The Long Trip
History of the Long Trip
Creating ‘Contacts More Real’: Lucy Sprague Mitchell’s Long Trips
When speaking to a group of teacher educators, Lucy Sprague Mitchell (1941) posed two questions: “What can we do to enlarge the groups to which student teachers belong?” and “What can we do to enlarge the groups to which their future school children will belong?” She believed the Long Trip offered an opportunity to move beyond “merely knowing about” people to actually “knowing them.”
In essence, the Long Trip grew from the aims and curriculum of the Bank Street teacher education program, with its focus on the total development of the teacher as well as the child. Based on Deweyan beliefs in education through experience and the social-political aims of education, the Long Trip reflected what Lucy Sprague Mitchell believed was important for teachers: studying children and the world in which children grew—as it was and as it might be.
So each spring, from 1935-1951, excluding the years of World War II when the trips were suspended, Mitchell led the entire class of approximately twenty-five to thirty-five student teachers, all traveling together by bus over a thousand miles, to areas of the country dramatically different from New York City. These week to ten-day trips placed the student teachers in a position to confront directly social and political issues of their day—the labor movement, poverty, conservation, government intervention programs, race relations—all the while considering the lives of children and their families, and the educational implications of what they experienced.
Mitchell (1946) was convinced that “learning that comes from first-hand experience has a smiting quality…” With the optimism characteristic of the progressives, she believed that empathy, caring, and commitment would grow from seeing the world from another’s eye. With the hindsight of over half a century, across years of work and family life, many of the students who attended the Long Trips have confirmed her belief.
– Written by faculty member Sal Vascellaro, GSE ’75
2024: St. Louis, MO
During this Long Trip, we spoke with immigrant rights activists, educators, artists, and business owners throughout St. Louis to explore the unique experiences of immigrant and refugee groups working to lay roots in St. Louis. We also examined the cultural, economic, and humanitarian cost of denying entry to new immigrants. Highlights included tours of the Gateway Arch/Tram & Museum of Westward Expansion, History of St. Louis Communities, the Missouri History Museum (Misi-ziibi: The First People’s Great River World), and The Mighty Mississippi Exhibit. We also enjoyed lunch at Adriana’s and dinner at the Boathouse Forest Park.
2023: Oral Histories Conference
Hosted by the Long Trip, this series explored the work that Bank Street community members from our children’s programs, graduate school, and research division are doing to elevate the stories of individuals. Guests also participated in a workshop with staff from StoryCorps to learn how to bring their storytelling model to their classrooms and community.
2022: Weeksville, Brooklyn (Cancelled Due to COVID-19)
The Long Trip program will continue to reflect on the impact of racial caste on American history and the contemporary American experience during three days on ground in Weeksville, Brooklyn.
2021: Virtual Long Trip
During the 2021 Long Trip, we took time to virtually revisit communities that we have connected with in recent years to hear how they are managing and adapting during these difficult times. We met with our friends at the Bogg Center, the Penn Center, and the Southern Poverty Law Center, among many others, to ask how this moment has shaped them.
2020: Cancelled Due to COVID-19
2019: St. Helena Island, Savannah & Charleston, SC
2018: Selma & Montgomery, AL
The Long Trip to Alabama’s Black Belt, as all Long Trips do, drew to light the power of individual life stories. The trip also offered insight into the deep wounds that are sustained when we privilege the stories of one group and suppress those of another. During our stay in Selma, we spoke to men and women that had served as youth activists during the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s. In Montgomery, we visited the Equal Justice Initiative and the Southern Poverty Law Center.
2017: Detroit, MI
We heard many stories of hardship in Detroit, but every account of oppression was met by a story of a neighbor helping a neighbor, an activist speaking truth, an engineer devising ingenious solutions, and people rising up. In these acts of kindness, ingenuity, and resilience, we saw a kind of humanity that we should all aspire to.
2016: Glasgow & Edinburgh, Scotland
We chose Scotland to see other models of Forest Schools where young children spend most of the school day in the forest. At the Secret Gardens forest school, children’s interaction with nature is at the core of the curriculum. At the Mindstretchers forest school, the school’s philosophy is “inside, outside, and beyond,” with “beyond” representing the nearby forest where children experience “nature on nature’s terms.”
2015: Copenhagen, Denmark
The focus for this Long Trip was to visit a forest school. With Caroline McKenna as our guide, we navigated the city using local transportation and a lot of walking. The forest school we visited began as a summer camp 157 years ago. Funded by the government, the forest school has 66 children, a building for a variety of activities, and a nearby forest.
2013: Panama City, Panama
We saw the Panama Canal in action and learned about the people and the cultures in this country. Our city tour revealed a thriving city with numerous gleaming skyscrapers and evident wealth juxtaposed with older, cramped, decaying buildings: “two different transformation realities!”2012: Havana, Cuba
We saw exceptional arts in education programs and made valuable connections with the Cuban people. We stayed in Hotel National, which, through its photographs, showed the early influence of and link to the United States.
2011: Seattle, WA
This Long Trip focused on the cultural connections and community involvement among First Nation peoples and Asian Americans, including their preservation, challenges, and community engagement. We were fortunate to have as our driver and tour guide a famous American Indian artist, Andrew Morrison, whose works were displayed at The Daybreak Star Cultural Center, the meeting place for all native peoples. From storyteller Roger Fernandes, we learned that the Duwamish is Seattle’s native group with 29 recognized tribes in the state. We heard many Native American stories including creation, salmon, and trickster stories, “all representing the world in which we live” and learned that Seattle was named after an Indian Chief. On our visit to the Lummi Youth Academy, a dorm, school, and drug treatment center for youth, we lunched with youth and staff and heard the struggles and successes of this amazing self-help program. A current movement is around tribes taking control of education. “Salmon brings life to us!”
2010: Patzcuaro, Mexico
We studied the arts, culture, and ceremonies of a historic and beautiful city and its indigenous peoples and communities. We visited the pyramids at Tzintzuntzan, archeological site and capital of the ancient empire of the Purepechans and toured the two lakeside communities of Tocuaro and Jaracuaro, where we met experienced mask makers and hat makers. At the Posada Yolihuani, our inn, we watched and discussed the film El Systimo with Conductor Abreau, who used music to change poor children’s lives. We also learned about using local herbs as home remedies and experienced the incredible Procession de Silencio, a long march of the faithful, shoeless, and solemn holding lit candles as they march from one church to another.
New Orleans, LA
We learned about the social, racial, and environmental injustices in New Orleans and the devastating impact of Hurricane Katrina on marginalized communities. We were inspired by community activists, including the Juvenile Justice Project, working to rebuild and challenge unjust systems. Highlights included a special lunch at Café Reconcile, a preview of a film on rebuilding efforts, and hearing from Dillard University faculty about innovative soil restoration techniques. The trip was a powerful learning experience, enriched by New Orleans’ vibrant cuisine and a jazz performance at Preservation Hall.
2007: Reykjavik, Iceland
Thermal pools, glaciers, geysers, the magnificent Gulfoss waterfall, and the Kerid volcanic crater showcased Iceland’s stunning natural beauty. We explored the country’s culture through medieval manuscripts at The Culture House and learned about preschool education during visits to play schools. Teachers emphasized trust, independence, and the value of play, and we heard from Hronn Palmadottir at the University about teacher preparation and the influence of John Dewey. A memorable takeaway: “There is no bad weather, only bad clothing!”
2006: Charleston & Morgantown, WV
Our group revisited Arthurdale, a New Deal settlement for miners, and learned about its connection to Bank Street founder Lucy Sprague Mitchell. We explored the devastating impact of mountaintop removal in West Virginia, witnessing the destruction of the Kayford Mountains and meeting community groups fighting for environmental justice. A visit to Cheshire, Ohio, highlighted the severe pollution caused by American Electric Power and its effects on local families. The trip deepened our understanding of the region’s struggles, resilience, and cultural heritage, from mine workers’ survival stories to mountain remedies and traditional ballads.
2005: Nashville & Knoxville, TN
This Long Trip explored civil rights and social and environmental justice, beginning at Maryville College, founded on inclusive education but later segregated by law. Highlights included the Highlander Center, known for empowering activism, and the Alex Haley Farm with its chapel by Maya Lin. In Nashville, we delved into the civil rights movement, visiting the recreated lunch counter at the Nashville Public Library and learning about key figures like Septima Clark. The trip offered powerful insights into the region’s history and ongoing struggles for justice.