UPDATE! Is DD's teacher nuts? Field trip to NYC?!

[CheshireVal]

Nine is definitely too young for a school trip of that magnitude

A trip to NYC is fine for high schoolers, but not little kids!! I haven't even heard of many overnight field trips with children that young... usually those kinds of events start in middle school.

 

[imsorry]

She really should have asked the parents first. I think it's kind of outrageous - the kids are too young for that. I can see maybe when they get to junior high school. It's too far and too expensive. Someone needs to speak to this teacher (although now it's too late - the kids are already expecting to go).
She has put you in the position of being the bad guy if you say no.

 

[disneyjunkie]

Just to clarify - I do NOT think 9 is too young to experience NYC. We could go as a family and I'm sure we would all love it. My number one objection is that this is a public school where over 50% of the kids are on free/reduced lunch.

When my son was in the 7th grade, his school's Japanese club took a trip to Japan. There were several families whose kids were on the free/reduce lunch program that had no problem coming up with the $2000.00 for the trip.
This is a public, inner city school. The things some “poor” families are able to pay for always amaze me.


I don't think nine years old is too young for a trip to NYC. However, my child wouldn’t go without me.

I've taken 4 and 5 year olds (20-25 students per trip) on various trips throughout Brooklyn, Queens, Manhattan, Staten Island and the Bronx. Sometimes parents come with us, but most times it's just the students and the pre-k or kindergarten staff. We haven't lost a child yet.

It seems strange that the teacher didn’t discuss the trip with the parents before mentioning it to the students.

 

[laurie31]

I've taken 4 and 5 year olds (20-25 students per trip) on various trips throughout Brooklyn, Queens, Manhattan, Staten Island and the Bronx. Sometimes parents come with us, but most times it's just the students and the pre-k or kindergarten staff. We haven't lost a child yet.

But you live in Brooklyn I would expect kids there to visit all the wonderful things available to them there. You didn't put them on a bus for 32 hours (round trip) to get them there. (and we've never lost a kid on a field trip either, it's just a fear I have. When I chaperone, I'm always counting them )

Laurie

 

[disneyjunkie]

But you live in Brooklyn I would expect kids there to visit all the wonderful things available to them there. You didn't put them on a bus for 32 hours (round trip) to get them there. (and we've never lost a kid on a field trip either, it's just a fear I have. When I chaperone, I'm always counting them )

Laurie

True, but the parents will be with them.

My son and I lived in NC when he was your daughter's age. I would have been thrilled if he could have gone on a trip like that, but not without me. Heck, I wouldn't even let him go away to sleep away camp until he was 1; four years later than all of his started going.

I'd love to know how everything turns out and why the teacher didn't speak to the parents first.

 

[CarolA]

I used to approve trips for Girl Scouts in Nashville..

NO WAY would this fly.

A few things... Where will this teacher think they should go next??? It's called progression, first the kids go to Birmingham and if they like that you move farther way.

Second, the point of some of these trips should be to develop new skills.. If Mommy or Daddy goes with you everywhere that really limits the new skills... (Not to mention that on EVERY trip I ever did ALL of the problems were with PARENTS... "we wanted to go to the Hard Rock so we just left and went there" "7 am is just too early to get ready so we figured all of you would wait on us" etc....)


Also, I would not let my child go until she/he was old enough to stay in a hotel room with their friends without an adult! Personally, having a child in a room with a strange adult is dangerous in this day and age!

 

[laurie31]

A few things... Where will this teacher think they should go next??? It's called progression, first the kids go to Birmingham and if they like that you move farther way.

DH and I were just talking about this aspect - at this rate, where will she want to go for her senior trip - New Zealand? A cruise to Greece? A safari in Kenya? LOL

Laurie
ps - I would love to go on any of those trips...but not with 50 kids along and DD won't be going on a senior trip, unless we go as a family or she goes with a small group of close friends whom we trust.

 

[gemjoy]

I can totally see your point. There is NO WAY I would let my daughter go to NYC for a "field trip" at that age!!!

Now ~ having said that. We allowed our 9 year old DD and 10 year old DS to travel to NYC with their and Aunt and Uncle this summer. My sister-in-law is from Queens NY and is very comfortable in the city. They saw Beauty and the Beast on Broadway and went to Jones Beach etc...
Lets put it this way... I totally trust my BIL and SIL with my children and I still was going out of my mind while they were in the city...... it's just too big and you just never know... too many kids to watch at all times. JMO ~

 

[tubaman]

My 8th grade trip to NYC was around $500. Note it was my 8th grade tirp. I'm not a teacher(just in 9th grade), but I still wouldn't take elementry age kids to NYC.

 

[Talking Hands]

WE can't even take elementary kids out of state

 

[LisaNJ25]

That is crazy!! I would not let me 13yo go on a class trip that far away let alone a bunch of fifty 8, 9, and 10 year olds.

The furthest I went on a class trip was to Washington DC in 8th grade.

 

[mill4023]

Yes, the teacher is completely nuts.
And he/she was completely out of line to get the kids all excited about something of that magnitude and expense.

 

[laurie31]

Updated in first post

Laurie

 

[The Mystery Machine]

That schedule is brutal and not age appropriate. What are they thinking? Now we have been to NYC and younger dd loves it, so she would probably beg to go. I am glad it isn't me!!!!

14yodd High School Band is going to NYC and she is not going this year. However it is due to $$$ and she is a freshman and new to the school. I am sure it will be different next year.

 

[LvsTnk]

Some of those tours are rediculous. My son went to DC on an 8th grade trip.

They got off the bus at a museum and he had to use the restroom. He said he came out and they left almost immediately.

He loved the trip but said there was way too much cramed in a short amount of time.

 

[Sandy V.]

I just read your update and I am very glad for your sake that this whole thing did not take off.

The teacher is NUTS! The monetary timetables were crazy and unrealistic. And I'm with you - there is NO way I would let my young children travel that far away from home without me or my husband. I sent my 17 year old DD this past summer halfway across the country to D.C. for a leadership conference, and I was very nervous about that - she did fine. But 8-10 year olds? The potential for bad things happening is just too great.

 

[Christine]

HAH!! I just got the "paperwork" home for this SAME trip for my DD's high school. Was it through "Travel Adventures"? It sounds like a great trip. Ours is going to cost about $970 and will be over the spring break. I will probably let me DD go, but we are not that far away (DC to NYC isn't too bad).

 

[EthansMom]

What was that teacher smoking?

 

[goodeats]

That trip itinerary is crazy even for adults. Asking 8-10 yo kids to handle it? No way!

I hope the kids aren't too disappointed. What a stupid thing for the teacher to do!

 

[ducklite]

UPDATE:
On the surface it sounded fun, and I think it would be great for high school-aged kids, but these are 8-10 year olds. They decided to fly instead of go on a bus. Fine. Great, actually However, we have to be at the airport- a 30 min drive away- at 5am, fly out at 7am, change planes with only a 30 min layover (not many direct B'ham to NYC flights), and arrive in NYC at 12:00. Start our walking tour on 5th Avenue at 1:15.

There's no way you are going to get a group of what--80 people and their luggage from JFK/LGA/EWR to 5th Avenue after landing at noon. It's going to take 30 minutes minimum just to get the bags, then get everyone loaded onto a bus and driving away from the airport--I just don't see it happening in under an hour--possibly as many as two! Then you've got to allow for minimum 30 minutes if you hit no traffic and every light perfectly to get to midtown.

Okay, already I see problems. Can you see getting a big group of kids from one gate to another in 30 mins? What if the plane's just a little late? Yikes! Also, would we even have our luggage off the carousel and be loaded on the tour bus to go to 5th Ave by 1:15 if we land at noon?

Depending on what airport you are talking about, 30 minutes might be more than enough time. But with that many people you might have a problem booking a flight with enough open seats.

Moving on. We have a 3 hour walking tour and end up in Little Italy, where we have dinner. Then we go to the Empire State Building and go to the observation platform on the top. We go from there to the hotel. We arrive at the hotel at 10pm. I can only imagine how long it would take to pass out room assignments and keys and get everyone up to their rooms, unpack and get in bed. So, basically my daughter would have gotten up 3 1/2 hours before normal and stayed up 3 hours past her bedtime. Yeah, she'd be excited, but 7 extra hours of wakefulness is more than she could take. She doesn't do sleep deprivation very well. Heck. *I* don't do sleep deprivation very well

How are they getting from midtown to Little Italy? That's a long walk even for adults! Then turning around and going back to midtown for the ESB? Sounds ridiculous! And I agree, 10:00pm is far to late for a bunch of kids who have already had a busy day. The ESB should be done during teh day as part of the midtown tour. Forget going to Little Italy, eat in midtown and call it a night by 7:30 or so.


The next day - up at 7am. (this is 6 am our time <shudder> )

Breakfast. Go to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Lunch on your own. Bus Tour of NYC. Pass the UN, St. Patrick's Cathedral, etc. Dinner at Hard Rock Cafe at 6pm. See Broadway play - Beauty and the Beast at 8pm. Return to hotel at 11pm.

That's wayyyy too much to pack into one day. The Met takes a full day in itself, and even at that you won't see half of it! Why are they going back to St. Pat's, etc. when they were there in midtown the day before? Stupid planning. Hard Rock is expensive and crowded and might not even be able to accomodate that large or a group, and the food is terrible. There's no way you can that large of a group in and out of the HRC and be seated in time for the curtain at B&B. That's crazy!


Problems - my child would be sleeping through the play and most likely the bus tour as well - lol. Can we eat dinner at 6 and make it to the play at 8? That sounds rushed to me. Also, at first I thought how cool for her to see all those places, then we realized we would just be driving past them, not actually visiting them. I'm picturing Chevy Chase at the Grand Canyon here.

Exactly!


The next day - up at 7am. Breakfast. Go to the Statue of Liberty. Ferry back at noon, lunch on your own. Leave for the airport at 1pm, arrive back home around 10pm.

No way again. Is this teacher smoking crack?

Glad to hear it didn't work out for your benefit. I think that teacher is jsut outside her mind.

Anne