End of school field trip
By tyc415
@tyc415 (5706)
United States
May 26, 2008 9:40am CST
My 10 yr. old grandson's 5th grade class went to the zoo. Sounds like fun huh? My daughter went along with some other moms so each could have a group of 3 to 4 children each. Come to find out the children and mom's had a horrible time. It seems like the end of school field trip turned out to be a work trip. Each child had a paper and had to take a pen with them and go to each animal in the zoo, read about it and write down the answers.
I thought the end of school field trip was supposed to be a relaxing and fun time to celebrate the soon to be summer vacation and not a written lesson.
Did your children, grandchildren or any other children you know of have to do work on their field trip? Do you think it was fair to the children to have to do work on their end of school trip?
4 people like this
8 responses
@Celestiamoon (231)
• Canada
26 May 08
I remember when I was younger having to do work for field trips ... I think that the work came after the trip though. So that we could enjoy the trip but were told to pay attention to particular things. AS far as I can remember anyways it's been a while since I have stepped through school doors lol. For the end of year trip though? That sounds a bit harsh. I too agree that it should have been for enjoyment not work.
3 people like this
@tyc415 (5706)
• United States
26 May 08
Yes, the trips that included work were during the school year and not for an end of school trip from what I can remember. I also agree about maybe discussing what they saw and learned after the trip on this end of school trip would have been ok. I am not sure if they will even get a grade for this that they had to do, will find out soon as their last day will be this friday.
Have a good day.
1 person likes this
@luvstochat (6907)
• United States
26 May 08
That does not sound like a very fun field trip. The kids really wouldn't have got to see the animals they would have just had time to write the facts of the animals down. I feel sorry for those kids.
My son has never had to do work on a fieldtrip a fieldtrip is suppose to be fun for the children.
3 people like this
@tigerdragon (4297)
• Philippines
27 May 08
it is a process of training them to think and learn. how do we have learned to read and write and know all these things we know know? it is from the things which you consider work but actually a learning process.
@tyc415 (5706)
• United States
27 May 08
I know that I was not trained to read and learn from going on field trips. They have gone to school now for 9 months this school term and they should have had all of their learning done by now or the teacher's did not do their job or the child needs to go to summer school or be kept behind for another year. An end of school year field trip is not the time for teaching.
All the 5th graders in his school did pass their TAKS tests and will move on to the 6th grade so they did deserve to have a fun trip.
@jillhill (37354)
• United States
26 May 08
When my daughters lived in the Netherlands I went over and went on a field trip with my granddaughter Kirsten...to a Roman Bath....yes they had to carry a work sheet and pencil with them..I was to chaperone four girls..well I didn't do the best job at finding the answers with them...and we actually got lost and I got scared I wouldn't be able to get them back to the bus! LOL....but we did find our way back! It was like a maze!
1 person likes this
@tyc415 (5706)
• United States
26 May 08
Thank you for that info jillhill. I bet you were scared, I would have been too being in a strange place like that and of course everyone was busy working on their work sheet they probably didn't know which way to go either. LOL
I can see doing some Q&A on a field trip if it is NOT an end of school field trip. This was supposed to be a fun time for them not a time to do school work. This was supposed to have been their last "fun" field trip also since the kids will be going to junior high this next school year.
I hope you are having a nice Memorial Day.
@forance (151)
• China
28 May 08
very agree with your opinion.It's a very burden to the kids.I've remember of my primary school time.as from the Grade 3,after each trip,my teacher was bound to ask us all of the pupils to write an article of it.thus the trip hadn't come to,but fun had driven out already.I think that if it must to be for education,to communicate with each other instead of writing would be more better.
1 person likes this
@tyc415 (5706)
• United States
28 May 08
Thank you for responding forance. I never in all my field trips had to do work while on them and can't recall having to write about them later on. What they could have done on his end of school field trip would to give the grown up of each small group a sheet of paper with things about the animals and let her discuss things with the kids and then move on to the next animal.
@tyc415 (5706)
• United States
26 May 08
I am not sure how much it costs for all of them to go, I do know that they charge 5.00 per person for that age and 7.00 for adult but don't know if they got it cheaper for being a school or not. They kids rode the school bus and I know my daughter drove her truck there and another lady rode with her. The zoo is in a town about an hour away from where they live.
But whether or not they had to pay it still wasn't the right thing to do to these kids.
Thank you for your response and I hope your day is going good.
1 person likes this
@Sherry12 (2472)
• United States
27 May 08
I agree with you, it should be fun, not work. I've not had that happen to any of my kids. It sounds like the teacher got behind in what she was supposed to have taught the kids and was trying to make up for some of it on their trip. Were the kids dissapointed or had she told them before hand that they were going to have to do this?
That would have been a hard trip to help with. I've went to the zoo as a helper before and the kids are hard enough to watch, without having paper and pens and trying to do school work.
@tyc415 (5706)
• United States
27 May 08
It would have been different if it was for a class and part of their work assignment. There are just two 5th grade classes and the way his teachers were I know it was not because they got behind on anything. The kids did not know about it ahead of time, I think if they knew then they would not have wanted to go and I would not blame them. My daughter said that the mom's that went had a small group of kids, she herself had my grandson and two other boys, so even though it was a small group it was no fun for them. Thank you for responding and have a great night.
@lilybug (21107)
• United States
27 May 08
That does not sound like a fun end of year field trip. My son's school has a play day the day before the last day of school where they get to run around the gym and play games all day and get snacks and hang out and have some fun. My son even volunteered to go to summer school because the last day of summer school all the kids get to spend the whole day at the water park. Now that is a fun end of year.
1 person likes this
