On 5/14/09, Cari wrote:
> I wish I could take a survey concerning how much preparation
> these complaining teachers did for their tours. How many
> meetings do they have with their students and their parents?
> How much do these teachers actually know about international
> travel? Do these teachers & students actually know a foreign
> language?...or has the extent of their international
> experience just been to Disneyworld?
> I have been on some tours where coaches were the chaperones.
> On other tours, some of the teachers recruited random
> students throughout the school for a "senior class trip".
> Those teachers and students had no business going on
> educational tours like these. These students were not
> prepared one bit for what they were about to see in Europe.
> They were better off going on a cruise ship vacation
> somewhere in the ocean. Europe is NOT Disneyworld. Europe is
> old and crowded, and American students need some proper
> orientation in order to appreciate international cultures.
>
> My trips are called educational tours NOT SUMMER
> VACATIONS. The key to a successful trip is preparation. I
> spend literally years getting my students ready for these
> trips. Language acquisition, videos, meetings, and research
> play an important part in preparation. My students must prove
> to me that they can speak the language and appreciate the
> European culture for what it is, not for what they want it to
> be. After all, isn't that why we travel in the first
> place....to see another culture for what it truly is?!
>
> I alert my students, in advance, that there will be
> frustrations, delays, rain, uncooperative foreign people, and
> hotels that are different from ours. And, Europeans don't
> necessarily speak English. That is why it is
> called "international travel"...so get over it.
>
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>
> It seems you probably work for Mariden.
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> On 5/10/09, Cari wrote:
>> Solomon: All I can tell you is what I know from my personal
>> experience. And, my Mariden experience was a terrific one.
>>
>> You did make a valid point about "teacher incentives".Mariden
>> doesn't offer the teachers the incentives, but they sure do
>> offer the students the incentives. This company does NOT pour
>> money into the pockets of the teachers. There are some companies
>> who entice teachers with promises of outrageous amounts of money
>> that come from the unsuspecting students who pay for those
>> lucrative"incentives."
>> Mariden worked with me so my students got the BEST, possible
>> itinerary for the best and the fairest price. I wanted no cash
>> incentives. I took ten participants, and the company agreed to
>> give the travelers the lowest price they could....the students
>> received the incentive...a great low fee! In addition, there is
>> NO membership fee...that alone saved my students nearly $100.
>> Mariden gave us an all-inclusive fee...it included all metro
>> tickets, great meals, very nice hotels, entrance fees to museums
>> and to the Eiffel Tower. That has not always been the case with
>> other companies.
>> I stand by my recommendation of Mariden.
>>
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>>
>>
>> On 5/09/09, Solomon wrote:
>>> Don't do it. Beware. Cari may have had a good experience but
>>> I know many many teachers who have had nightmare tours. They
>>> are small and offer no inventives to teachers.

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