The Official Word

Stanley L. Bippus, of Huntington, Ind., spent 20 years as a school superintendent before he retired in 2006. He agrees that it’s easy for students who miss class to fall behind. But he also views family travel as an opportunity for an educational adventure, arguing that when kids reflect back, they usually say that a well structured family vacation rather than something learned in the classroom is their best learning experience.

“Vacations reinforce the fact that the entire world is a learning opportunity, not just classrooms at school,” says Bippus. “If parents make a little extra effort, for example to stop on the highway and read the historical markers, it can be better than anything they’ll ever get in school.”  

Bippus suggests that schools ask students who miss school for travel respond to some standard questions about the trip and then give an oral report to fellow students.  For example, they could answer questions such as, “What was the most exciting part of your trip?” “What are three things you learned on this trip that you didn't know?” “How was the scenery different from scenery here?”  

When we returned home, my son’s teacher asked him to do an assignment on his trip and his enthusiasm was palpable. He assembled photographs and did research on the Internet for a report titled, Wild Life on St. John. It was the highlight of his school year.  

Michele Turk is a traveling mom of two and the author of Blood, Sweat and Tears: An Oral History of the American Red Cross .