As a student travel Business Development Director, I find myself always looking for as much information as I can about teachers. Since 94% of all educational travel planners are teachers, today my research involved how they choose their classroom’s travel and an educational travel company to plan and operate it for them.
I followed an interesting string of teacher’s comments on Quora.com regarding this question “How Can Teachers Inspire Students”? These are the most recent answers shared:
- Always believe your students will succeed!
- Try new things…this models enthusiasm and energy. “Energy is infectious.”
- Be awesome and “cool”, not boring!
- Teach your students “why” learning is so important. Give them exciting real life examples.
- Inspire by introducing them to heroes, old and new.
- Make learning fun.
- Share a mutual respect for each other.
- Convey your passion for the subject you teach.
These answers are almost verbatim to the answers we receive from our teachers that lead educational trips for their students. Is this a coincidence? I think not, check out the similarities…
Inspiration is the key!
The teachers that travel with our educational travel company are optimists. They do believe in their students and their abilities. Most teachers feel that by taking their kids out of the classroom to explore the real world, that a passion will be ignited in them that has the potential to drive them to succeed in life.
New is invigorating for both teachers and students. Most educators rotate their travel to reflect the needs and desires of their students that particular year. Educational travel companies, including Educational Discovery Tours, make it easy for teachers to do this by offering many destinations and themes to choose from. Trips can always be customized as well to meet a teacher’s specific curriculum.
What teacher that takes their students traveling is not cool? Enough said.
Learning in a Real Life Environment
Real life can make such an impact on students. For example, our new STEM tours include a tour of Stanford University, a perfect way to show a teen what it will be like for them to attend college. We also pass by some of tech’s most iconic companies such as Google, Facebook and Tesla. I myself am inspired by a drive-by. Carnegie Hall itineraries can include a performance on stage at the hall. A goal doesn’t get much easier to define for an aspiring musician or performer when as a teen they “play the Hall”.
Heroes both old and new, contemporary and historic are readily incorporated into travel itineraries. Whether learning about a Gold Rush era pioneer, a President of the United States, a famous performer or a tech startup, let your students learn in a real life environment. A well-planned and executed educational trip can provide the opportunity for a young person to meet their hero in a more intimate way. Or, potentially in person rather than through a textbook.
Of course, most of us think travel is fun regardless of whether it’s an educational trip or for leisure. But, just in case you aren’t positive, take a look at many of our trips that include a day or two along the way at an amusement park, beach or other exciting tourist attraction. In addition to touring, fun for students always includes making new friends and solidifying existing relationships while creating memories that will no doubt last a lifetime!
Passion is a given. If an educator is dedicated and inspired themselves to be a teacher, then there must be a passion for the subject they teach. When I personally think back to the teachers and counselors that made the biggest differences in my life, they definitely had, and many still do, a great attraction towards the knowledge they shared with me while making a difference for their classrooms.
So, how do you inspire your students? Where will you choose to travel to motivate and inspire your students next?
Inspire Your Students With Our Educational Travel Company
Check out our awesome educational travel destinations and see where you could bring your students next. Whether for a Performance Tour, Educational Tour, or STEM Tour, Educational Discovery Tours has worked for 40 years to enhance student learning and create memories that last a lifetime.
Want to learn more? Chat with one of our travel experts and learn about our great educational tour options!
