the benefits of European travel for children
 

Hey, my kid just won a "no-homework pass" by answering a trivia question in biology. The question referenced a goofy story told by the yeoman warder at the Tower of London about a guy who got beheaded but had to have his head sewn back on temporarily because they forgot to paint a portrait of him before they axed him. (Those yeoman warders were just full of stories like that and the kids just loved them). I realize it's not much, but hey, a no-homework pass for him means a no -homework pass for me. So what benefits have your kids gotten from European travel?

What strange values both you and this <BR>school system have. Supposedly <BR>"rewarding" children for knowing something by letting them skip their <BR>homework. You appear to be passing your <BR>dislike for work, learning and school on to your child, since you seem to think this is a great reward, also. I gather <BR>you are an American and can only hope that you are not a teacher at the school <BR>shown in your e-mail address. As you can tell, I have little admiration for this attitude and don't understand what possible good letting your child <BR>skip assignments does, except to <BR>reinforce the idea that homework is to <BR>be avoided and "gotten out of" at all <BR>costs and is a punishment. This is <BR>typical of American lazy/incompetent <BR>school systems and teachers, which <BR>appears to be your child's situation. <BR>Too bad you are supporting and applauding this concept of letting <BR>children skip learning and homework to <BR>"reward" them.

Christina: Your "Brown Shirt" attitude scares me. <BR> <BR>We are not all robots and actually may <BR>ENJOY putting a little fun into learning. <BR> <BR>It's a homework assignment, probably one <BR>of thousands, not open heart surgery. <BR> <BR>Lighten up or you'll stroke on us. Besides, your just mad because you didn't know the answer and the child did. <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR>

I've already posted this once, but it did not show up. If you have it twice, please excuse the error. <BR> <BR>When I was 11, my parents took me out of school for 10 days or so to go to Italy. My mom talked to my teacher about getting some assignments in advance to do on the plane. Instead of giving me my assignments, she cut a deal with me. Upon my return, if I would give a 30 minute presentation to my class about our trip, she would consider all classwork and homework accounted for. I didn't feel like I got a break or a reward for getting to travel - it was a barter. Shortly before my trip, our class studied about Pompeii. I got to see it and bring back pictures for my class. I learned more in that 10 days in Italy than I ever would have learned reading a book or sitting in a class room drawing maps of Italy. I think my class got a different perspective on the country as well getting it see it through a peer's eyes rather than that of a scholar. It was a great experience.

First may I second Lee's reply, Christina I believe you do need to lighten up. I myself have many issues with homework. My daughter starts 7th grade at 7:15 gets home at 2:45 and then is expected to do homework in Math, Social Studies, English and Science with occasional Spanish, not to mention the constant projects. I find it so frustrating to watch my child working her childhood away, don't we work away our lives enough as adults. I understand the benefits of homework, but I feel that it's gotten way out of control. To sum up, an occasional "no-homework-pass" is well deserved. <BR>Secondly, we leave for Italy on Monday and our daughter (13 years old) will be missing 13 days of school. At first we were concerned about her missing that much, but we have met with all her teachers and they will be sending along some assignments to try to keep her up-to-date, of course there will be pressure on her when she gets back, but I think she'll be fine. One of her assignments is to keep a journal for English and Social Studies and another assignment is like Meg's, she will be doing an oral presentation with a slide show when she returns. I know when she's older that this time in her life will be a very memorable experience like no other. I have spoken to so many people who had traveled as children and they have all said what an impact it has made on their lives. I hope it does the same for her. It sure beats homework ;-)

First may I second Lee's reply, Christina I believe you do need to lighten up. I myself have many issues with homework. My daughter starts 7th grade at 7:15 gets home at 2:45 and then is expected to do homework in Math, Social Studies, English and Science with occasional Spanish, not to mention the constant projects. I find it so frustrating to watch my child working her childhood away, don't we work away our lives enough as adults. I understand the benefits of homework, but I feel that it's gotten way out of control. To sum up, an occasional "no-homework-pass" is well deserved. <BR>Secondly, we leave for Italy on Monday and our daughter (13 years old) will be missing 13 days of school. At first we were concerned about her missing that much, but we have met with all her teachers and they will be sending along some assignments to try to keep her up-to-date, of course there will be pressure on her when she gets back, but I think she'll be fine. One of her assignments is to keep a journal for English and Social Studies and another assignment is like Meg's, she will be doing an oral presentation with a slide show when she returns. I know when she's older that this time in her life will be a very memorable experience like no other. I have spoken to so many people who had traveled as children and they have all said what an impact it has made on their lives. I hope it does the same for her. It sure beats homework ;-)

Oops! Sorry about that, for some unknown reason my computer told me it didn't post but it tricked me, typical computer.

Christina, why the self-righteous attitude in all your posts?

I think children get two things from travel most of all: <BR> <BR>(1) It makes most things they learn for the rest of their lives more relevant because they have been there (even if it is just the same continent). <BR> <BR>(2) It enables them to appreciate the wonderful diversity of people and places that are on this earth. <BR> <BR>Without negative attitudes expressed by the parents about the places they go, children can only benefit from the experience. They have a chance to see and learn for themselves, not from a book.

We took our two teenage daughters to Paris for spring break last year. The younger one just loved seeing things she had seen in her French videos at school. Both girls loved the architecture, the way the food and drinks were served, the attitudes of the staff at our hotel, riding the Metro, seeing the different styles of dress, etc. The best thing about traveling is enjoying what's different while seeing that many things are universal. <BR> <BR>In re christina, I certainly didn't think the original poster deserved a diatribe about the deficiencies of the American educational system.

It's me, the original poster, and I want to thank Lee and Lori for coming to my defense. I never thought my intended-to-be-humorous little story would provoke such a diatribe. My son goes to a strict Catholic school which is one of only three in this country to have won the U.S. Government Excellence in Education Award three times. He comes home with so much homework that his bookbag strap broke during the second week of school, and is up til midnight most nights doing it. If his biology teacher wants to reward one student, once a week, with a little treat for being a well-read thinker, who am I to argue? As for passing on my "dislike of school, work, and learning", I am just trying to figure out how I managed to become a full-time Assistant Professor of Family and Community Medicine at the University of Illinois College of Medicine and still find time to raise three kids if I have such an aversion to work and learning. My 4 articles published in medical journals and my consulting career as an expert witness of course are just frivolous hobbies I pursue in my spare time when I am trying to avoid work and learning. <BR>So, Christina, to echo Lee and Lori, LIGHTEN UP! There are parents, kids, schools, and teachers in the U.S. who care about work, learning, and education, and those of us who do are getting out of it what we put into it. My kids didn't even miss school to learn what they learned in Europe, though I feel that if the only time you can take your kids to Europe is while school is in session, the benefits thay get will outweigh the loss of a few days of school.

Anna, We moved from New Jersey to a great house in Arizona in Dec of '96. By late '97, we found out that we had a chance to move to Scotland for a few years. The ONLY reason we chose to uproot ourselves again was for the benefits we all could reap from living in a foreign country. My 5 and 7 year old boys go to private school, wear uniforms, learn how to spell words differently than we do in the States and have even learned a new style of writing. They are beginning to call me Mum, ask me questions with a British intonation and have even taught me a few new words. They get to learn drama, perform in front of others, take swimming lessons and learn to speak French. Last week we went to a Ceilidh (pronounced Kale-ee) and learned how to do some Scottish country dances. Their favorite historical figure is Mary, Queen of Scots. They even know someone who is a bodyguard of the Queen when she is in town! Everything they see is "cool" to them. Their eyes are completely open to this new world they are seeing and get the unique experience of seeing America through the eyes on this side of the pond. We have had many discussions on the differences between America and the UK. Regardless of what they will remember, they will grow up with the sense that differences are good, that people are people, no matter where they are from and what they look like. It is an invaluable lesson for a child to learn in this day and age of intolerance. PS: Loved those yeomen warders, too! Congrats to your son! Hope he did something fun with his time...like watch tv! (Ha!Ha!)

In reply to Christina, while my 3 children were younger, we had 5 European (well-paid) nannies. Our Dutch nanny was wonderful. The other four had no work ethic. Our then-12 year old son came home from school and did some of one of our nanny's chores and checked them off her checklist so that she wouldn't get into trouble. We found some data that compared the hours per week that Europeans work versus Americans. Very interesting data. On to other subjects. We have traveled extensively with our kids as well as without. I hope to have them learn that they have a responsibility to add to the wealth of the world, in whatever small way they can. Last year in a developing country, I came out of a market to see my three boys talking at length with a small boy who had been begging from them. They gave him something of monetary value. But the communication with this boy had a part in shaping their personalities. Our "parents only" France and Italy trip for 1999 was scheduled for March. Our middle boy was suddenly diagnosed with a rare spinal cord tumor. After surgery this summer, we bought three more air and rail tickets without hesitation. Who knows if your kids will ever get to backpack through Europe with their college buddies? Who knows if they will ever see the Mona Lisa, or sail in Greece as an adult? Life is so iffy, sometimes, that there is simply pure value in being with your loved ones in faraway places.

anna, I've composed this reply 3 times, but the long and the short of it is that my kids feel very comfortable in Europe, it's not a foreign land. Upon my youngest sons high school graduation I took them to Europe for a whirlwind tour, London, Paris, Berlin (when it was East Berlin), Amsterdam, etc. just to have them as at ease in Europe as they are in Texas. We stayed in 1 & 2 star hotels, used the Metros and felt like citizens of the country we were visiting. I'm very proud they have all returned to Europe for visits and felt "at home" there. <BR> <BR>An aside; Christina, I suggested months ago you lighten up, you are not the arbiter of postings or responses. <BR> <BR>R. van Alstyne <BR> <BR>. <BR>

<BR>I strongly believe travel of any kind especially to a foreign country can certainly be of value, and wish that all children of school age could somehow have the opportunity. Just the experience of a foreign language would certainly be benefical. And besides understanding our history and heritage better, I think it (experiencing other cultures at an early age) promotes tolerance and compassion. Kudos to the parents who understand this. And Joanne, I must tell you your post brought tears to my eyes, and I wish you and your family the best of luck, and a wonderful journey. <BR>

I have tried to post to this message a couple of times, but the forum has been balky. I have traveled twice to Europe with my family including a girl, 8, and boy, 5. I asked my relatively articulate daughter what she liked best about our two trips and she responded, "Everything". This was satisfying but not particularly informative, so I pumped her for some specifics. In Italy she liked, in no particular order: gondolas, gelato, the people we visited, the Piazza Navonna, chasing pigeons and the Pantheon. In England she liked: sheep, the people we visited, castles, rocky beaches (there were few people on them while we were there, so they could throw all the rocks that they wanted), trains, and tea time. Curiously, she also mentioned remembering a number of actions by her parents: talking to anyone with a West Highland White Terrier (we have one), reporting misdemeanors, small kindnesses, minor traffic accidents. I tried to make a broad hypothesis from all this data, but no single thread came through. All I got were the fond memories of a little girl. Perhaps this is all we ever can hope to give our children.

It's so interesting to see just exactly what impresses kids these days. Aside from the valuable piece of trivia my son picked up at the Tower, my kids were quite impressed by how expensive things like CD's, Nintendo's, and even Barbie dolls are in Denmark, how little variety there is in the supermarkets in some categories (nowhere near the number of different kinds of soda pop we have here), how people walk and ride bicycles much more than we do, and that, using trains and busses can get you to a whole lot of places without a car. It was a revelation to them to find that the whole world does not speak English, that Europeans are much less concerned about liability issues than Americans (and therefore their amusement parks are much more fun), that even public school children in London have to wear uniforms (some of them quite ugly too), and that services in a Church of England church are really not so different from those in the Catholic Church back home. My 14-year-old was impressed that he didn't see ratings symbols on the movie posters in Copenhagen and wondered if that meant he could see an R-rated movie (I didn't ask). They were all disappointed that the "free refills" concept hadn't caught on in European fast-food joints. Seeing Europe through the eyes of children makes it a truly memorable experience for anyone.

As Pan Am employees in the '80's my wife and I were fortunate enough to travel free throughout Pan Am's world. We so loved Europe that we visited 2 or 3 times a year. About the time our first child was born, we saw the writing on the wall and left Pan Am before its inevitable demise. Having to work for a living, we no longer could afford those trips, but after ten years, we've saved up enough (I hope) to take the kids with us at Christmas this year. We've told them so much about German efficiency, British tradition and French style, that I hope this trip doesn't prove a disappointment to them. I'm sure it won't. I beleive that the kids can be taught lots of things about the outside World, but they don't learn til they experience it.