal said the field trips were pathetic because they couldn't leave until a certain time and had to be back by a certain time, and that meant only about 60 minutes available at the actual DC destination.

This is accurate. I teach at an ES that starts at 8:45. We can’t leave for a field trip until the buses get back from their later runs. By the time you make it in to DC there isn’t a lot of time before you have to head back so the buses can start their afternoon runs.

\

yes, my kids were at a late starting ES (Bull Run) that was far from DC.

They had to fundraise for a full year to take a 6th grade trip to Philadelphia, and almost the entire trip was spent on the bus there and back. It seemed like a huge waste of money when they could have gone somewhere closer and not spent the whole day on the bus.

The big Jamestown trip in 4th grade was amazing for one dc, but the other one didn't get to go as they were canceled post Covid.

The art trip in 6th grade to DC was a complete joke. I volunteered on that one and the kids were really interested in the museum. An hour to get downtown, the bus driver got lost, then we had to sit and wait in the museum lobby for 15+ minutes for the docent, we were herded into a room, she showed three pieces of art, then we LEFT! I couldn't believe it. The teachers said we had to get back before lunch service was over. It was so pitifu..

That was IT for ES field trips.

My art loving kid was SO disappointed with this field trip. She said it was worse than not going at all. Two hours on a bus to look at three pieces of art and not even walk around the museum.

[Anonymous]

Luray Caverns has a gift shop LOL

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Appropriated funds cannot be used for field trips. This means parents have to fund buses and any entrance fees. Or there have to be fundraisers and/or PTA subsidies. There are some grant funded trips such as all the fourth graders going to the Kennedy Center and all sixth graders going to the Portrait Gallery.

Different grade levels at different schools go on different trips that are connected to the curriculum. Our 4th grade visits Jamestown and 6th grade goes to Gettysburg. First grade studies animals and visits the National Zoo.

My kid's elementary doesn’t do Jamestown anymore. They went to Luray Caverns, which returned an hour after school got out. My kid is really into history so I was telling my kid that some schools do still go there for a field trip. My kid said the teacher said they can't go anymore because Jamestown has a gift shop. What?!

I thought that fcps dropped Jamestown and a lot of other cool historical fieldtrips when the school board decided the district was anti founding fathers and anti colonialism.

They used to do cool field trips like Jamestown and Richmond to see statuary row, the Virginia history museum, and the church where Patrick Henry gave his famous speech. But those field trips preesented the founding fathers and early settlers in a positive light, which doesn't align with fcps values, so they were nixed.

Where did you hear that? The school board never made such a decision and those trips have never been district-wide. Individual schools and grade level teams decide which trips they are going to take.

PP is making things up. My DC went to Jamestown 2 years ago. It was probably $80 per kid to pay for a tour bus, so I can see why all schools don’t do it.

Oh yes, they’re totally making things up. I went with my 4th grader to Jamestown a few months ago, like in May 2025. It’s amazing how people post gossip and rumors as facts.

It sounds like the schools with wealthy PTAs or good principals still go, but the other ones have been allowed to quietly cancel and avoid the hassle.

Judging from experience in a different district there needs to be parental pressure for the trips, that’s why poor schools get the short end of the stick. They have the funds just not political will or manpower to organize one

[Anonymous]

Its just another example of all the fun being sucked out of schools and replaced with on screen drudgery.