Patricia McMullen | September 20, 2024
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When I decided to lead my first trip with EF Educational Tours about twenty years ago, I knew my students were about to embark on a special journey that would impact the young adults they were becoming.
There was no doubt my students would experience educational travel lessons, but what I didn’t know was that this journey would also impact the educator I was becoming.
It’s impossible to spend almost every waking moment with your students over the course of a tour without developing deeper connections with them. Whether we were strolling down the Champs-Élysées, driving through the Tuscan countryside, or simply sharing a snack in the ruins of Delphi, we could have real conversations. Unlike our limited chats in the classroom or hallways, I actually had time to listen to my students on our EF tour.
I’ve seen students go from completely disengaged at school to fully immersed in learning when on tour—were it not for travelling with them, I might never have gotten to see a more curious side of them. Students opened up more. We laughed a lot. They showed me aspects of their personalities I never would have known otherwise. But it wasn’t only the conversations or sharing some laughs that helped me connect with students. We bonded through our special shared experiences that inevitably occur on every tour.
This made a world of difference when we returned to school. You see, my students came back from our tour not only happier, but more confident—and the relationships we fostered completely transformed how they learned in my classroom. They felt more valued. We understood each other better. They then knew I cared for them as people, not just as students. These were the effects of educational travel—an impact that would be invaluable in their future pursuits.
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Whenever I talk about the many reasons I love to travel with EF Educational Tours, I always say, “Oh, and those EF Tour Directors are absolutely the best.” They’re sort of like a parent, teacher, historian, therapist, life coach, and entertainer rolled into one amazing person. I’ve lost track of the number of Tour Directors I’ve had the pleasure of meeting during my EF travels, but I haven’t forgotten the lessons I’ve learned from them.
I learned from Alexa, my Tour Director in Switzerland, that a softer voice and a dramatic pause can keep students hanging on your every word. Patty (London & Paris) taught me that, sometimes, it’s best to let students take the lead. And from Luis (Italy & Greece): No matter how badly you want to stick to your plan, sometimes it’s better to scrap it all, embrace the unexpected, and leap into the unknown.
As a teacher, my travel experiences have shaped my approach, and I carried these and other lessons back into my classroom to become a more effective teacher—in my math lessons, I’ve mixed in a bit of storytelling elements, like giving some background on the mathematician behind the work, which really helps provide more points of connection between my students and the material.
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Every adventure provides opportunities for me to learn, grow, and reset in one way or another. In fact, I seem to return to work with more energy and enthusiasm after a March break spent taking students on tour than one spent at home. Teachers encourage students to step out of their comfort zone—we know it’s essential for their learning and personal growth. What we can forget, however, is that teachers need to do this too. Travel is one of the most enjoyable ways I sharpen my problem-solving skills, learn to embrace the unknown, push myself to try something new, and challenge myself to think differently.
Educational travel has enriched my relationships with students, provided opportunities for me to become a more effective educator, and greatly improved my well-being. I am eternally grateful for the profound impact it has had on my personal growth and my capabilities as an educator.
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