Ten Steps to a Successful Sports Field Construction Project
By: Dr. Phil Ackley
School-sponsored educational travel programs help develop a variety of skills in young people. Many times, these are skills that are difficult to practice in a traditional classroom setting. Educational travel provides young people with the chance to interact with a large number of peers and adults who are not in their family, motivates them to apply themselves to classroom lessons during the year, and exposes them to new ideas, people, and geographic locations.
At my school, Southfield Christian, we have seen that educational travel is an essential part of a complete education. Southfield sixth grade students travel to Chicago ; the eighth grade class participates in an educational trip to Washington , D.C. ; high school seniors go to Orlando for their senior trip; music groups have gone to Vienna to perform; foreign language students have traveled to France and Spain ; and we have an annual service trip. All present new educational opportunities.
Academic lessons come to life for our eighth graders when they visit the nation's capital. To actually go and sit in Congress, to meet our local Congressional representative, to stand at the foot of the Lincoln Memorial and read the Gettysburg Address, and to put our hands on the National World War II Memorial are all activities that bring a new understanding of our nation's history. It's hard to add that reality with books and media. When we stand at the Iwo Jima Memorial and look across to the Capitol at night, even the hardest-to-impress eighth grader is inspired.
The opportunity to perform in Vienna is highly motivational to our music students and challenges them to work their hardest in the classroom before this trip. They are able to see other groups and perform before audiences that can't be found in their home state. Southfield students not only have the chance to practice their second language when they travel to France or Spain ; they also learn firsthand about the customs and people of those countries.
During the annual service trip over the winter break, Southfield students see a world larger than they have known. For the past two years, we have traveled to a Christian school for the deaf in Jamaica , where our students have painted, done basic construction work, donated tools and money, and made presentations to local young people.
In any school, students can become a little isolated. They may think that everyone's life is just like theirs. With educational travel such as this, they realize there are lots of broken people everywhere. They learn that not every teenager has a PlayStation3 and that there are ways to live meaningfully without such items.
Educators at Southfield Christian School have seen that travel adds a tremendous amount to our instructional program, but we also realize that we must pay attention to safety concerns before and during the trip. Communication with students and parents, especially before the trip, is a key to successful and safe educational travel.
Keep Parents Informed
Travel at Southfield Christian School always starts with a parent meeting. We talk everything out with our parents-what the risks might be and what we are doing to deal with those risks. We provide parents a great deal of information upfront, including who the chaperones are for the trip, what the transportation will be like, and a description of our professional travel planner.
We also explain to parents all the rules their youngsters will be asked to respect and ask them for their support in teaching the value of obeying those rules.
Though we sometimes recruit parents to be chaperones for our trips, we don't really count on parents for supervision. Those tasks are handled by school staff members, but the more eyes the better. However, we do tell parents that they must get the permission of their youngster before applying to be a chaperone.
Communicating With Students
We communicate early with our students, telling them they can have a blast on the trip, but they have to stay within the guidelines. Before they ever pack for a trip, we want them to have a thorough understanding of what will be expected. They are representatives of our school and community, and they are expected to be good representatives. We tell them that while we hope they will enjoy the trip, now is not the time to fall in love or to get a tattoo. They should save those experiences for another life.
During our first meeting with students, each student traveler is given an information packet that goes over everything he or she will need to remember and practice on the trip. This is especially important for the senior trip. We work very hard to be on the same page regarding what we are about and what we will do. This is a time to celebrate, but also a time when conflict may arise.
For our senior trip to Florida, the packet includes our "Eleven Ways to Enjoy the Senior Trip" list, which includes basic statements that are designed to remind our students of appropriate behaviors in dealing with other individuals, while also creating a safe, enjoyable experience for everyone on our trip. These statements are ones that can be adapted for many school-sponsored educational trips. They are:
1. I will remember that this trip is built on trust. I will not risk losing this trust because of a joke, a stunt, a dare, or a compromise.
2. I will be on time for all events. No one will have to wait for me.
3. I will not trash my room. What I break, I pay for.
4. I will baptize myself in suntan lotion with minimum SPF of 15. A bad burn will ruin my days and my nights.
5. I will always have my money with me. I am surrounded by thieves.
6. Away from the hotel, I will always travel with two others, one of whom has the courage to say, "That's a stupid idea."
7. I will also swim with at least one other person. I will never go in the water alone.
8. I will not engage the interest of anyone outside my senior class. I will fall in love later.
9. I will remember that some family from Iowa has spent its life-savings to be with me in Florida . I will make sure they have a good time by my courtesy.
10. I will not mark my body with any new holes or images. I will let my parents take me to the tattoo parlor this summer.
11. I will be thankful no matter what. I could be in school.
These reminders are not only important for the smooth operation of our trip; they also reinforce ideas that are important for people to practice throughout their lives. They will help them in college, at the workplace, and in social gatherings with peers. If we can reinforce these ideas through our travel programs, we are adding to a student's total education. For example, even adults frequently neglect to envision the consequences of their actions before they take those actions. A number of our reminders deal with consequences. Also, many teenagers focus solely on their own, immediate desires. Reminding them that there are other individuals in their world and they also have rights reinforces a powerful lesson in dealing with people. These reminders become a part of the total learning experience in any trip.
While we present these reminders with what we believe is a touch of humor, we stress the seriousness of them and the need for all participants to practice them to have a safe and successful senior trip. When students do not practice them, they can be sent home. This happens perhaps once every four or five years, and the message gets around that we mean what we say.
The Student & Youth Travel Association (SYTA) has considerable information on trip planning and safe travel, which educators can download at no cost at www.syta.org . A trip planning guide provides practical information on organizing your travel experience and what needs to be done beforehand. SYTA's Travel Safety Tips brochure offers general suggestions, information parents should have, recommendations on choosing a
travel provider, and numerous safety tips when traveling by motorcoach or airplane and while in hotels and touring. The Web site also has a list of professional travel planners, and using experienced planners is another key to safe travel. They most likely have been to your location many times, know the motorcoach companies with safe records, and are familiar with the safest hotels. Our local travel planner is connected with SYTA and finds that it is a valuable resource.
Advance work with parents, and especially students, goes a long way in making school-sponsored travel not only enjoyable and safe but an essential part of a school's total education package. We know our students have created some wonderful lifelong memories through travel.
Dr. Phil Ackley is the secondary school principal of Southfield Christian School, near Detroit . He has participated in educational trips with sixth graders to Chicago, eighth graders to Washington , D.C. , and seniors to Orlando .
