There is no more powerful place to learn than in the field, making observations about and investigating what is real, not confined to the pages of a textbook. Traveling to learn has been an integral part of The Phoenix School’s curriculum for 27 years, whether we travel down the street, throughout the country, or across the ocean. This year Phoenix 5th-7th graders traveled to Paris to visit a fellow classmate and learn first hand about the art, architecture, culture, and history of the City of Lights. Before boarding the plane, we studied French so we could speak, we researched the Impressionists, the monuments and historic sites of Paris, and we learned how to take the metro, what foods to try, and how to serve cheese the Parisian way…..everything we could pack into our studies before we left so we would fully appreciate our experiences in Paris.

As the teacher who accompanied the group, I was truly amazed listening to each take turns being the “guide” in Paris for the place or topic he/she had studied in preparation for our trip. These eight kids amazed the Parisians they met with how well they could speak French after only 14 sessions and how much background information they had which allowed them to get so much more out of their experiences.

Our Paris travelers have each selected a piece of journal writing and a favorite piece of artwork as a reflection of their Paris trip.

Let yourself be transported to Paris and imagine how amazing a journey this has been for our older students. Learning is everywhere!

Read student reflections.

Barbara McFall
Head of School