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Home > Learning by Observing, Part II
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Learning by Observing, Part II
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by Carolyn Schofield Bronston
Robert E. Lee High School
Tyler, Texas
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| | Planning Your Own Field Trip
If you are interested in setting up a multi-destination field trip for your AP class, consider the following:
- Determine how you will fund the field trip. Our school has no monies for "academic excursions," so each student must pay $42. That includes admission to the zoo, the museum and all its exhibits, the bus (our "yellow dog") and two drivers (required by Texas state law due to the 21-hour nature of the trip), and thank you gifts for all the people who make this possible. I collect the money over a six-week period and deposit it in an activity account for use in paying bills. Scholarships are available if need is an issue. You could also try applying for a grant or having a class garage sale to raise the money.
- Get out the school calendar and decide on two or three "perfect dates" for your trip before you begin calling for tours. I choose either an in-service day so the students lose no class time or a scheduled minimum day so that only half a day of class is missed. I also schedule the trip for the spring, after we have studied most of the human body and are often into dissection, so that the medical activities have more meaning.
- Decide on the two major anchors for your trip (for us, St. Luke's and the medical school) and make those arrangements first, then fill in with the other events. Start early! A year in advance is not too early for the hospital tours -- they fill up rapidly. If you have a parent or a former student who is "connected," let them get the process started. Remember that you might have to take your second or third date choice or reschedule the entire trip if those dates are already booked.
- Take very good notes when you are initially talking with the institutions: record phone numbers and date called, name of the person you talked to, and other important information (fees, attire requirements, etc. -- for example, the medical school requires closed-toed shoes).
- Make your final decisions quickly and file the activity request with your principal early to prevent scheduling conflicts with other school events.
- Call back quickly to make reservations. Most institutions have reduced prices for school groups but also require one adult for each 10 students. (Hint: we always count the bus drivers as chaperons.) Always ask that letters of confirmation be sent, and take them with you on the trip in case of questions -- the letters are also helpful if you need to request a purchase order for early checks. (I have found that charging admission deposits on my credit card works best because inevitably one or two students can't come. The credit card makes refunds simpler.)
- Request specific bus drivers -- patience, punctuality, and a sense of humor are enormously helpful. We have had a few grumpy drivers in the past that really dampened the spirit of the day, so be proactive and ask for the best. I always encourage them to join us on the tours (most places charge no fee for the drivers), and they really appreciate being included. I also always buy their dinner as a personal thank you.
- Send permission slips home early. Include the itinerary with times and phone numbers for all destinations, and your mobile phone number if you are brave. Informed parents are great allies, and many will volunteer to come along if you need extra chaperons. Remember to take all the slips with you on the trip! They will be invaluable if there is an emergency, and I have used them to call home for a student MIA at departure time (I promise my students one wake-up call and 10 minutes to make it to the bus).
- Be sure to set and enforce a dress code for the kids. They are representing your school and enjoying a great privilege, so they should be properly attired. (My definition is nice school clothes -- no shorts, no t-shirts, no baseball caps.) Every time we travel, people stop me to ask where this "handsome group" is from, and I am very proud to tell them.
- Reputation opens many doors. My classes have always been well-behaved and mannerly (we have a tiny talk before we get off the bus in the morning, and they know I expect nothing less than the best of them), and over the years that has led to warm welcomes at all of our stops and a trust that often results in special privileges (tours at times when tours aren't normally given or reserved tables at the restaurant when that is not normally done).
- Keep to the schedule. There is nothing ruder than making a busy tour guide or doctor wait, and running late will affect every other event down the line.
- Establish friendships and goodwill along your way. Small gifts of chocolates for medical students and school t-shirts and gift certificates for the doctors reflect your genuine gratitude and are deeply appreciated. But perhaps most important is the mailing of cards signed by every student with their own personal message of thanks.
- Take a first aid kit, aspirin, tissues, etc., to cover emergencies. A large heavy-duty garbage bag is also a great idea and helps at the end of the night when the kids clean up before the de-bussing!
Other Factors to Consider
- The individual expense is not small (I figure it's a "six movie ticket" trip), so let students know the cost far in advance so they can save up.
- Weather can be a problem at the zoo or botanical gardens, or if you walk between buildings as we used to do: check the weather report before leaving and bring umbrellas.
- Treatment of the students by zoo and museum gift shop clerks is perennially rude and accusatory. I understand that mobs of teenagers descend on them daily and that there is a large problem of shoplifting, but it is still a shame that all kids get painted with the same brush. Usually only two students are allowed to enter the shops at a time and only if they are with a sponsor. Inform the students ahead of time about the situation.
- If you use purchase orders and school checks to pay admission fees, there will be no refunds made if fewer students than expected make the trip.
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