A student’s mind can only hold so much, which is why they get weekends off but sometimes that’s not enough. Field trips are another way to have students feel more relieved as well as an educational experience. So why not have more?
Students have the tough life of waking up and doing the same routine of going to school and learning, which can be boring. Having field trips releases boredom, based on the trip and students, and it makes students look forward to something.
Students from DMHS, Denver Montessori Junior/Senior High School, describe how they feel about field trips: “They’re a great way to develop relationships within the community,” says Charlotte, an 8th grader at DMHS. “Very educational and fun,” Abrianna, a 9th grader, states. “They’re really fun,” Zaira and Adamaris, two 8th graders declare in an interview. When the students were asked if field trips bring educational benefits as well as community improvements they all agreed: “Yes! I went to the Zoo last year for a field trip. I didn’t know half the – animals in there but now I know,” Zaira announces.
Not only can students be affected by field trips but teachers can have the same experience! “I love school field trips,” Jessica Perry, the art teacher at DMHS, excitedly says. Another teacher, Kevin Taylor, also agrees: “I rather enjoy them.” Both agree that the students get educational experiences. “Yes, yes, for sure,” Jess expresses. Kevin explains how field trips help kids get out more: “It’s always nice to get out and see different things, learn in a different space and different environment.” Kevin also explains that the community that the teachers and students interact with are great ways to connect with the experience: “If you go to, say the Natural History Museum, and the people... are very involved as well as share their passion for their work, that’s an amazing experience. But if they’re not as involved, it’s just standing and looking at things.”
Field trips are not just a stress reliever but an educational experience that students might not even know they're experiencing. NEA Member Benefits, a website for educational learners, shares Carylann Assante’s, the Executive Director for Student & Youth Travel Association (SYTA) and SYTA Youth Foundation, words on field trips: “Today’s students are visual learners, and a field trip lets them touch, feel and listen to what they’re learning about, which helps them build on classroom instruction, gain a better understanding of topics, build cultural understanding and tolerance, and expose them to worlds outside their own.” Similarly, Assante’s words can relate to Margy Natalie’s, a member of the Smithsonian Institution’s National Air and Space Museum, firsthand experience of the impact of field trips on students: “Field trips give students the opportunity to learn in a natural environment and experience things first-hand and from primary resources, rather than texts; real objects rather than photos.”
Assante’s and Natalie’s thoughts can relate to teacher Elena Aguilar’s experience with students on field trips. Aguilar explains in a piece for Edutopia how the field trips experience can open students to real-life experiences. She explains that her students are learning, “About others as well as themselves. It helped them see the expansiveness of our world and perhaps inspired them to think about what might be available to them out there.” Field trips are able to help students find more of who they are, through professions or the expansion of their knowledge.
Of course, the obstacle of raising money for trips is a struggle but students can have great experiences when raising money. An Educating Adventures article called “Creative school trip fundraising ideas” described how this gives students an opportunity to “build a sense of community” as well as “understand the value of money.” Having students be able to work with their community for a goal lets them experience real-life working experiences, along with handling money and debating certain choices of trip activities. Fundraising can also be an opportunity for creative students to let out their ideas, which can also be considered as another stress reliever. Community building is something that schools always encourage students to do, so what’s the difference with this?
Now the question is: should there be field trips? Of course some schools hesitate based on funds and the responsibility of the students’ safety, but even a simple trip to a park can ease a student’s mind.
Schools should take into account of their students' mental health, especially in this age, it’s a serious awareness of students' mental health, field trips are a solution for a small price.
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