Focus
Why excursions still important to students
(China Daily)
Updated: 2010-04-07 08:00
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Sun Wenyan, the principal of Xinxian Hutong Elementary School, has 22 years' experience teaching and running a school, she explains to METRO reporter Lu Chang about why spring outings are still important for students.
METRO: Which spring outing impressed you the most over the past 22 years?
Sun: The most impressive experience was the when I took my students to Taoran Pavilion Park 15 years ago.
At that time there was no fairground in the parks, but in Taoran Pavilion, they had this huge rockery where students could climb up and down. During the spring outings, parents will buy lots of snacks for their children or give them some home-cooked meal.
The students really enjoyed playing outside and having picnics in such a park.
METRO: What are the differences between spring outings today and the ones in the past?
Sun: Today spring outings can be more creative and interesting than 10 years ago. We can take them to museums and other places of interests.
We will also have field training in some parks where there are training facilities. We will also do some poem puzzle games in which students have to finish the phrases of the poem brought up by the teacher in order to continue the next level.
METRO: Today it is no longer difficult for most children to travel around. Do you think it is still important to organize activities like spring excursions?
Sun: Though there are more chances for students to travel, spring outings organized by a school are still important because it is a group activity that is very different from family trips.
Group activities can help students, most of whom are the only child in the family, to cultivate teamwork.
Besides half of the students in our school are from migrant workers' families that have financial problems and won't be able to take their children on a trip. So spring outings for them are like having the Chinese New Year.
METRO: This year where do you plan to take the students for a spring outing?
Sun: We are planning to take them to the new Science and Technology Museum and Olympic Park where they can experience new technology and Chinese culture.
METRO: What do teachers worry the most when they take students outside on a trip?
Sun: Of course it is the students' safety. When students are outside school it is very difficult to keep them all under control. So usually teachers visit the parks in advance to make sure they are safe for students.
METRO: What benefit do you think spring outings have for students?
Sun: The spring outings can make students appreciate nature and broaden their vision by filling them with more knowledge, and raise their awareness about protecting the natural environment.
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