Trip management

One of the participants in our research study told us a story about her near burnout with FSA. She had admitted a particular student into her program even though her inner voice told her not to. “I had a bad feeling from the start with this guy,” she said. But her desire to be inclusive won out and she added him to the team. Two days into the trip, she wanted to send him home. He was so disruptive and his attitude was so negative that he made it impossible for the others to learn.

As teachers, we always want to give people a chance to flourish. But we also have to remember that a spot on a trip must be earned and that, in order for everyone to enjoy themselves (including you!), your group’s objectives must be aligned. Students need to know that this is an academic trip and that they will be part of a community of inquiry, and you need to know why they’re choosing to travel in this way and what they hope to learn from the experience. For this reason, you should start building community at the very first information meeting and continue to do so throughout the application process, from filling out the application, to interviews (ideally in groups), to the first fundraising event, and even into the first few weeks of the preparatory pre-departure course/series of meetings.

Throughout the recruitment process, students should know that you’re accepting only people who are organized (e.g., those who are diligent applicants and make all deposits in a timely fashion), are team players, are curious about languages and cultures, and are eager to have new experiences. On the trip, you don’t want to spend your time worrying about missing trains because of late students, chasing down students who have wandered off, or policing conversations to remind students that they’re on a language learning trip. Here are a few pointers to get you started: