Joel Wilhite is a history teacher at Arlington High School who takes students on travel abroad trips. “A lot of teachers take trips to France, Spain, Germany, parts of Europe, I’ve been taking kids to Japan every other year until COVID. Hopefully we’re going this summer, we’ll just have to wait and see.”

The teachers and students that usually go on these trips are foreign language students and teachers. “Foreign language teachers, they usually travel to places they study. Mr. Holloway takes kids to places that you’ve studied in history classes.” For these trips to happen there has to be enough students interested in going. If not enough students are interested the trip doesn’t happen. “Students had to be interested in order to sign up and go.”

The students do do many different activities while on these trips. “Some of it isn’t you’re seeing famous historical sites, sometimes go to museums, other times, it’s just fun things. Depending on where you know where you are.”

Mr. Wilhite explains that going on these trips can enrich students lives and learning. “It incredibly enriches students learning. If you’re going to the place where the language that you said you’re going to Spain or Peru of whatever, and you took Spanish, you get to actually practice some of your language skills there.”

“It really just opens your eyes to the rest of the world and how the rest of the world lives.”