Tripping With Teens

I apologize to those who've contacted me about having missed the last two Saturdays, but I've been away with my students. In addition to writing professionally, I teach journalism and publication production on the high school and college level. The trips I took were to journalism conventions and included members of my publication staffs. Attendance allowed them to compete in writing and photo contests and to take specialized classes.

One of these trips included almost 50 fifty kids. Though there were several other teachers with me, the noise level and harnessed energy on one charter bus was enough to keep all of us on our toes.

Now, I have really good students (which, by the way, keeps me teaching), but even with good kids, there are the inevitable emotional moments. Soothing a student who missed getting hard-fought, fabulous photos into the contest on time; chastising a student who decided it would be fun to join another group's party instead of being in her room at curfew, and calming emotions about an issue that we adults might dismiss but on a teenage scale is over the top are just a few examples.

Despite the raucous music, the short attention spans and the irrepressible energy, I love traveling with teens. I did with my own children; I do with my students, and I hope someday to do so with my grandchildren. What a treat it is to watch their excitement when they see new sights for the very first time. Their joy is contagious even when the sights are familiar to me, and what an opportunity it is to teach them that which is beyond books. It's the time we can share with them what our experience with the world has been, what we know about life beyond school or family, and what our loves and passions are. We become the guide to their new adventure, and they become a witness to our experience.

If you have teens in your life, consider traveling with them. They're old enough to remember and appreciate every moment, and you will see even that which you know in a new way.