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Expensive field trip in middle school??

Ladystark's picture

I know high school do expensive trips, but middle school?

Ss13 gives me(dh was asleep) two field trip forms, one was a piece of paper normal, the other a thick packet, not normal.

He says its over the summer in florida, welp i know that means some money!!

I open it and one- there was a meeting scheduled for tonight at 6pm-strike one ss. It was 8pm when he gave it to me.

Two- this is due back by oct5!! Strike 2 ss.

Three- looks about $2800 for him, $2900 for adult, there is a payment plan - of course. Strike 3ss, is daddy going to let you go alone to the keys- no- if daddy goes with you maybe- but then i get a trip alone with my son right?! -haha no way dh is playing that game!

What gets me is the teen punk standing there expecting an answer! He kept getting closer to my face, and in my personal space- he does that to dh to get him to answer faster- i just push him back, cause getting in my face the only answer you get is NO.

Are you kidding me?! This is not a shove in our face and we make a decision!! This is planning...

Why is the school doing this to us? Isnt there enough let down in life??

My adhd son on a field trip byhimself, hahaha, its one thing him holding his weirdness in around people in school, thats a few hours, but around other people? For days? And its the beach, HE HATES THE BEACH... so im supposed to believe this no shorts wearing, teen, who wears hoodies in 90 degree weather is going to do ALL the activites- hahahaha. Yeah ok...

Like did he READ or hear that its at the beach, and one day they will be hiking?!!

My sister took him and my son to a trail by her house last year, she said they were ok for the first MILE, then they both started whining. A MILE...

If we were going to drop money on a trip for him, it be like the great wolff lodge(indoor water park), or universal studios, or some gaming place.

I swear if dh (actually agreed to it,which he wont)and did pay for him to go and i found out ss did nothing, or refused activites, god, id be packing up leaving! What a waste of money.

Thanks school for sending home this crap...thanks.

I feel like emailing the teacher and it not being nice.

Like send an email first, to see what the interest is, or only give packets to families that want it, i mean how many low income families had to tell their kid no again?

Sorry rant over

Comments

strugglingSM's picture

That seems a bit much for middle school. What teachers want to actually chaperone a bunch of middle schoolers in Florida for more than one afternoon?

strugglingSM's picture

Yeah, you couldn't pay me enough to go on a middle school day trip, never mind an overnight trip.

Disneyfan's picture

I don't think it's ridiculous at all.

When my son was in middle school, the 7th grade went to Japan during spring break. That was a public, urban school in Brooklyn. My nephew went to Canada with his school when he was in the 6th grade.(Brooklyn, public, urban school)
There's a charter school here in Brooklyn that takes the 8th graders to Costa Rica each year.

Taking students to visit the places they hace learned about is a wonderful thing. Many families jump at these opportunities. Others say no way.

If I were in the OP's shoes, this would be a no. Not because I think it's ridiculous, but because the boy wouldn't get anything out of it.

Ladystark's picture

If it was something that he would be interested in, i feel it be something to consider- not sure about traveling alone- he is really immature-

Im sure those parents have a little more time to decide on that type of trip also.

sunshinex's picture

Our best school trip at that age was niagara falls a few hours away... and that cost around $300 per student including spending money. I swear, if public schools are like this now in our area, i'm gonna be PISSED when SD and future baby gets to be that age lol

secondplace's picture

Yeah, we went to Quebec City when I was in Grade 8 (way back in the seventies). Great trip and very cultural. It doesn't sound like the trip that the OP's SS wants to go on is very cultural. That would be a waste of money to me.

Puzzled9401's picture

Is this trip at all educational or just for fun? I may be an old grouch but school trip to me brings visions of long walks looking at monuments and dusty old museums, not the beach. Of course kids probably aren't interested in such things today.

notarelative's picture

Just because someone, some club, at the school is hosting a trip does not mean a child has to go. Here, senior Disney trips are common. Out of a class of about 300 about 75 may go.

The Florida trip sounds more like one of our Disney trips and not like a traditional field trip.

To me, it doesn't sound as if SS wants to go. If he did he would have given Dad the packet in time for him to attend the meeting and find out more about the trip.

Ladystark's picture

If ss did not want to go WE NEVER WOULD HAVE SEEN IT.

Believe me- the school does race for education every year- its a thick packet and we are supposed to send back addresses of our friends and family, so the school can get money for the kids running.
The last packet we saw was 5th grade- he "loses" it every year, cause he does not want to run.

And last year there was a day field trip to the local college- we found out because we saw this teacher at a school event and she asked dh about turning it in. We asked ss he just looked all WIDED EYED, and had no idea about it...yeah right...

I dont believe him anymore, but the wide eyed look still works on others...

Disneyfan's picture

One week is more than enough time to decide yes or no. As long as they aren't expecting the trip to be paid in fill within a week, the time frame seems pretty reasonable

DaizyDuke's picture

In SS defense, it's not his fault the school only sent the information home one week prior. I find it odd that there was zero mention of this in school newsletter, website, etc. as obviously school would want as many kids as possible to participate. Maybe you all missed some prior notices about it?

Ladystark's picture

Im not sure if they sent anything prior, as ss rarely gives us newsletters, but the meeting for the trip, im sure the teacher said something to them, but ss didnt hear that.

Ladystark's picture

The school has it set up for a week.

The strike 2- is because we have never been faced with a decision like this yet- ss has only spent the night at 2 kids houses, and grandmas. So a week is a little rough.

There is a little more to this than just money.

Can this,adhd child go? I mean we went to ocean city for acouple of days and if we were not checking him, he would have left so many thing behind!!

I got him a pair of dollar store shoes for the weekend oc trip, because he lost his shoes the last time we went on a trip...so i got him a cheap pair- he demands and argues to bring his nice shoes, dh gives in, he wears the cheap shoes everywhere, and almost left his,good shoes behind under the bed!

Like i cannot imagine him gone for a week with strangers, who have no idea to follow up with him.

But dh would not let him go alone, which means more money to budget for, and talk about.

Ladystark's picture

Dh said no too...he like laughed...again because ss hates the beach, and the outdoors.

We just feel this money would go better towards a family trip.

Plus if we agreed to it and put the money out, and found ss was refusing to go do stuff, we would be pissed.

Also with the hurricane that came through, i guess it will be fine by the trip time? I dont know, but i heard the keys got hit hard.

Anyway its a no, so on to the next thang.