Instead of a travelogue of my trip to Washington D.C. with August’s 8th grade I am going to present a few highlights. Perhaps the most surprising was how little time we actually spent in Washington D.C. There were days when we barely did anything in the city, if anything at all.
One of the days we went to Gettysburg, and this was perhaps the most surprising for me. See, I’m not really into the Civil War. It just isn’t an area of interest. That being said, going there, seeing the layout of the land, and the way the museum is and the movie presentation that gives visitors a great overview of what happened, well, it was completely captivating. I certainly could have spent a lot more time there.
Another place I never would have gone is Monticello. Thomas Jefferson’s home is of interest to me, but at a couple of hours outside of Washington D.C. it isn’t a trip I would take were I going to our nation’s capitol on my own.
Not only did I get some greater insight into Thomas Jefferson, but it was a great comparison to George Washington’s home in Mount Vernon. The two were contemporaries for the most part, with Washington being approximately 9 years older than Jefferson, and both men have significant accomplishments to their name.
Each of the places we visited on our trip that week, including the Smithsonian, Arlington National Cemetery, National Holocaust Museum, etc.,were great, and I am looking forward to revisiting each of them on subsequent 8th grade trips, but it was the Capitol Building visit that truly stands out from the rest on this trip.
We got to meet one of our representatives, Senator Maria Cantwell.
That wasn’t even the cool part.
We got a guided tour of the Capitol Building (our guide was fantastic – “You see more if you move more.”) which was much more interesting than I expected.
But wait, it gets better.
As a group we were able to go into the gallery of the Senate and watch our government in action. This was the first time the school group had been able to do this. There was a whole process to go through, additional security, but it was well worth it and something every American should try to experience.
Sitting in the Senate gallery, witnessing our government in action first-hand, well, it was certainly the highlight of the trip.
Of course we stopped by the White House, but really that was just a quick photo stop on our way out of town. And I could have done without the walkthrough of the Library of Congress. I mean, sure, it’s neat, but simply taking the time to walk to it then literally through it without stopping seemed like there were better uses of our time.
Most disappointing, other than the weather, was the diminished time on the Mall and in the Smithsonian museums. I would have liked another block of time, there really is so much to see, too much for a whole week’s visit, really.
Next year it will be Déla in 8th grade, and I’ll more than likely go again. It will be roughly the same itinerary, so I know what to expect. I am also going to pack better rain gear.