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ESL forum >
Techniques and methods in Language Teaching > TRAVELLING WITH STUDENTS
TRAVELLING WITH STUDENTS
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anitarobi
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TRAVELLING WITH STUDENTS
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Dear colleagues!
Some of you have travelled places with your students (and generously shared your pics with us), organised picnics for them, even went far away and abroad, thus taking on a huge responsibility for their lives, because they are all under 18 and they travel with you and without their parents. Since I have been doing the same for over 15 years now, I felt like hearing about your experiences(good or bad), your problems, the complications you �ve faced, how you prepare for it - how you prepare yourself, your sts and their parents. Do you like doing this or do you do it because you have to? If you could share some of your opinions on all this, I think it would be very useful to many of us. It might also be great to hear the opinions and questions of those who have never done this, but would like to or would never ever try, as well as from those who are also parents and who might be in the position of sending their child somewhere on a trip with a teacher...
Looking forward to all your replies...
Anita |
22 May 2010
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Dyana13
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I travelled with my students in a number of occasions and I always encountered the same problem: they want to do things alone, break from the group, stay behind for a bit longer than the rest. As long as you don �t loose your patience, everything works out in the end. Picnics and outings of this kind in the general area of the town are easier, because they have plenty of space to play and do stuff they want. i would like to hear about your experiences
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22 May 2010
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anitarobi
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My school organises trips during the school holidays (skiing, spring vacation and summer at the seaside) with fun English lessons. I actually love those things, although we never take them out of the country (I �m not sure I �d dare) and we mostly go to the same places, so we know the staff and the facilities and they know us, so it �s gotten to be like going to your weekend cottage, you know. Just kidding, it �s far more difficult, but familiarity of the place and people does help. We don �t travel for the sightseeing - we travel for the experience of being on their own (with our supervision), finding new friends, spending lots of time outdoors, and we have a very rich, pre-prepared programme of activities such as sports competitions, language competitions, art workshops (dancing, drawing, creativity, ecology, and depending on the season - skiing, outdoor sports, swimming and diving...), etc. The problem you mention is something we face as well, but only with older teenagers, which is why we have the smallest number of those. We mostly have kids from 7-12, as well as some preschoolers. There are lots of us on the staff, people directly taking care of the kids 25 hours a day (because you know the day lasts that long when you �re responsible for them), as well as coaches, language teachers and djs, all depending on how many kids travel with us. My first trip was so difficult for me (I wanted to do everything perfectly and please everybody 100%, which is the 1st thing one shouldn �t expect) and I thought I �d never work with kids again, because I was too incompetent and it was too difficult, and I actually thought those kids had a terrible time with me being so nervous and all. And then I started getting their letters and saw some of them and... well, 17 years later and I �m still doing the same job, right? I love doing it and I miss it every time I can �t go (like this year when I had a baby), but it �s exhausting(both physically and spiritually), stressful, a huuuuuuuuuuuuuuge responsibility, and I completely understand people who never go because they �re afraid. On the other hand, it �s such an enriching experience - you learn so much about yourself, you see your sts and colleagues in a whole new light (and vice versa) and you experience so many small and big wonderful things. And 99% of the sts actually surprise you in such a pleasant way - I �ve had parents thank me for returning their child to them in a �better condition �(they start sharing more, brushing their teeth regularly, making their beds, knowing how to swim or dance, finally loving English or sports which they don �t at regular school...) It �s a whole new world and I �d never trade it for anything. My son also goes and loves it, although he �s always in his teacher �s group, not mine. However, most of the work happens before the actual trip - all the preparing, meeting with parents to learn details about the sts � habits, allergies etc. and to let the parents meet us better...but the time spent on preparation is a time well-spent. But I �ve seen unprepared and unwilling teachers on trips, and when I see that I completely understand parents who don �t let their kids travel with teachers - I wouldn �t let my kid go that way either. Lately, the only problem with these trips is the recession - people simply can �t afford them. |
22 May 2010
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anitarobi
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OK, dyana, you can see my answer in the previous (in my fashion - too long) reply, so let �s hear from sb else... |
22 May 2010
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serene
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Hi, Anita! A long time ago a group of students from an inland village near the town where I lived went on a day trip to a seaside village in the same region. The girls (there were separate schools for boys and girls back then) were apparently enchanted by the sea and got on some fishing boats with the permission of their teachers. Unfortunately after they had sailed away from the shore, one of the boats overturned and twenty-one girls drowned in the sea. Our small society was shocked by the tragic accident and all school trips were banned by the ministry for five years. Perhaps due to this powerful memory (I was a high school girl at the time), I have never travelled with my students on long trips to distant places. I �ve only sometimes accepted to go on short one-day trips to nearby locations and even then I feel worried and uncomfortable.
Another equally important reason I am reluctant to participate is that over the past years school trips have lost their educational character. Students reject activities like visiting areas of historical, cultural, environmental interest; they only want to travel to big cities and spend their days at various shopping malls and their evenings at low quality night clubs.
Of course not all students are like that but many of them are.
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22 May 2010
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anitarobi
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OMG, Serene, that �s terrible! I understand your position in this case. I �m sure I �d feel the same in that situation. Yes, that �s why I said it �s a huuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuge responsibility! |
22 May 2010
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coyote.chus
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Hi!
I have travelled with my students in quite a lot of occasions, twice of them abroad. Three of us teachers took 38 students the first time and 35 the second time and went to London on a "language trip", the thing is that they spoke very little English, but at least they had the experience of going on a plane, listening to English, seeing the different customs, the different constructions, tasted different food... The first time it was Ok, they behaved quite well, we dind �t have any problem,.. but the second time we had to go to hospital with on eof the boys, he left his arm into a door before it was closed and four of his fingers were badly injured. Apart from this, this group didn �t behave very well, they protested for everything, they were all the time very tired and didn �t want to walk, during the night they organised parties in their bedrooms and wouldn �t go to sleep (we had some warnings from the reception)... when we came back to Spain I said that I wouldn �t do it again...
I will probably forget about it soon.. as I am thinking to take some students on an exchange visit.
I guess that we don �t think in the possible problems and consequences that we can face, because everything would be terrible abroad (imagine a broken arm, or any other accident), but I prefer not thinking about them; otherwise I wouldn �t do anything.
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22 May 2010
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anitarobi
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I agree, chus. Thanks for sharing the good and the bad with us. But, if we only thought about the possible problems, we would never go anywhere. As for those spoiled kids who behave in such an ungrateful way, I wish they would somehow have to try the experience of being responsible for sts like that and organising every single detail of their life during those trips, and then we �d see what and who they �d appreciate. The same would be useful for parents who don �t appreciate the trouble you take during those trips. Sometimes I think having a holodek for some things would teach us respect for each other �s work... although in a holodek, we �d always know it �s fake (hm, perhaps with the safety measures off ). Don �t think I �m kidding about serious stuff - the event Serene shared with us is far more than serious - it �s a tragedy - though �just � an injury could make you stop travelling with sts forever. But yes, thinking about life �s dangers could keep us chained to our keyboards and never leave our rooms - no wonder so many people do just that! But then again, if we avoid things happening to us, things never happen to us! I wish Fiona joined us here as well with her fresh London experience! |
22 May 2010
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serene
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Anita, the type of school trip you are describing in your second post (I was struggling to type my reply when you posted it) sounds more like a kind of camping holiday and it definitely has a great educational value. I would probably be willing to fight my fear if I was to take part in a similar well organised holiday which would involve a rich programme of activities like the ones you have mentioned. Unfortunately, travelling with senior high school students (this is my case) in my country is a far cry from what you have described.
edit: Thank you, Anita, for always starting such interesting threads! |
22 May 2010
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mariamit
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I �ve often travelled with my students. Of course, the tragedy Serene mentions is a well-known one in all of Greece and although most teachers in Greece remember it I have never allowed bad thoughts to stop me. I have accompanied students to other parts of Greece and abroad. Ten years ago, I accompanied 90 students to Strasburg to visit the European Parliament. Everything went well the first night but the 2nd night we had two other school staying at the same hotel. It was HELL! They all wanted to party together and we had to keep guard outside their rooms and in the hallways to make sure they didn �t leave the hotel or disturb the other guests! In the four night we stayed there I slept a total of 10 hours! I swore never again. Then three years ago, I travelled to Northern Greece, to a very remote village in the mountains, for an environmental education, five day trip. It was the complete opposite, the students were motivated and interested and we had a great time. On one occasion, they walked for three hours and not one of them complained once. At night we arranged various activities and they all joined in. This trip went so well that now I accompany students all the time. Mostly it �s on four day trips and ocf course I accompany them to various countries for the Comenius project we are working on. I think to sum up I �ll paraphrase Serene �s words a bit " not all students are alike" |
22 May 2010
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anitarobi
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so true, ladies, so true... |
22 May 2010
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