Cost of field trips is unreal

[slotpuppy]

When my son started his senior year in high school, they told all the parents about the senior trip to Disney in FL. They allowed parents to set up payment plans with the school to pay off the trip during to the school year. I am not sure how many parents took advantage of this, but we did and it helped out a lot.

 

[RareBreed]

Last year, my son's 6th grade class went on an all day field to West River camp. I don't remember the exact cost but it wasn't that much but the school allowed parents to set up a payment plan so that as many kids as possible could attend the trip.

 

[Chris0nllyn]

I had a chance to travel to Spain through my Spanish class in high school.

I really wish I would have went, but my parents didn't have the money for it. I never once felt bad, nor humiliated when they told me I couldn't go.

 

[Cheeky1]

Ok, so the daughter is going on a field trip with her class on Friday to New York.
Museums etc...
55 for bus per student.
20 to get into one of the places they are going
15 suggested for meals. 15 bucks to eat on all day in New York City wont work.
20 minimum for them to buy worthless crap with

So we are up to 110.00 and only 20 bucks of that for T-shirts or that Statue of Liberty made in China thing.

Now they have to wear tennis shoes (most kids have these anyway)
it says, Due to the Nature of the trip students must bring a camera.

So, how do parents that are living on limited funds, and this does not mean poor, they could be over extended due to lay offs or tax hikes etc... anyway, how are these people supposed to shell out this kind of cash. And on top of it, if the kid does not have camera, the parents have to get one???

I gave my daughter the 150.00 in my wallet for the trip. At least I know that if someone is out of cash and hungry, she will pay for their food. (raised her that way)
But seriously, what does the school do if little Johnnys parents cant come up with the money for what I consider an expensive trip?
Daughter will also have my credit card just in case she were to get separated from the group. (she knows better than to use it if its not a matter of life and death)

What grade level? I am hoping AT LEAST high school, yes?

Sounds a waist of a day to me. Choose a good weekend, spend twice that and take the whole family up.
:shrug:

 

[MMM_donuts]

I only got to go on one field trip in school because none of my families could ever afford those things. They saved up their money for school clothes and school supplies. I got to play a sport for a little while and their extra money when to getting to the games and practices after school and to things like cleats or uniforms. I never had cable tv, my parents never smoked or drank, none of them were single parent homes, none of them were on welfare, none of them spent their money frivoulously (even on food), and they didn't make minimum wage because all of them had some sort of specialized skill, they just didn't make enough money to throw down a few hundred dollars on a trip. Not even if they saved for it. They saved for Christmas and Thanksgiving and stuff like that.

I don't remember ever being made fun of for it. I was made fun of for other things like my clothes or whatever but there were quite a few kids that also couldn't go.

I don't think this is a topic where a sweeping generalization is appropriate in regards to the family situation.

 

[Larry Gude]

Sounds a waist of a day to me. Choose a good weekend, spend twice that and take the whole family up.
:shrug:

Maybe you were a different type of teenager? I know I would have preferred to go with my school mates rather than my family.

 

[BadGirl]

I couldn't afford to go on my senior class trip to Florida. I don't remember feeling bad about not going then, and I certainly don't feel bad about it now.

 

[czygvtwkr]

Good point.
My daughter is the type that likes to wait till the last moment to let us know these things. Cant break her of that habit.
I just assume that most are like this. I could be wrong.

Sure you can "Sorry sweetie you just waited too long to tell us about it"....

 

[maxima87]

I am surprised that they didn't do a fundraiser for the trip. Participation in the fundraiser is optional, but all of the more costly trips I have seen have had that option...or allowed for payments. In 6th grade, my son went to Space Camp, but we knew over a year in advance to start saving!

 

[somdfunguy]

I am surprised that they didn't do a fundraiser for the trip. Participation in the fundraiser is optional, but all of the more costly trips I have seen have had that option...or allowed for payments. In 6th grade, my son went to Space Camp, but we knew over a year in advance to start saving!

they may have, but if he didnt know the field trip was happening until recently why would he know about the fundraiser.

 

[stockgirl]

Maybe become more active with the school and know what is going on with your child's class. I'd imagine that a permission form went home at the beginning of the school year. I'd also imagine that the school has some sort of newsletter. :shrug:

 

[kwillia]

Sure you can "Sorry sweetie you just waited too long to tell us about it"....

Exactly!

 

[bcp]

What grade level? I am hoping AT LEAST high school, yes?

Sounds a waist of a day to me. Choose a good weekend, spend twice that and take the whole family up.
:shrug:

Not a waste.
but as far as the spend a weekend or day in New York City??? ME???

oh hell no, I have no desire to wander around an over crowded vile city, New York or any other city for that matter.
Im looking at Davidsonville and Edgewater like inner cities now since all the construction in the last 15 years.

I dont do cities. Never will.

 

[GURPS]

the mall in DC is fairly wide open

 

[bcp]

the mall in DC is fairly wide open

No thanks. Not into inner cities.

 

[Severa]

When I was in high school, it was a longstanding tradition that every year the senior class would go on a weeklong sightseeing/educational trip of Washington DC and New York City. Kids and parents knew the cost of the trip at the beginning of the school year and there were many fundraisers throughout the year (the biggest one being the annual chili supper) to help raise funds. Even with fundraisers, sometimes kids would come up a bit short. There was a real effort to make sure that every kid that wanted to go on the trip was able to go.

I went in April 1995. I have a lot of fond memories from the trip, from silly ones (we got fussed at for having luggage rack races in the hotel hallway) to more serious ones (our class officers laid a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier) I still have my ticket stub from the observation deck of the World Trade Center.

 

[Rt235]

actually my daughter has a Nikon D3100.

this is about the students that dont have access to the money. and yes, I agree, it is cheap when you compare it to driving up and doing it all on your own.

Shes got a $480.00 camera and you are complaining about a field trip?
Maybe she otta sell the nikon to pay for HER field trip and help little Johnny out too!

I fail to understand why people have kids and then complain about the issues you have raising them.
If you cant afford the child why did you have them?

Kids are EXPENSIVE, I know, but we do what we need to do to make sure they are well equipped to grow up!

 

[vraiblonde]

Shes got a $480.00 camera and you are complaining about a field trip?
Maybe she otta sell the nikon to pay for HER field trip and help little Johnny out too!

I fail to understand why people have kids and then complain about the issues you have raising them.
If you cant afford the child why did you have them?

Kids are EXPENSIVE, I know, but we do what we need to do to make sure they are well equipped to grow up!

Okay, so you didn't even read his posts?

 

[Cheeky1]

Not a waste.
but as far as the spend a weekend or day in New York City??? ME???

oh hell no, I have no desire to wander around an over crowded vile city, New York or any other city for that matter.
Im looking at Davidsonville and Edgewater like inner cities now since all the construction in the last 15 years.

I dont do cities. Never will.

Meh, I don't blame you.. . .I'm not much into cities either. However, I was thinking more along the lines of 'seeing the sites' rather than wandering around the streets.

When I was in middle school, we took a trip to DC, falling waters (PA), and Baltimore. Falling Waters was probably the most enjoyable. . .it isn't in a city

High school - I don't recall there being many field trips available. I remember 9/11 put a stop to most traveling. . .my family wouldn't have been able to afford them during that time frame anyway.

 

[drivingdaisy]

All field trips have become so costly these days. When I was teaching in Elem School we started cutting back on the number of field trips due to the costs. Just a regular school bus for a 20 minute drive was at least 10-20 per kid.

It really adds up especially if multiple grades are going and parents have kids in all those grades. We had one family that had triplets in Kindergarten and a child in second grade... all field trip costs were x4. That mom never complained but I always thought of her when we were planning. As times got tough we tried to make sure we gave even more notice of the costs of field trips so parents could save.

I had students who didn't go for different reasons including cost and parents being too afraid for the safety of their child. Most kids didn't even really notice their fellow classmates weren't there.