Saturday, November 21, 2009

Is a school trip to DC worth it?

This week I have a simple question. Should the 8th grade go to Washington DC for three days on a trip? The history teachers in my school argue that the trip does not support the curriculum so it is a useless trip with little to know academic value. Also should a trip of this magnitude only support the history department? I guess what I am driving at is what does Washington DC have to offer beyond social studies. This is what kills me though. In this case the trip does not support a state test so they want to scrap it all together.
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5 comments:

  1. Allyson WhiteNovember 21, 2009 at 1:41 PM

    I've forgotten where you teach, but regardless, a three day field trip sounds like a big undertaking. It doesn't sound like the teachers are willing to tie the trip to the curriculum. I don't teach social studies but I would hope that a trip to DC would address at least some state standard. Is it possible this trip is simply a tradition that has run its course? Perhaps the department could find an alternative event to replace the trip.

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  2. Philip.RussellNovember 21, 2009 at 2:14 PM

    A trip to Washington, DC. could bring history to life. I think that those 3 days would be a huge learning opportunity. When I read the first 2 sentences of your blog, I thought, "3 days for 8th graders, come on that's a lot of money, will they learn anything?"
    Then I thought, "I have never been to D.C., but I don't know that much about history, I want to go!"
    History would come to life for these kids. To see it in a book and talk is one thing, but to see it and feel it is another. As long as it can be supervised well, I think it would be huge for these kids. It would even spark interest.
    Standards? I am sure it would fit in somewhere, probably all of them, because they would learn a ton!

    Philip

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  3. Mr. DistefanoNovember 21, 2009 at 7:37 PM

    I teach in Westchester county NY. We take Amtrak down its around 5 or 6 hours.

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  4. AnonymousNovember 22, 2009 at 6:59 AM

    My opinion on the matter is that any time a school can take students on a field trip to Washington D.C. they have to do it. For some kids it is a once in a lifetime opportunity and as Philip says it brings history to life. Who cares whether or not it matches with the social studies curriculum - students are going to learn about the inner workings of U.S. politics and DC's history at some point in their educational career. My wife got the opportunity to go in 8th grade and every now and again she will talk about how much fun it was. I really wish I had the opportunity to go.

    ct

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  5. Sarah BratlienNovember 22, 2009 at 9:05 PM

    I have been to DC a few times. It is a great place for History. Think of all the museums and sites that they could see. There is a lot of educational opportunities there. But I feel that the great question is why would you want to bring 8th graders there. That is a huge responsibility for the adults. I don't think that I would let my children go. Everytime that I have been there, they are the murder capital. The mayor brags about how they are back on top of being the murder capital http://www.theonion.com/content/node/29497 again after a decade of not. Do we really want 8th grade students going to the murder captial?

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