During elementary school, field trips were the most exciting parts of the year. Every year, students went on four or five field trips to a variety of places in the Bay Area. Although during middle school, the number of field trips dwindled, students still had a few to look forward to. After entering high school, some students haven’t had a single field trip.

On the other hand, students in the Media Arts Program (MAP) go on field trips annually to places like San Francisco or Los Angeles. These field trips are hardly fluff. They are a core part of the program’s experience, allowing them to explore media in the real world.

However, it is only fair for students not in MAP to get more chances to go on field trips as well. Field trips provide a new perspective of learning that students can not experience in the classroom.

Students in regular English and History classes could benefit from experiencing a real-life representation of what they have been learning about.

Going to a real World War II exhibit in a museum could help students relate to the victims and learn more about their struggles and sacrifices.

In English, a field trip to a theater to see a real-life interpretation of a Shakespeare play could help students see the plays as they were intended to be performed.

Additionally, going to new places and traveling is not only beneficial for students of all kinds, but exposes students to new cultures and ideas.

Many MAP field trips are associated with filming and team building exercises, but regular English and History classes could also benefit from being exposed to new types of learning exercises and bonding outside the classroom. It might just inspire non map students to step out of their convectional learning situations and pursue a career in something more media based.

Additionally, MAP classes focus on learning and applying their skills inside the community, which could also be beneficial to students in regular classes.

One solution could be to have a district-wide position responsible for the organizing of these trips. Since field trips are tricky to schedule and need funding, having a person responsible for this would help non-MAP students have more field trips as well. After all, real-life experiences create a better understanding of the material, no matter what the class it is.