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Philadelphia {Smells like Teen Spirit}

We returned from our annual "roadtrip with high schoolers" last week - successfully completing our trip to Philadelphia.  Every time I travel with my teenage students, it reignites the fire inside of me to be a teacher.  Don't get me wrong, adults are fantastic, and having my wife along on this particular trip was especially incredible.  But travelling with that teenage spirit of curiosity, wonderment, and insatiable energy is second to none....

Making the decision to take our high school kids to different cities throughout the USA easily ranks as one of the top five "greatest decisions of my teaching career."  I have written (and reflected) about these trips before, but suffice to say that this particular trip to Philadelphia only confirmed my feelings.

These kids rarely see boundaries to their world, and most are just impatient to experience it.   So, when we take 74 of them to the fifth largest city in America, it can feel nerve racking.  But it is simultaneously exhilarating - and always helps me see these cities with fresh eyes. So, though their impatience can often lead to recklessness - it also leads to greatness, and definitely leads to adventure.

And we all learn so much about ourselves, as well as each other. From walking the Gettysburg battlefield, to riding bikes through downtown Philadelphia, learning to use a selfie stick, and buying an extra slice for those in need at Rosa's - or even carrying the heavy emotional weight of the Holocaust museum - we are all better for it.  Jessica and I even got an hour long tutoring session from one of my students about how to use the video app, SPARK - which easily allows us to make 45 minutes short films (below).

I hope that the kids got as much out of this trip as I did.






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