5th grade international trip worth all the effort?

[Anonymous]

Some parents at our Title 1 school want to raise money to send the 5th graders on a trip abroad. It would be a first for our school. Because our school is dual language Spanish/English, they are talking about a Latin American country or maybe Puerto Rico.

Personally I feel that while this is a nice idea, it does not make sense for a school where the majority of students are below proficient in reading and math and we have so many other needs. Raising the money is going to be an enormous undertaking. Plus, the majority of our students have already traveled abroad to their parents' home country in Central America.

On top of all this, I'm not sure 5th graders are even old enough to get that much out of a trip abroad. Seems more suited to middle school or (better) high school.

Any advice from parents who have been there?

[Anonymous]

the only cost efficient way to do this is through a package deal. Once they have your kid, they are in total control, roaches and all. So I would say, no, not worth it for this age.

[Anonymous]

I think it's a wonderful idea and would be 100% behind the fundraising effort. It exposes the children to something many Title I students never see. Additionally, it levels the playing field between Latino students who may or may not travel back to their families' country of origin and those with roots here, in the States. It gives the children something to share, a great experience.

It's a middle class privilege that should be extended to all students, as much as possible. My children take international travel for granted, it's part of how we function as a family. It's one of the things that differentiates them from their classmates, this world travel. It certainly differentiates them from their grandparents' life experiences as the generation that moved beyond the working class.

What's your hesitation? It seems life-altering, so positive!

[Anonymous]

Not worth it for the cost.

However, it is in keeping with the American idea that school should be exciting and fun, and not particularly focused on academics.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
I think it's a wonderful idea and would be 100% behind the fundraising effort. It exposes the children to something many Title I students never see. Additionally, it levels the playing field between Latino students who may or may not travel back to their families' country of origin and those with roots here, in the States. It gives the children something to share, a great experience.

It's a middle class privilege that should be extended to all students, as much as possible. My children take international travel for granted, it's part of how we function as a family. It's one of the things that differentiates them from their classmates, this world travel. It certainly differentiates them from their grandparents' life experiences as the generation that moved beyond the working class.

What's your hesitation? It seems life-altering, so positive!

If your children take international travel for granted, YOU ARE NOT MIDDLE CLASS! No one making less than $150,000 with kids in this area is traveling the world enough to take it for granted.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
I think it's a wonderful idea and would be 100% behind the fundraising effort. It exposes the children to something many Title I students never see. Additionally, it levels the playing field between Latino students who may or may not travel back to their families' country of origin and those with roots here, in the States. It gives the children something to share, a great experience.

It's a middle class privilege that should be extended to all students, as much as possible. My children take international travel for granted, it's part of how we function as a family. It's one of the things that differentiates them from their classmates, this world travel. It certainly differentiates them from their grandparents' life experiences as the generation that moved beyond the working class.

What's your hesitation? It seems life-altering, so positive!

Well, our PTA raises about $30,000/year, and sending say 70 kids abroad would probably cost at least $210,000 ($3000/kid). So there's that. Our PTA budget is precious and if we have to shift our efforts to the 5th grade trip, I fear everything else (field trips, teacher supplies, etc.) will go by the wayside. Also, the plan is to take only maybe half of the class, so many will be left out.

Also, I took my first international trip abroad to Europe in high school. It was a great experience, but the fact is that we were on a package tour and about 90% of the daylight hours were spent on a bus or in a hotel, or at meals, etc with our own group. Or visiting tourist sites. I still have an album with photos of Notre Dame and castles and other sights. Was it life altering? Maybe, in some sense. It certainly made me want to go back and see more of Europe. But does that make it worth it for 5th graders at the school where we are now? I'm not sure.

What are some of the ways international travel has affected your kids and broadened their horizons or whatever? If the idea is to see how much poorer people are there, or to get a taste of Latin American culture, I think our kids already are already aware of those differences.

I just feel if we want to give our 5th graders the experience of traveling together, there are plenty of things to see that are much closer --eg Manhattan. Or even Philly.

[Anonymous]

Why take only half the class? That, in my opinion, is a big reason not to do the trip. Sounds like the PTA's resources could and should be spent much better elsewhere.

I am all for travel, but do not think 5th graders need an international trip. There are so many places to see close by this area.

[Anonymous]

That's half of the class because half of the parents will not let their kids go on their own without parents=maybe too young to travel without parents.

Whatever happened to overnight camp that happens around 5 and 6th grade.

[Anonymous]

Too expensive and 5th graders won't get as much out of it as they would if they were a bit older. IMO.

[Anonymous]

NOOOOOO.

[Anonymous]

I am all for school trips, but there are a lot of issues with this. Proper immigration documentation, requiring a passport to travel abroad, etc. are concerns at our school. If we were going to take the 5th graders anywhere, I would strongly advocate for a domestic trip in order to avoid those issues.

[Anonymous]

The only schools that I know of that took 5th or 6th graders on international trips were public charters in DC.

Yu Ying -- mandarin immersion -- 2 or 3 years to China, they have discontinued the trip

E.L. Haynes -- French / Spanish immersion -- have taken trips to closer countries, I think Martinique & Costa Rica. I am less familiar with the school but believe the trips no longer take place.

In Mont Co, the elementary immersion programs do not take international trips that I am aware of.

My personal belief is that 5th grade is too young for an international trip without parents (one of the reasons that I took my kids out of Yu Ying, poor judgment of the administrators, I thought).

[Anonymous]

OP here, appreciate all this feedback. Puerto Rico would not require a passport. But I'm glad several posters agree with me that it does not seem worth the effort at this age. Also helpful to know that some of the DC charters stopped doing these trips.

[Anonymous]

Too young. Not would I not fund raise for it, I wouldn't let my 5th grader go to another country without a parent. Too many options here to take that risk.

[Anonymous]

Waste of money on a 5th grader ..... just part of the affluent DMV attitude in play.