When first-grade teacher Sonja White discovered that most of her students had never traveled by plane, she let their imaginations run wild—and so did her students!
One of those students was Nia, who White says inspired her to design the Hispanic Heritage Month-themed trip. After a rigorous brainstorming session where she tried to “bring it all together,” she tells PEOPLE, something clicked.
That’s when the idea was born to take his students to Mexico from the comfort of his own classroom in Cedar Hill, Texas.
On the day of the mock trip, White’s classroom was transformed into an airplane, ready to welcome its young passengers. The 46-year-old teacher stepped into the role of a TSA agent, sitting at a table outside, ready to check in each student with their fake boarding passes, passports and packed carry-on bag in hand.
At take-off, passengers fidgeted in their seats to the sounds and images of a YouTube video projected at the front of the class. Later, they enjoyed chips and drinks, which were distributed by White as a flight attendant.
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The first graders went on a ‘trip’ to Mexico thanks to their teacher.
Sonja White/ Tiktok
As soon as they “landed” in Mexico, White says Nia was “so excited” to become a mini tour guide as she welcomed everyone in Spanish.
“She said the best part was that we got to go together, her and I, and what Mexico had to show me,” White recalls.
Nia’s mother also played a role, donating food that the “tourists” enjoyed at the Mexican “restaurant,” such as enchiladas and rice, chips and salsa, and tres leches cakes.
Students even practiced their money-handling skills by using “paychecks” to shop at the “souvenir shop.” White says she decided to add some math to the experience after realizing her students didn’t fully grasp the money part of the curriculum in her first year of teaching.
“I feel like they really loved it,” White says of her students. “I feel like in some ways their imaginations let them believe that we really went to Mexico.”
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The first graders went on a ‘trip’ to Mexico thanks to their teacher.
Sonja White/ Tiktok
She says she could even feel their excitement before the trip when she asked them to pack their carry-on luggage. Then the parents started calling.
“Their parents started texting me Monday night, ‘You found me at Walmart or Target buying a handbag,'” White recalls of the trip, which happened later Friday. “So when the messages started coming in about them packing, I knew they were into it.”
Luckily, White says she can always count on her parents to lend a helping hand through her sign-up sheets.
“My biggest gripe is that it fills up too quickly,” White says with a laugh. “Somebody didn’t get a chance to help – but they were so excited.”
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Part of the motivation for the trip came from White’s own background growing up and moving frequently with her military family. She wants her students to gain the same perspectives she experienced through travel, not just learning through a textbook.
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Teacher Sonja White takes her class on a ‘trip’ to Mexico.
Sonja White/ Tiktok
“I want them to have culture, not just book smarts,” White says. “I really hope that later in life he will have a genuine desire to travel.”
As soon as White posted a video of the experience on TikTok, many of her 4.1 million viewers were quick to praise her efforts.
Southwest Airlines also took notice and later invited all 70 of the school’s first graders on a field trip to their corporate campus in Dallas, where they each boarded a real plane. Afterwards, Southwest employees threw a fiesta, complete with a mariachi band and Mexican food for lunch.
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White says now everyone wants to know, “Where are you going next?” Although she hasn’t decided on a location yet, she knows for sure that she will do something special for Black History Month in February. But for now, she hopes her trip to Mexico will be the catalyst for something much bigger.
“I don’t want this to be that for them, a fake trip to Mexico,” White says of her students. “I want them to take their passports and leave.”
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Categories: Trends
Source: HIS Education