¶ … High School Field Trips
Students want field trips for all the wrong reasons. You know that, and I know that. But you also know the right reasons for field trips. I am using this letter to remind you of them with the hope that you will keep funds for school trips in the school budget. Simply put, field trips are an important part of education because they connect real life with what the students study. They accomplish this by getting students away from textbooks, by showing them people in real life who use the knowledge they learned in the classroom, and by helping keep students' interest in the subject high.
Students sometimes feel that what they're learning in school is irrelevant. They see no point to learning history, or algebra, or English. However, when those students go on field trips, they see the application of these subjects in real life. At a museum, they may see concrete evidence of the history they have been studying and begin to see how one event relates to those that follow. Science students will see real application of scientific principals by visiting an airplane factory, a hospital, or even a plant that makes pet food. The value of art exhibits...
Each of these experiences will expand the students' understanding of the subject they are studying.
Even when students know the information they're learning is relevant they may not know exactly how such knowledge fits into someone's work life. On a field trip they may see the engineers working to design a new wing, applying principles of mathematics and physics to solve practical problems. When music students attend a symphony performance, they can actually watch professional musicians as they use all the training they received in their education. A trip to any business will show many employees using their computers to communicate in all sorts of ways. They will see that the people who can write clearly are most likely to succeed in the business world. They won't see slackers in these settings. They'll see the results of mastering specific skills as well as the fact that the effort paid off for all the people they observe and meet.
But the most important contribution a field trip can make is to keep students' interest up. Students…
