"If you sign up six kids for this student summer trip, then you can go for free!" said my department head, as we were planning the trip to Costa Rica. "Jimena and I will be staying on for the students who will stay longer and participate in the home-stay (living with a Costa Rican family for a week), but for the rest of you who teach Spanish, you will be able to go too,14 days for free, if you get enough kids to sign up".
Perfect!
I advertised to the kids in my class the wonders of Costa Rican jungles and beaches. They started signing up. Pretty soon, I had my six. "Sweet!" I thought, because as a matter of principle, I certainly am not going to pay to work.
But then the news flash came, "We can't travel unless we have an administrator with us". The fact that the administrator doesn't speak Spanish is trumped by liability issues with ASD. Ironically the increased cost might not produce the increased benefit. So, because Paco and Jimena HAVE to stay with the home-stay kids, so they HAVE to go. The Administrator HAS to go, too- so that is 18 kids already. So even though Jose and I have already gotten our 6 kids, we now would have to pay (350$ each) if we still want to go! All of a sudden it is up to him and myself to brunt the costs that haven't covered the administrator. After the two teachers that HAVE to go got their 6 students, did they stop advertising? Should Jose and I keep advertising?
Is it worth paying $350 to work?
There will be one guide from the tour agency, 29 kids, maybe 4 teachers, and one administrator. The following are a list of incentives or benefits and disincentives or costs, that are playing out in my current CBA (cost/benefit analysis). Maybe YOU can help me decide.
*I will have to share a room-possibly with kids.
*I have always wanted to go to Costa Rica.
* We will visit the Santa Elena Cloud Forest.
* It will cost $350.
* I will be working the whole time.
* Zip-lines and snorkeling
* If I get my own room it will cost more.
* A 6 day rafting trip on the Middle Salmon with friends is the same week- $300 + airfare/ no kids (not my 1st time, but high fun factor)
* My students are expecting me to be there.
*Traveling with 34 people.
* One day rafting on the Sarapiquí River through the jungle.
* Not a single beer.
Of these, which do you think is the biggest incentive and the biggest disincentive?
What would YOU do??
Sophie Littée
For me, the biggest incentive for going to Costa Rica would be your students' expectation of your participation. Are your kids going on this trip only because you are going? For me it is all about the kids. One question, is your airfare covered on the school trip? If it is covered, then that would be a major cost incentive for going on the trip.
ReplyDeleteThe biggest disincentive would be having to forgo the chance to spend 6 days on the Middle Fork of the Salmon River. Nothing relaxes me more or helps to recharge my batteries more than spending time on a river somewhere. The Salmon River happens to be on my bucket list.
If you are having to pay airfare for both trips, then the dollar cost are very similar. At that point it comes down to the more intrinsic value/cost of each trip. Only you can decide is more valuable to you.
Good luck. Tough choice. If you decide to go to Costa Rica, would you put in a good word for me with your friends. :-)
Dave Donk
I think we all remember the huge impact adults had on us when we were on these types of trips. Take the trip, I'll buy you more than one beer on the other end.
ReplyDeleteJim Anderson
Wow, it sounds a lot like whining to me. You say you'll "be working all the time." I highly doubt that, unless your idea of work includes eating breakfast, lunch, and dinner in a tropical paradise. Or maybe work means swimming in the pool and ocean snorkling. Boo frickin' Hoo, I almost feel sorry for you. Paying $350 for a 14 day vacation is NOTHING! $25 dollars a day, PLEASE! I wonder if all the real working people, (not us teachers), would feel your pain as you try to decide how to spend PART of your summer vacation. How spoiled are we?
ReplyDeleteTom Taake
Sophie,
ReplyDeleteI agree with Jim, with this caveat: Would you enjoy spending time with these children? If you can't find your happy place to be in during this trip it will, indeed, be miserable (traveling with 34 people, sharing a room, no beer). However, if you can find that happy place, then the missed beers and the minimal cost for a trip to Costa Rica with maturing adults is a once (or twice or thrice) chance of a lifetime.
I recommend finding the happy place and going.
Andranel Brown
Tom,
ReplyDeleteI am all in favor of having strong opinions, but try to keep the harsh tone out, please.
Andranel
Andranel,
ReplyDeleteMaybe I should keep my harshly toned and strongly worded opinions to myself and go searching for my "happy place!" "If ya can't stand the harsh, stay out of the kitchen."
Tom
I appreciate all of the comments. Even the banter from the peanut gallery-(BTW, is sensitivity any part of your Character building curriculum?.... This "kitchen" is our community site, Tom!)
ReplyDeleteI did leave out an important piece when I posted this- probably the most important one impacting my decision to go (or not to go). I have some unresolved issues with one of the adults going on the trip. This is my biggest disincentive. She is the one I will be sharing a room with, not students! Why did I leave it out?? It was an attempt to leave a personal matter out of the scope of this assignment, I thought I could substitute it, but obviously it is so great a disincentive that leaving it out doesn't present a balanced argument. So there you have it!
On another note, I was a tour guide for 10+ years and still guide trips from time to time. Traveling with 35 people and being responsible for them is not as easy as it seems. It is work. I have traveled the world and know I will get to Costa Rica one day or another. The trip is about the kids, though. I know this, but this issue with the other teacher is overshadowing the trip for me. The beer is really a non-issue, I just threw that in for laughs.
Sophie Littée
" (BTW, is sensitivity any part of your Character building curriculum?.... This "kitchen" is our community site, Tom!) "
ReplyDeleteThank you, Sophie! My thoughts exactly.
Andranel
Sophie, I completely agree with your take that this is a work trip vs a vacation and as such you should incur no cost. In fact, if it's a work trip you should be getting paid meal expenses and your salary. Any other industry would pay these expenses, tropical paradise or not.
ReplyDeleteIf the administrator is under contract at the time of travel this will be a duty assignment for them and as such they would be getting paid. As an administrator they get their own room paid for and per diem. I would venture that the administrator will play less of a role of responsibility. They don't speak the language and will be less likely to be approached by students than someone who provides direct instruction to them throughout the school year.
This is not a question of dedication to the students that you teach or your job. As most educators you are in this profession because you care about kids, love what you do and are good at it. I am merely making the point that we should be compensated for our hard work as much as anyone else that holds a masters degree in their field. The heart strings are pulled on educators and money is left on the table all the time by using guilt on educators. Stick to your guns. Pete Mandel
Sophie, I want to know what you decide.
ReplyDeleteAlyson South
Good luck with this decision Sophie. I have been on several of these trips and we are definitely working on them! There is no down time as we are dealing with students constantly as well as problems that we would never face in the classroom. The payment that we receive is being able to go on the trip, as well as seeing the impact that it has on the students, which is huge! I would also just like to throw out there that the reason that we can not have a single beverage is because of the trouble that administrators have gotten in on trips with students. I have no desire to 'drink' with my students, but I do find it ridiculous that on a trip that we are not getting paid for we are strictly forbidden from enjoying a glass of wine with dinner in Paris, or a beer in Germany. Shouldn't students learn that adults can responsibly have a beverage without getting out of control?...not in his country apparently! I wanted to add that yes, administrators do get paid a per diem on these trips and have all their expenses reimbursed, and just serve a figurehead role. They do not generally have the same connection with the students that the teacher does, so if problems arise it is always the teacher who handles the issue. Whatever you ultimately decide Sophie, just make sure that it is what you really want, so that you can let go of the other issues and enjoy yourself on your well deserved summer vacation!
ReplyDeleteFauna Reynvaan
Thanks for all of the ideas and support in this decision. As it stands now, I did get another kid to sign up and the trip is now free. But of course, Free still has a cost... working for free, though, is definitely better than paying to work! And 'free' doesn't change my relationship with this other person. I realize that it could be seen as an opportunity to work things out with this other person. However, much time has already been invested there.
ReplyDeleteI am signed up to go and will most likely take the trip, but feel that if I need to cancel at the last minute because I am not feeling it, I will do that. There is enough other staff going that I won't be leaving anyone in a bind. Though I know that more adults with 30 kids would be better.
Thanks again, everyone for helping me put a tough decision into some perspective!
Sophie Littée