Two Inappropriate Trips

So Mr. S has decided to take the students to Vassar tomorrow and the Cloisters Museum on Thursday. Two bad choices. None of these students will qualify to get into Vassar, so it's loading them with a bunch of false hope. It is also so disconnected from their interests. Why not take them to Lehman college and show them all the athletic facilities. They can get excited about that school. The Cloisters has a bunch of Medieval art that they won't relate to. Why not take them to Moma or the Met where there is a wider range of art and require them to write about the paintings. Students are not held accountable for anything on these trips. It's not a bad idea to make them write reflections, rather than hand them a notebook and leave it up to them. If students were forced to watch these TED talks about art, they might have liked them. Since they had the choice, they don't know what they're missing. Part of what education should do is force students out of their comfort zone and expose them to different ideas. Learning can take place when they least expect it, and it's beautiful when that happens.