Like most school trips the one big question that parents and teachers will probably ask will be; 'is the trip beneficial'? Last month a group of Year 12 Sixth Formers from St Philomena's High School travelled to Kraków in Poland to visit the Auschwitz concentration camps in relation to the history A Level course where students learn about Nazi Germany and the Holocaust. Students who went on the trip said that it was not only an educational trip, but also “a moving experience” that will stay with them for the rest of their lives.
Learning about the thousands killed in the Holocaust from a book in a classroom is quite different to standing in the very spot where many of those could have died. Visiting the concentration camp of Auschwitz and then later the death camp of Auschwitz-Birkenau made many realise the extent of the Holocaust and the Nazi's heartless way in dealing with the 'Final Solution'. With a tour guide who accompanied the school, students gained even more knowledge concerning the Nazi's motifs and more importantly vivid descriptions of camp life. The tour, which each student recommended going on to further knowledge on such a historic event as well as preserving the memory of those who died, enabled many to expand their awareness and gain a more open mind.
As the tour guide brought the students to various rooms, including ones with glass screens where prisoner's suitcases, clothes, shoes and most disturbingly prisoner's hair lay, the students were overwhelmed with emotions, with one describing her thoughts consisting of “they were real people”. This trip was important for students to try and fully understand the nature of the Nazi's and to learn about such a significant period of time which they would remember for their A Levels and in their everyday life.
Though it could be argued that school trips are expensive and only allow students to have fun rather than learn, students remember things more when they are passionate about something. In some cases where school trips are in another country, students are able to learn more about a certain culture as well. Poland was a place where most students had not visited before so the trip was important for them in learning about a different country and gaining an improved perception. For those of a younger age, trips to places with their school can not only educate them but also allow them to gain confidence as they are away from their homes and family.
There are many reasons why school trips are important and should carry on. Students who are lucky enough to go on such trips have a great opportunity to educate themselves and are provided with a sense of the wider world. It is important for schools to have school trips whether it involves flying to another country or day trips in our local community as students are involving themselves in learning and expanding their minds.
