At the Ursuline High School, Wimbledon students are offered a range of trips to help enhance our school experience. These trips include ski trips, French exchanges, and trips to other Ursuline Schools around the globe. I spoke to a teacher at my school, Mr Satterthwaite, about the benefits of trips not just for students but also teachers.
In terms of how they’re helpful for students, he explained that “Trips are very good especially in order to expand a student’s education. They provide real world links between what you’re studying and reality”. In April 2018, I participated in the French exchange with my school before taking my GCSE later in May. Mr Satterthwaite words reminded me that due to this trip, my view of the subject was much more positive and my confidence with the subject improved significantly. He further mentioned that from a teacher’s perspective, it’s interesting to see students who don’t like school outside of a classroom environment where they enjoy themselves more and that it helps build positive relationships with students where you may not get chance to do this in school.
In addition, as well as academic benefits, it helps students in social situations. For example, at school, all your friends are there. Yet on school trips only a handful- if that- go. Therefore you speak to people you may not usually speak to and therefore improve social skills whilst also making new friends. This builds confidence and helps students make new friends. I found this when I went on my schools trip to an Ursuline School in Dallas. We made friends with people in the year above and with people in our own year group who we may not have usually spent time with. This was a perfect opportunity to make friends, but also to learn new things from them too. School trips are very important, for teachers and also students, and at the Ursuline we’re lucky enough to be spoilt for choice!
