When I was a child I loved school. I rarely got sick, but whenever I did, my mother had to explain why it was necessary for me to stay home. I especially loved when we took school trips. The main reason, there was no school work and second, it felt as if we embarked on an adventure.
Most New Yorkers have never been to the Statue of Liberty, Empire State Building, or the World Trade Center. I have been to all three because of school trips. Not only was it a break from school, but I also learned so much and best of all, I had fun. They broke up the weekly monotony of going to school, then home, back to school, then back home again. These trips quenched my inquisitive thirst to explore and learn more about the world. Quite naturally I transferred this same zeal into my practice as a teacher.
From the moment I began teaching I snagged every opportunity to teach beyond the textbook. I incorporated everything I could find from everyday living to engage my students. That is why I made sure to include at least two field trips each year. My students enjoyed the trips and would openly share what they learned. It opened the door for many of them to discover what they could become outside the typical career paths in their purview. In New York City, school trips were practically a part of the curriculum. It pained me when I moved to Maryland and learned of the district limitations.
A friend of mine who previously taught at the same high school, shared how she took her students on annual trips to New York. Having transitioned from a younger population of middle schoolers to high school, I wanted to do the same. I went through all the necessary steps to get approval and put together the ultimate trip. Knowing that the trip had to be educationally centered, I chose the United Nations as the focal point. It was a part of our curriculum so I could give them a first-hand lesson. I also wanted to encourage higher education, so I arranged a tour at New York University (NYU). Finally, I needed to feed the children so, I chose a trendy location and a recognized restaurant chain to check off the remaining boxes. After writing a full lesson plan and providing the travel arrangements, the trip was approved. I secured a great deal on the charter bus. It was something about the fact that the company was black owned and named Hampton Tours that made me choose them. This may have had something to do with the fact that I am a proud graduate of Hampton University, an HBCU (smile).
Everything was moving along smoothly. The kids had two months to raise the money and the school was making accommodations for my absence and the other social studies teacher who partnered with me on this trip. The students were bursting with excitement because most of them had never been to New York. Those who had visited, never experienced Manhattan the way I showed them. This gave me leverage to their classroom behavior for weeks prior to the trip.
Even though I am a native New Yorker, I love creating new avenues for people. This trip had all of this in the making. It was becoming tough for me not to express my excitement as well. Then, like a scene from every bizarre show you have ever watched, a solar eclipse darkened my classroom.
The trip was scheduled on a Friday. It was a one day turn around trip from Suitland, Maryland to NYC. On a Wednesday, exactly two days prior, I received a call from the district office revoking my approval. They claimed that I should have never been given approval because they were no longer allowing out of state trips. I could not believe what I was hearing. I am not naturally a violent person, but if there was ever a moment that I felt like choking someone, it was then.
I engaged in a series of phone calls arguing my case. One of the points that I hammered, we would lose our deposit on the bus if we cancelled at this late date. I did not have the money to spare, and the parents would have been up in arms if their money was not refunded in full. Therefore, the school district would have to eat the cost. I was told they needed to deliberate further and would get back to me the following day. I never told the children what was going on because I could not take their disappointment.
At approximately 2:00PM – Thursday afternoon – 16 hours before our scheduled departure – I received the call giving me the greenlight. It was as if I had been holding my breath since the first phone call; I exhaled heavily. After a full day of involuntary fasting from loss of appetite, hunger crept over me with a vengeance. When the school day ended at 3:00PM, I beat the school buses out of the parking lot to grab some grub.
On Friday, we cruised up I-95 ahead of traffic while watching the movie Friday Night Lights. Around 9:30AM anticipation grew as we entered the Lincoln Tunnel. With their excited faces pressed against the windows, we exited the tunnel into Manhattan. First stop, NYU campus.
Many of the students had never stepped foot on a college campus let alone the inside of a dorm room. They got their first taste of what independence looked like in college. Since I often hung out in that area when I lived in NY, I was able to give them the neighboring highlights.
After the tour, it was time for lunch. As a treat, we took the subway to Times Square, to give the bus driver a break. The train car had the typical afternoon crowd; full, but not packed. To my surprise the students huddled together in one section of the train. I had to convince them that it was okay to spread out. Jokingly, I promised not to leave them on the train.
When we exited at 42nd Street and Broadway, the city allure did exactly what it had done to millions of tourists for close to a century; it mesmerized. Attractions abounded as we briefly stopped to be entertained by the Blue Men group. Then, the Naked Cowboy serenaded us in his underwear. I had to settle them down before meeting our reservation at Planet Hollywood.
Once the order was placed on our pre-fixed menu items, the students ventured downstairs to purchase souvenirs. About fifteen minutes passed when the students came running back up the stairs out of breath. At first, I was scared. I thought something was wrong. They were racing to inform me that they had just met rapper T.I. He just so happened to be in town promoting his new movie, ATL. This was a win-win for everybody because it was in the middle of the school day and my youth group consumed most of the restaurant. T.I. met some adoring fans and my students got to meet an admired rapper who, at the time, was in the beginning stages of his trailblazing career.
After lunch we met the bus and made our way towards our last and most important stop, the United Nations. From the moment we pulled up to the front of the building my students perked up. They were amazed at the flags representing the nations of the world. Although I prepped them ahead of time, it is different experiencing something first-hand as opposed to just reading about it. The tour guide broke us up into smaller groups with one chaperone per group. They gave the history, explained the number of represented flags and how the organization functioned. These were all things we studied in class, so I seized the opportunity to verbally quiz them during the tour.
The highlight of the trip came when we got to witness a live discussion taking place. The tour guide explained how all meetings are conducted in English and professional translators are used to assist non-English speaking representatives. That is when my student from Benin, Africa turned to me and exclaimed, “I didn’t know that was a career. Now, I know what I want to do when I graduate.” My heart leaped in excitement for her. If she was the only student that received something extra from that trip, then the purpose was fulfilled.
We left New York on a high note. The students were already talking about how they were going to brag come Monday. Not only were the students greatly impacted, so were my handpicked chaperones. The football coach, who was very reluctant to attend the trip, knew I asked because he was one of the most respected staff members in the school. The students, at least the male ones, would think twice before disobeying his directive. After some pleading, he agreed to come along. Before we got off the bus that night, he thanked me for asking him to chaperone. He admitted that he did not expect to have as much fun as he did. He also complimented me on my movie choice. To my surprise, he offered his assistance for the next trip. Rest in peace Nick Lynch, gone but not forgotten.
The trip was a success. Thankfully, all parents were at the school waiting to scoop up their child when we arrived at 11:00PM. Despite the children’s fatigue, I could hear some them giving their parents an earful of details before pulling out of the parking lot. I earned all type of cool teacher credibility points. My students did not stop talking about the trip for days. It spurned my previous students to complain. Unfortunately, this was my first and last out of state trip.
How many more children could benefit from field trips like this? What type of education could we provide if we showed more than we spoke? I know living in this virtual age of technology has its advantages, but can it really replace real world experiences? Someone needs to advocate for students nationwide that field trips become a mandatory part of the curriculum. I would be the first to sign that petition.
A Paige from my Book 