Eurotrip 2011, 40 students to Paris/Florence/Rome/Athens/5 days on Aegean
Mar 25th, 2011, 11:50 PM
#81
What a great idea, adrienne! This site - http://www.blurb.com/ - works fine with PCs, but you do need to be careful about the size of the pictures.
Mar 26th, 2011, 03:31 AM
#83
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Thanks everyone for your thoughts. Maybe I can get the students and parents together and do both. I love both ideas - the photo book and the letters. Maybe when they arrive back tonight I will just hand him and the other teacher chaperone a bottle of wine and some flowers and then work on these ideas for later....This site is just a wonderful way to get information about travelling.. I never knew it existed until I happened to google eurotrip 2011 just for kicks one day. It was quite something to go back though and read all the thoughts, ideas and planning that everyone here provided. I will just say for all of the parents and students who went on this trip a special THANK YOU for all the assistance everyone here provided... Just so everyone knows - they just boarded the first return flight of the day. I for one am certainly looking forward to seeing everyone tonight....Thanks again
Mar 26th, 2011, 08:23 AM
#84
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Take up a collection from all the parents and students and send him on an all-expenses-paid weekend somewhere to relax in peace and quiet! It doesn't have to be far, maybe a nice B&B close to home in a natural setting.
Mar 26th, 2011, 05:08 PM
#85
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Lots of great ideas, but surfmom's idea of everyone contributing photos and letter about a favorite memory or two would be at the top of my list. The personal letters and letters to his administrator would be gratefully accepted from this dedicated professional and generous person, I would think. (As a retired teacher, I find the letters that I received are still treasured.)
Mar 26th, 2011, 05:38 PM
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These are all wonderful suggestions, but I fear that teacherCanada will miss out on a very thoughtful surprise once he logs onto this thread! At least he will know how much he and his work are appreciated.
Jo
Jo
Mar 27th, 2011, 10:19 AM
#88
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Well, we're all back safe and sound. Our adventures in Europe are certainly for the record books this year. Our group followed the itinerary stated in the initial post fairly closely. As time permits, over the next few weeks, I will try to relate some of the fun, educational and exciting adventures we experienced.
Thanks cbecker for your kind thoughts for our return. It was a treat to travel with each and every one of the students. Thank you to adrienne, thursdaysd, surfmom, Annie_V, brotherleelove, irishface and ParisJo for your thoughtful and kind suggestions to recognize the organizers of the trip. This trip was a team effort. The rewards for exposing students to the wonders of travel are intrinsic and we are confident we have opened their eyes. Unfortunately, I must discourage posters about posting links to photo storage sites to protect the privacy of our student and adult travellers. I am confident you will respect this request.
Thank you to everyone who contributed to the success of this trip.
tC
Thanks cbecker for your kind thoughts for our return. It was a treat to travel with each and every one of the students. Thank you to adrienne, thursdaysd, surfmom, Annie_V, brotherleelove, irishface and ParisJo for your thoughtful and kind suggestions to recognize the organizers of the trip. This trip was a team effort. The rewards for exposing students to the wonders of travel are intrinsic and we are confident we have opened their eyes. Unfortunately, I must discourage posters about posting links to photo storage sites to protect the privacy of our student and adult travellers. I am confident you will respect this request.
Thank you to everyone who contributed to the success of this trip.
tC
Mar 27th, 2011, 03:21 PM
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Welcome back tC ! I
It sounds like another one of your fantastic trips has been accomplished. I cannot tell you how much I appreciate what you are doing for the kids in exposing them to the world at large. They are very lucky to have such a thoughtful educator as you.
Eagerly awaiting your trip report.
Best wishes,
Mathieu.
It sounds like another one of your fantastic trips has been accomplished. I cannot tell you how much I appreciate what you are doing for the kids in exposing them to the world at large. They are very lucky to have such a thoughtful educator as you.
Eagerly awaiting your trip report.
Best wishes,
Mathieu.
Apr 4th, 2011, 08:02 PM
#91
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The trip report begins shortly. Please don't feel obliged to read any or all of it. I welcome any questions or comments you may have about any aspect of this educational adventure.
On March 9, 2011 our adventurous group of 40 students (aged 16 – 19) and 9 adults (various ages) boarded our coach bus on a chilly morning to start an 18 day escapade of fun and learning. As cbecker mentioned a few posts earlier, the two co-lead chaperones had experienced a great number of challenges and roadblocks in the three months prior to this day. These upsets came precipitously close to causing the whole trip to be cancelled. The culprits were overwhelmingly petty, short-sighted and showed little regard to the experience of lead chaperones who had collectively organized nearly a dozen international trips and many more extended student trips within Canada.
We tried to put their silliness and ignorance behind us, but it was a most difficult challenge for the lead chaperones.
Many parents and family members were at the school to bid goodbye to their teen. All travellers were wearing their black “hoodie” sweatshirt. The luggage (one bag per person) was stowed in the compartments below and after a series of “group shot” pictures we boarded the coach for the trip to Toronto International Airport. Everyone on board was very excited. Our timing was excellent. We allowed ourselves 2 extra hours to get to the airport because sometimes winter weather affects driving conditions in our area. The weather and roads were perfect. This meant we had time to stop at a shopping mall en route to the airport. The mall provided all travellers to get a lunch at the mall food court, plus purchase any items they may have just realized they had forgotten. Our herd of 49 “black hoodied” persons looked a bit like a gang when we disembarked from the coach and entered the mall. They soon broke up into smaller groups and managed to fill the 90 minutes allotted to lunch.
I need to explain that we have a few “golden rules” that apply to all students when we travel. The number one rule is to never, ever be alone. Girls are used to making washroom visits with friends. Guys had to learn this new washroom protocol. We told them the trip rules were in place now. Most of the travellers divided into groups of 5 or 6 and after lunch wandered the mall. Chaperones kept a close eye for any solo travellers. We saw none. This was going to be a great group.
After lunch and on the road to Toronto, one of the girls came up to the front and said she had mistakenly left most of her money for Europe at home. She was anxious. Thanks to cell phones her Mom arranged to deposit her money into a fellow traveller’s bank account. This would allow her to make withdrawals in that manner. What a relief to our student.
At the airport we quickly unloaded the bus and transferred our bags inside the terminal. We were met by our travel agent. He assisted us as we deposited our check-in luggage and saw us to the secure section. He wished us bon voyage and waved as we disappeared behind frosted glass.
Once we were safely inside we had over two hours to wait prior to boarding. In case you’ve forgotten, teenagers are generally good at wasting time, but never very good at waiting! They sprawled over chairs and occupied large areas of the floor with card games. They generally stayed close by.
On previous student trips such as this, organizers have created specialized trip t shirts that have trip specific information on the front and back. In the past, they have given a greater sense of identity to our group and been worn with pride. This year we were informed they presented a safety concern due to the information on the cresting and no travellers were to bring or wear them during the trip. Many were very disappointed, but we had to follow the directive. In a wonderful show of support, one of the parents of a student traveller (with 2 days notice prior to departure) had taken it upon himself to purchase 49 red t shirts with CANADA on the front from a local department store. A new shirt for purchased for everyone. Fantastic! Despite having the correct sizing for each student and adult traveller, most of the larger sizes were picked up by students. This left the 9 adults with t shirt sizes that might have strained the fabric. Adults used these two hours to purchase similar shirts at a souvenir shop in the secure waiting area. Now everyone had a bold red (or white) CANADA shirt to wear on our travels.
Next: Delays at the airport.
tC
On March 9, 2011 our adventurous group of 40 students (aged 16 – 19) and 9 adults (various ages) boarded our coach bus on a chilly morning to start an 18 day escapade of fun and learning. As cbecker mentioned a few posts earlier, the two co-lead chaperones had experienced a great number of challenges and roadblocks in the three months prior to this day. These upsets came precipitously close to causing the whole trip to be cancelled. The culprits were overwhelmingly petty, short-sighted and showed little regard to the experience of lead chaperones who had collectively organized nearly a dozen international trips and many more extended student trips within Canada.
We tried to put their silliness and ignorance behind us, but it was a most difficult challenge for the lead chaperones.
Many parents and family members were at the school to bid goodbye to their teen. All travellers were wearing their black “hoodie” sweatshirt. The luggage (one bag per person) was stowed in the compartments below and after a series of “group shot” pictures we boarded the coach for the trip to Toronto International Airport. Everyone on board was very excited. Our timing was excellent. We allowed ourselves 2 extra hours to get to the airport because sometimes winter weather affects driving conditions in our area. The weather and roads were perfect. This meant we had time to stop at a shopping mall en route to the airport. The mall provided all travellers to get a lunch at the mall food court, plus purchase any items they may have just realized they had forgotten. Our herd of 49 “black hoodied” persons looked a bit like a gang when we disembarked from the coach and entered the mall. They soon broke up into smaller groups and managed to fill the 90 minutes allotted to lunch.
I need to explain that we have a few “golden rules” that apply to all students when we travel. The number one rule is to never, ever be alone. Girls are used to making washroom visits with friends. Guys had to learn this new washroom protocol. We told them the trip rules were in place now. Most of the travellers divided into groups of 5 or 6 and after lunch wandered the mall. Chaperones kept a close eye for any solo travellers. We saw none. This was going to be a great group.
After lunch and on the road to Toronto, one of the girls came up to the front and said she had mistakenly left most of her money for Europe at home. She was anxious. Thanks to cell phones her Mom arranged to deposit her money into a fellow traveller’s bank account. This would allow her to make withdrawals in that manner. What a relief to our student.
At the airport we quickly unloaded the bus and transferred our bags inside the terminal. We were met by our travel agent. He assisted us as we deposited our check-in luggage and saw us to the secure section. He wished us bon voyage and waved as we disappeared behind frosted glass.
Once we were safely inside we had over two hours to wait prior to boarding. In case you’ve forgotten, teenagers are generally good at wasting time, but never very good at waiting! They sprawled over chairs and occupied large areas of the floor with card games. They generally stayed close by.
On previous student trips such as this, organizers have created specialized trip t shirts that have trip specific information on the front and back. In the past, they have given a greater sense of identity to our group and been worn with pride. This year we were informed they presented a safety concern due to the information on the cresting and no travellers were to bring or wear them during the trip. Many were very disappointed, but we had to follow the directive. In a wonderful show of support, one of the parents of a student traveller (with 2 days notice prior to departure) had taken it upon himself to purchase 49 red t shirts with CANADA on the front from a local department store. A new shirt for purchased for everyone. Fantastic! Despite having the correct sizing for each student and adult traveller, most of the larger sizes were picked up by students. This left the 9 adults with t shirt sizes that might have strained the fabric. Adults used these two hours to purchase similar shirts at a souvenir shop in the secure waiting area. Now everyone had a bold red (or white) CANADA shirt to wear on our travels.
Next: Delays at the airport.
tC
Apr 5th, 2011, 11:44 AM
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Teacher Canada --
Since this original post has got SOOO lengthy, and since you are only "poised for take-off" in your Narrative -- might you consider starting a NEW Thread Calling it" Eurotrip 2011 for 40 Canadian STudents- Part II" and at the start, say, for the background and the gathering at the Airport see (and paste link). It might make it more manageable. Just a thought!
Since this original post has got SOOO lengthy, and since you are only "poised for take-off" in your Narrative -- might you consider starting a NEW Thread Calling it" Eurotrip 2011 for 40 Canadian STudents- Part II" and at the start, say, for the background and the gathering at the Airport see (and paste link). It might make it more manageable. Just a thought!
