By now most of you realize that Washington D.C.has a strange magnetic pull on my traveling whims. In the past two years I have somehow managed to make it to the nation’s capitol on several occasions. Well, it is late May and I find myself here once more. However, this time I brought some extra baggage – twenty-two eighth graders.
At 11:50 p.m. Saturday, we boarded a red-eye bound for D.C. with an inconvenient two-hour layover in Atlanta. Finding your way through airport security is always an adventure, yet this experience topped them all. Not one of our students had ever flown in a plane before and despite the incessant questions, misplaced liquids, and nearly forgotten shoes, we somehow made it through security just in time for our departure. Both legs of the trip went quite smoothly. The students were strangely well-behaved, this having mostly to do with nerves.
Immediately upon landing we were shuffled to our hotel to unload luggage and quickly freshen up. No resting was permitted because we were on our way to an afternoon at the Smithsonian museums. Thankfully it was a beautiful day and the Mall was buzzing with life. The students seemed to have a delightful time riding simulator after simulator in the Air and Space Museum. I walked through the Natural History Museum with several students and then ventured off on my own to enjoy the peace and serenity of the American Art Museum. As it grew dark we ventured over to the Vietnam War Memorial, which truly overwhelmed the students.
Day two was perhaps the most exciting for me because it was my first time at all of the sites. We began the day walking through the hauntingly beautiful Arlington Cemetery. The kids were especially impressed by the changing of the guard ceremony that happens every thirty minutes. After Arlington we traveled to Mount Vernon, which I thought the students would find dull. Instead they raved about it – mostly the fact that they got to “walk through a forest.” Oh, the things that excite those who have seen nothing but desert sand their entire life… I especially enjoyed the museums at the end of the estate tour. I walked through them with several students who inquired about various displays which led to great conversations. We closed out the day with a haunted ghost tour of colonial Alexandria. Our tour guide was a fantastic story teller and kept the kids entertained and in good humor.
The third day we were all beat, but there was no time for rest. The students who decided to stay up till the wee hours of the morning eating chips and drinking soda were truly feeling the consequences of their decisions. Our first stop was Ford’s Theatre where Lincoln was assassinated. After a quick run through we ate lunch and headed to the Capitol building for a scheduled tour, followed by a trip to the Library of Congress and Supreme Court. It started to look like rain so we made the decision to eat dinner. Thankfully, the weather cleared and we were able to visit the World War II, Korean, and Lincoln Memorial at dusk. The students climbed into our tour van completely beat. It was the first night we had a quiet ride home.
On Wednesday, the fourth day, we woke up, checked out of the hotel, and loaded our bags onto the bus. We had a late flight at 6:00 p.m. from Baltimore, but we did not plan on letting this slow us down. First, we stopped by the Holocaust Museum to reserve tickets for 1:15 that afternoon. Then, we drove out by Georgetown to visit the National Zoo, which the students loved. We ate a quick lunch and then arrived at the Holocaust Museum early to make sure we were on time.
For anyone who has not been to the Holocaust Museum it is a must. The theme of the entire event is “for the living and the dead.” This museum serves to honor those who lost their lives at the hands of the Nazi and to remind the living that never again should this happen on our watch. Some displays include a tower of photos of those who died, pictures of hair shaved off of prisoners, and a room full of shoes taken from victims at a concentration camp. The sights are incredibly harrowing. To end the museum they have an interactive visit about recently past and current campaigns of genocide that are happening in the world. I found it a proper way to end the museum, not with sadness and despair, but a call to end such violence and hatred.
On our way to the airport we shared goodbyes with our tour director and bus driver. Everyone shared things they learned and their favorite activity. It was nice to hear the students got so much out of the trip. I let them know how impressed I was with their behavior and respect the entire time. Never once did I have to really get on to a student in a museum or memorial. In fact, there were times I said something to other students. But honestly (and surprisingly), our students were a model of good manners.
The third flight went smoothly. The students did a better job getting through security, with the exception of one girl who lost her shoe. Somehow it ended up 4 security lanes away under the conveyor belt – don’t ask me how that happens. Most of us slept soundly on the plane. It was a long and eventful week, but one that was truly rewarding for both teachers and students.
