France Trip Takes Learning to the Next Level
“What if . . . ?” That simple question, posed to a few Upper School teachers, planted a seed that quickly blossomed into an extraordinary collaboration and cross-curricular learning opportunity for 23 students who participated in a weeklong educational trip to Paris and northwestern France in October.
Inspired, in part, by last February’s second successful trip to the World War I Museum in Kansas City—a trip that weaves together the study of history and literature—French language teacher Veronica Kline reached out to her colleagues who teach U.S. history, art, and art history. Her quick e-mail basically asked an educator’s dream question: “What if . . . what if the sky were the limit and we could combine the study of each of our subject areas on site, in France?”
She had barely hit the send button, Kline recalls with a smile, when the three teachers sped down the hallway to meet with her! History teacher Keith Preston already had the experience of helping organize the Kansas City trip, in addition to having visited France. For Caitlin Heimerl, who teaches studio art, and for Sara Phillips de Borja, who teaches the required senior class on Integrated Arts, this was a perfect opportunity to bring art and art history alive for their students. In a few discussions, the educators devised an integrated curriculum that would connect all activities and sites on the trip to the historical relationship between France and the United States and to the two countries’ interwoven political, artistic, and architectural development.
There was one constraint, however . . . While the School had some seed funds for a planning expedition by Kline and Heimerl over the summer, such an extended student trip had not been built into the annual budget or the academic calendar. Within a few short months, timely support from Principia donors committed to experiential learning ensured that all students enrolled in French 3—including four new students who just started this fall!—were able to go on the trip. (Family contributions covered approximately 25 percent of the trip costs.)
“What made the trip so special was that it wasn't just one subject,” commented one student. “We could explore our interests and what we liked in each subject. In history, I loved going to see Pointe Du Hoc and the sacred ground where American soldiers lost [their] lives. In art, I loved sitting down and painting in Honfleur; in art history, I loved walking around the Musée D'Orsay and hearing the stories behind many paintings. And for language, I loved being in the culture and being able to practice French in real-life situations.”
For several weeks prior to the trip, students immersed themselves in the history of pre- and post-Revolutionary France, the Napoleonic era, and the two World Wars (in addition to French conjugation, bien sûr!). And while being introduced to the variety of styles in art and architecture over this period, from Baroque and Rococo to political propaganda and Impressionism, the students also developed their own artistic skills and learned to work with watercolors in the studio.
Upon arrival in Paris, the upper schoolers were called upon to fearlessly use their language skills—and keep up with the fast-moving crowds on the Métro system. And in the course of attending church services (where a few of them gave testimonies in French and all of them said the Lord’s Prayer in French), ordering croissants, and helping other travelers with their queries, the students honed their language skills as well as their confidence and awareness as world citizens.
“As a student, this trip has broadened how I see language, art, and history, and how these and other subjects all interconnect,” said one student. “As a Christian Scientist, the trip emphasized the sheer universality of Christian Science and its presence and effects throughout the world.”
“It's incredibly cool to realize that the whole world is a giant history lesson just waiting to be learned,” said another, adding, “I now know the worldwide connection that Christian Science gives us.”
Watch this video for a peek at this trip.