I realize that some people cannot afford to go on this trip (I think pretty cheap especially everything that the kids get to do), have other things going on, or just think they do not want to spend time with some of the kids going. But I truly believe that the memories and bonding that go on during this one week away from school far outweighs the negatives. Again, I realize that some cannot make it, but it should be a high priority for any junior that thinks they might want to go.
The senior trip occurs so late in the school year for my school that there really is a sense of "this is it" for many of them. It is such an over powering double feeling at the end of the trip that the trip is over, but so is the school year and ultimately...their secondary school experience.
The 90+ students that go on this trip share a common story that the others will miss out on.
It is emotional for me as well to witness this happen.
I can feel the emotion of some of them as they come face to face with the "real" world they've been preached to for so much of their young adult life. They realize that many of them will go their separate ways and they may not see any of their classmates again, or for a long time. And I think some of them even realize that they are going to miss their teachers. We are the ones fighting every day for them and in the cruel "real" world, there will be far fewer doing that for them.
I enjoy going on this trip to watch the bonding, to watch the laughs, watch the pictures being taken, and to try and make it a more fun trip for them by being a little...umm goofy at times.
So good luck class of 2017, you got to spend a week with people you will love forever in one of the world's greatest cities...Washington D.C.
Never forget this moment from this trip and do everything you can for the rest of your life to continue creating these moments for you and those you love.
