This school year, my kids are in 7th and 5th grades. No longer “little kids,” they’re beginning to shoulder bigger responsibilities at school.
But they’re also gaining some newfound freedom here in Spain.
In our Tennessee schools, it was pretty typical to take one or two field trips a year. Parents always had to sign the permission slip to go, and there was nearly always a cost—often nominal.
And they were usually to local places. Think Nashville’s Adventure Science Center or Cheekwood. Educational and cultural activities were tied closely to what they were learning in the classroom.
Our first year at our international school in Spain was a learning experience in all kinds of ways.
I remember the first time I opened an email from a teacher, reminding parents that “next week, we’ll take a trip to X, so be sure your student wears their school uniform, comfortable shoes, and pack a small snack. Lunch will be provided.”
I read it again. Surely I was missing something.
No mention of cost. Nothing to sign. That couldn’t be right.
Okay, maybe more information would come later.
Spoiler alert: It did not.
Then the next field trip notice came. Same pattern: notification, what to bring, and then the trip happens.
After that, I asked a teacher if this was typical for field trips at the school because my American-trained brain just could not fathom how an off-campus excursion could happen without permission.
It turns out this is just how things are done here. Unless it’s an overnight trip (more on that shortly)—at least at our school—day trips will happen with some instructions and not much else.
As an American mom, I'm hardwired to want control. I want all the details of a field trip and, when possible, I want to chaperone it. And I want to be asked if my kid can go, even when the answer is always “yes.”
But that isn’t how things work in Spain, and my desire for control, knowledge, and even participation will not be indulged.
Instead of control, what I received in emails before field trips was a list of behavioral expectations and the dates of the trips. My job as a parent is to ensure my kids know how to behave while they represent their school, and everything else is left up to the school and the kids.
For my husband, me, and our kids, it was a learning curve that set us up brilliantly for what came next.
Early in 2025, I received an email from the school about an end-of-year trip—an overnight trip—for our son, who was in 6th grade at the time.
And it’s actually the only time permission or money was requested.
This excursion would be two days and three nights, about two hours away, north of Valencia, and on the Mediterranean coast.
While many kids start going to overnight camps in the U.S. around this age, my son never had. Internally, this was a big deal to me, but I also knew it was a growth and social opportunity for my son. Honestly? Maybe for me, too.
So, after a conversation with my husband, I said yes.
The overnight itself was pretty anticlimactic. My son had a great time, bonded with his friends, and returned home feeling a little more grown-up than when he left.
And me?
I hated not knowing what my son was doing or having any contact with him (no phones!). But I also recognized that this was the first step of many toward young adulthood, and as much as I miss my kindergartner, he’s been replaced by a young man I’m incredibly proud of.
At the end of this school year, both kids have an opportunity to go on overnight trips. My 5th grader is so excited and hasn’t stopped talking about how much fun she’s going to have.
The control freak in me still doesn’t want to let go. But I’m learning. Spain is teaching me, poco a poco.
I write here about building a life abroad—slowly, imperfectly, and with a lot of trial and error.
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Thanks for this personal experience account, Jen. I had wondered about this as an observer. I remember field trips as a kid, but never saw them happening as an adult in the US since, as you observe, the event is usually held in a controlled space that limits liability. Here, I am regularly seeing large groups of young people who have ages ranging from five to 15. They are walking around the city with two to four adults. The children are typically well behaved. My hypothesis is that of course they are because what would their grandmother say if they were not? ;-)