To the Editor:
I am writing this letter in response to the article “School trip to Italy gets board approval,” which was published in the June 25 edition of the Westlock News.
Educational travel is one of the most impactful experiences most students will ever have in their youth. I believe this absolutely. Because of this, I have planned, organized and executed countless student band trips both within our country and abroad.
This past year, 48 BCHS band students and parents experienced Atlantic Canada through music and this was, in many ways a highlight, of my teaching career.
The PHPS/School Board trip approval process however, was regrettably a large contributing factor to my decision to walk away from a career I have loved.
While the details of my experience are too lengthy for this article, my viewpoint can be boiled down into three areas.
First, the approval process reflects a lack of understanding of what actually goes into making projects of this nature work. The title “Approval in Principle” is misleading. The AP, at this stage of planning, requires more than a general idea of the scope and purpose of the trip. They ask for specific details that, at the early stages of the planning process, are impossible to nail down.
One obvious detail is the number of students/chaperones involved and their genders. I can tell you from experience that the numbers you receive when asking families about their interest in the trip and the number that actually commit with a monetary deposit changes right up to the last minute of the deadline.
The School Board and Superintendent’s office slap the wrists of lead teachers who “jump the gun” and dare to “engage parents” in the planning process before trip approval.
But if they had any knowledge or experience with actually planning a trip themselves, they would understand that “parent engagement” is not only vital to the planning of the trip, but absolutely appropriate as these people are stakeholders in the process.
Secondly, the Superintendent’s Office and School Trustees feel it is their duty to be the watchdogs of the process, and ensure that kids are kept safe in a dangerous world.
No one is more keenly aware of the risks and potential problems of a school trip than the lead teacher. We are entrusted with managing thousands of dollars of hard-earned money from families and community. We are responsible for the lives (and happiness) of other peoples’ kids. We know this, and yet take on the task willingly.
I would challenge that PHPS policies are not motivated by concern for the students or protection of the teacher, but for the potential litigious complications to the Board that might arise if things go sideways. It is about avoiding potential monetary cost and a publicity nightmare.
And finally, the attitude that is reflected by the trip approval process is what I found most discouraging. What if a teacher came forth with a vision of a student experience and PHPS said, “Wow! Thank you. What can we do to help? We truly want to support kids and teachers willing to put in countless hours and expense of their own to make trips happen.”
Instead we are told we must select vendors from an approved list regardless of their fit for our needs. Why wouldn’t multinational travel companies with glossy emergency plans and millions of dollars of insurance be the best choice for you? Why would a more local company, based in the destination have the most to offer? Why can’t the lead teacher obediently trust the vetting process of the list regardless of what actually makes the most sense?
It is because there is a disconnect that PHPS fails to see.
I will never regret the choice to make school trips part of my students’ education. I do wish that PHPS would take an honest look at their part in the process.
Kerri-lee Kostiw
Westlock
