The Value of Travel

One of my favorite travel destinations, the Colorado Rocky Mountains, 

 The more I experience being a teacher in today's world, the more I wonder what needs to be done to fix some of our misguided thoughts. 

Although teaching is my second career, this trend of individualism being all important began way before I began experiencing it in my classroom. As I approach topics that are as familiar to me as my address, my students are lost. Ask a simple question about the Roman empire and the looks on their faces are blank. Try to discuss child labor throughout the world, and receive no response. Talk about the Industrial Revolution and they become bored. Their prior knowledge of the world is minimal or non-existent. 

Traveling, whether it is to a local museum or across the country is one of the most valuable tools in education today. The problem is not having the money to do that. The expense of arranging transportation, hotels if there is an overnight stay, admittance fees for students can be astronomical for a school district who cannot afford to provide enough computers for each child. 

When I was a new teacher, I tackled an overnight field trip to Lake City, Florida. I took 80 8th graders to watch a Civil War reenactment of the Battle of Olustee. I got the idea from a professional development I took through the Florida Humanities Council and the planning began the year before. I had to receive principal approval, school board approval, parental approval, medical approval and then find teachers who were willing to give up their weekend to travel on a bus with middle school kids for 4 hours. 

I had to find a hotel to accept these kids and some way to feed them dinner on Friday night. I had the whole thing planned down to contacting the head of the committee who was responsible for the parade and fair after the reenactment. I could not have asked for more receptive people or received more compliments on the behavior of my students. 

The students came home with lots of photos and memories. Many of them had never been out of their county. Many of them had never seen an indoor swimming pool and had a blast, especially when I jumped in. These kids were curious, asked all kinds of questions and were a joy to take on a field trip. I don't know how they fared as they entered high school. I know some of them went on to college and are reaching for stars. I do know that once that trip had concluded, the students had changed. 

I have taken students to Ringling Museum, Gamble Plantation, The National Florida Panther Wildlife Refuge, the Everglades and the Sarasota Herald-Tribune. I have tried to expose them to as much as possible and although virtual field trips do provide some exposure, visiting in person is so much better. 

I was lucky in having a father who was in the military and being able to live in a variety of places and traveling around those places to experience a variety of history, both good and bad. I continued that trend when I was younger and have seen and experienced things that enrich my life. I wish I could do the same for my students. 

Can't one of my super smart friends start a non-profit just for travel exposure for students? I know the insurance side would be astronomical, but surely it is possible. Most of my students cannot afford a $600 or $700 prepayment to visit places that would inspire them to reach further. 

I keep hoping I will be able to do one more field trip before I retire, but Covid-19 may have put a stop to that.  I wonder if I could just be a travel person who plans field trips for history kids in school? Yeah, probably not but the idea is a good one.