The Joys of Traveling with Students

Me in front of the Reichstag in Berlin, Germany.

Have you ever wanted to travel with your students, but you didn't know where to begin? Traveling with students can seem like a daunting task, but it is feasible and rewarding. I have taken my students to Washington, D.C., Atlanta, GA, and all over Europe - not to mention the smaller day trips. The students and I had fun, built great relationships, and learned so much on our journeys.

Traveling can bring your curriculum to life in ways that the best, most interactive lesson simply cannot do, yet many teachers choose not to travel with their students. This is disheartening, and a real shame for the students who are missing out on valuable learning opportunities. From asking other teachers in my life why they do not travel with students, I have come up with two categories of non-traveling teachers: those that are not willing, and those that are not able.

Teachers that are not willing to travel with students simply don't want to. They may have too much going on to make the time, or maybe they feel like it is too difficult. Either way - they generally don't budge.

I started off as a teacher from the second category, one who felt unable to travel. Teachers that feel they are unable to travel can usually be inspired to travel with some help. Usually, these teachers simply don't know where to begin the process or aren't sure where to get the resources to make travel possible.  Since I used to be an "unable" teacher  - I created a list of what helped me get over my travel-phobia and begin my travel-mania:

1. Don't be afraid of rejection. At first, I did not travel because I was afraid that my ideas were pipe dreams. This was so silly! Once I brought my ideas to the administration they loved them and allowed me to plan my trips. You just need to make sure you do your homework and know your district county policies.

2. Look for travel resources. Trying to do it all by yourself is a big task - luckily there are resources to help you. If you are traveling within your own country, search the web for cool ideas on where to visit. Once you get a list of your top places, visit their website to see if they have educational resources. There are sure to be tons of resources out there for the exact places you want to visit. If you are traveling outside of the country, use an educational travel company. I use EF Tours religiously. They are a great company that offers safe travel that is packed full of fun and learning. I will likely do a blog in the future about why I love EF so much - so stay tuned!

3. Get the kids and parents excited. If you have a trip idea in mind, put together a sample itinerary and hold an interest meeting. Be sure to invite parents and students. Try to make it special by sending the invitations home through the mail. Build excitement at your meeting by showing them pictures of the of the places you plan to go, telling them about the parts you're excited about, and play up the value of the trip (group discounts!!!).

Once you see the parents and students' excitement it will motivate you to finalize plans for the trip and get the ball rolling. It only takes one successful trip to give you the travel bug. Pretty soon - you'll want to go on at least one major trip a year! Since the school year is wrapping up it is the perfect time to begin planning a trip for the 2018-2019 school year! Here is where I am taking my students, to give you some inspiration:

• The Dominican Republic - My Summer 2018 EF Tour is to the DR. I am so excited for my students to experience the beauty of the island. Students will be able to go ziplining, tour the historic sites, eat Dominican cuisine, and take surfing lessons! For more information about where we will be going on tour, go here.
• Washington, D.C. - I am taking my students to D.C. during our fall intercession - in fact I'm here right now with a few kids! We will be visiting the following places:
• United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
• National Museum of African American History and Culture
• The National Mall
• The monuments (Lincoln Memorial, Washington Monument, etc.)
• Arlington National Cemetery
• Smithsonian's National Zoo
• Supreme Court of the United States
• United States Capitol Building
• Hamilton - I was able to get my school into the Hamilton Education Program through Gilder Lehrman, affording my kids the opportunity to see the musical sensation for only $10 each! For more on how you can sign up for this amazing opportunity, go here.
• Spain and France - My Spring 2019 EF Tour is sure to be amazing. We will get to visit Versailles, the Eiffel Tower, Toledo, the Seville Cathedral, and even catch a Flamenco show. I was able to not only get a FREE spot for myself on this one, but also for my boyfriend. He will, of course, have to help me chaperone, but you still can't beat that deal. For more information about this tour, go here.

I hope that this post has inspired you to try to travel with your students. Take the plunge, plan the trip...in the end you will be so glad that you did.

Me in Washington, D.C. the day before writing this post.

confessions.ofa.teachingfreak