"Doubtful there would be complaints if the parents had any connection or interest in China in the first place rather than sending their kid to a Chinese immersion school only because of their luck in the lottery and no other equal or better alternatives."

Yes, because everyone has an extra 3.5k kicking around for a fricking field trip.

Could you, or this school, be more douchey?

Only in DC with it's messed up school lottery system would there be complaints about an immersion language school giving their students the opportunity to visit the country where the language is spoken. It's a Chinese immersion school, the kids are going to China!

Doubtful there would be complaints if the parents had any connection or interest in China in the first place rather than sending their kid to a Chinese immersion school only because of their luck in the lottery and no other equal or better alternatives.

I went to GDS in the '80s. When I was in 5th grade, we were paired with a Hawaiian school, and the plan was for each school to visit the other. The Hawaiians came here, but our trip was cancelled out of concetns that not everyone could afford it. If a private school recognizes that as a potential problem, then surely a public school should too.

A compromise would be going in the summer. At least then it's not so in-your-face for the kids who can't go.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
Actually you're wrong. At our very first orientation they said fifth grade. I really don't get why you think you speak for the class parents--you don't. Bet you haven't been a part of ANY of the fundraising efforts and planning meetings either---have you??? Just another crab in the bucket.

I guess you haven't been around since the school opened or else you never attended a PA meeting where it was announced on several occasions that the trip would be in 8th grade. It wasn't until the the DCI was announced that they moved it to 5th.

Nope. I heard that a 5th grade trip was planned when I attended a presentation about the school in a Capitol Hill library before the school even opened. DS was part of the school from the beginning.

Me too. I was at that same presentation - Mary and Carmen did it. They even talked about wanting authentic Chinese lunches. I love Chinese food, but ultimately I'm glad there's more emphasis on the trip than the lunches.

I actually think it's a great idea. The Middle School years (aka adolescence) are difficult for many kids for various reasons. Bright kids become shy and start playing dumb because "popularity" has many factors and maybe they perceive to be more important than pursuing their natural interests. If a trip to China in 5th grade provides children with sufficient motivation to stay focused on long term goals like their education, their 2nd language, their opportunities (as opposed to being the most disruptive/funniest boy or thinnest/prettiest girl) then it seems like a sound investment to me.

Middle school is hard, and I applaud any school that is so proactive about keeping kids engaged at a high level.

I'm not a YY parent, and I would never send my 5th grade child to China without me, but I think this is a great opportunity and I hope the fundraising works out so every child who wants to go, can. My main concern, as a parent, is not to see the trip dominate the classroom discussions all year, as I think that would be hurtful to kids who cannot go. Obviously, for a few weeks at the end of the year, some emphasis on the trip is to be expected, but I think talking about it daily, in class, would be a concern for me.

Otherwise, my kid could understand my reasons for not allowing her to attend and it is a fine lesson that we can't always get what we want.

Besides, my child would spend the whole two weeks dumbstruck with jet lag and likely unable to fully enjoy the educational experience.

From a school in Denver, the French 5th graders traveled to France in the fall of 2010 for the 12th year in a row, the Spanish 4th and 5th graders went to Spain and the English-only 5th grade class traveled to Washington, D.C. to conclude their American History studies. A trip to China for the Mandarin 5th graders will be coming in the future.

Immersed in 5th-Grade Trip to China

Chinese immersion students from Potomac Elementary share highlights of their trip to China.

Fifth-graders in Potomac Elementary’s Chinese immersion program spent a week in China during the school’s spring break March 25-April 8, part of an annual trip started by parents four years ago. The group of 51 included 12 Chinese Immersion fifth-graders, more than a dozen siblings, parents, and two Potomac Elementary teachers — Dr. Zhiang Zhang, who teaches Chinese and other subjects to the immersion students and Andrea Cetlin, who until last year taught English portions of the immersion curriculum.

#The group visited Beijing for three days, then traveled by land to Xi’an to Chengdu and Mount Emei before flying to Shanghai and back to Beijing.

A school in Portland Oregon offers trips to Japan for 5th graders in the Japanese immersion programs. The trips are parent-sponsored.

A school in Atlanta enables their 5th graders to travel all over the world depending on the language they are studying: Spanish learners can go to Costa Rica, German students to Berlin and French students to Martinique.

Here is one company (of many) that helps Elementary schools create fields trips to France and set up the trips... http://www.learn4good.com/schools/france-toursforschoolgroups.htm

I went to DCPS in the early 70's ( John Burroughs). In the 5th grade my class took a 5-day trip to Canada. That was 50 years ago, we kids had a ball and I never forgot my first out to the country experience. Now in this day and age, I would really have to think about my 10 year old going on such a trip. I guess my parents wanted me to have the experience. Tough question today with the age level, Maturity issues the "whose watching my kid issues" and cost. God Luck!!

A school in Berkeley California send their 5th graders to France for 2 weeks...

I think all field trips should be domestic - those are much safer... like this one:

School Field Trip Tour of Slaughterhouse Traumatizes Children

OMAHA, Neb. (Newsweak.com Exclusive) — Eighteen grade 5 students of Mavis Beacon Elementary School are undergoing counseling after a school field trip visit to a beef slaughterhouse. The children reportedly were horrified to see how cows were processed into beef. Some of the students vomited, and most cried.

Their teacher, Maxwell Barnes, faces disciplinary action for organizing the school field trip. “I didn’t see anything wrong with it.” Barnes stated. “Earlier this year we had a field trip to a chocolate factory. Kids have a curiosity about where their food comes from. I don’t think there should be anything wrong with showing them where meat comes from.”

Anonymous wrote:PP, when your kids go to Europe (and how old are they, btw?) Do they stay with family? Because that is a completely different and much more meaningful experience than spending 3k so my kid can be bossed around by middle school DCPS scolding principals and teachers as they (the kids) try to duck around in rooms at a hotel with their knucklehead classmates.

14:01 here: Yes, the girls (6 and 10) spend time with family. Since you can't create family of course and have to establish these connections in a different format. I think what you're saying is that such a trip has to be designed to achieve the goal and has to be headed up by sincere and competent faculty. That's a different story that I can't speak to. But it doesn't seem impossible to me. For older kids, for example, the "host family" model is a option.

I mean, obviously you can always take your kids there yourself. But that'll be a little pricier. For example, our trip to Europe would be $6000 rather than $3000 and would have to be shorter to fit into our adult schedules, so even less returns for every $ spent. Also, do look at the true costs: That'll be $3000 minus the costs you'd incur at home, including transportation, food etc. (if it's out of school time then that's easily the cost of two weeks of day camp for example). That's how I look at our expenses anyway, which have given me headaches.

Anonymous wrote:If I were a Yu Ying parent not connected some other way to Chinese, I'd welcome this opportunity. Lest there is a real and emotional exposure to the context of a language, it's really hard to learn and sustain it in a meaningful way. Children have to experience that it's meaningful. Us parents telling them so (your future job, income, life etc.) doesn't carry that meaning. In the absence of intrinsic meaning such as Chinese heritage, such a trip can really help. It can make the difference between creating that contextual foundation or not. As someone sending my kids to Europe in the summer for $3000 a pop, precisely to nurture that contextual connection to their second language and culture, the price tag seems okay.
Or else, honestly, parents with no connection to Chinese really have to stop fooling themselves about the usefulness of sending a child to a Chinese immersion school.

Well said. I'm have a child at YY and hope they offer this kind trip annually for 5th graders. Learning a language has to be in context to culture. I think visiting a country whose language you've been studying since you are 4 yrs old makes sense. What's the point of studying a language at all if you have never visited the place that speaks it? When my child is a 5th grader, DC will go and it won't the first or last time he's going to China. It'll be nice to go with the friends he's learned the language with since preK.