Sitting in front of her computer, SCHS science teacher Suzanne Miller-Moody checks the school calendar then scrolls through the Monterey Bay Aquarium website while on hold with the SCUSD transportation department. She has coordinated many field trips throughout her years at SCHS and noted that scheduling conflicts often get in the way of a smooth planning process.
“It’s really hard to get a field trip at the aquarium, so that has to happen before school even starts,” Miller-Moody said. “With the other ones, it’s a little less dramatic, but still you have to figure out when you can go.”
AVID coordinator Risha Shah has also planned numerous field trips, many to college campuses.
“If I’m taking them (students) to UC Davis, then I make sure that the date is actually available for a tour,” Shah said. “At that point, it’s pretty easy because I just need the students to show up and have a pretty cool day.”
For Shah, the aftermath of a field trip is the most rewarding experience for her because she feels she understands her students more when outside of the classroom.
“Hearing from the students about how their day went on the field trip is probably my favorite part and just spending time with them outside of school and outside of this classroom,” Shah said. “They get to see us (teachers) outside of the classroom as well and realize there is much more to teach in life then just being in front of the room teaching.”
Junior Ally Medenilla has had multiple field trips this year with her AP Biology, AP Environmental Science and AVID class. She found value from real-world experience from each one.
“You should be able to look at other places and be able to experience that by yourself instead of just being in school learning about it, instead of just looking at a textbook,” Medenilla said.
As one of the first to have planned a field trip in her department, math teacher Taylor Burk is currently planning a trip to Top Golf to grant her students a new way to practice the subject.
“You can collect data in a lot of ways. You don’t have to go to Top Golf to collect data, but I was also looking for something that would be fun,” Burk said. “The purpose of the field trip is to get kids using the information that they learn in class out in the world.”
From scheduling conflicts to gathering enough funds, teachers seem to go through a lot of work to make enjoyable and educational field trips possible for students.
“I hope students don’t take field trips for granted and understand all the work and the generosity that goes into putting a trip on behind the scenes that they never see,” Burk said.