Student Ambassadors

Every two summers I travel with a group of my students to Europe. I find that the experience makes them better students and that they grow and mature in immeasurable ways during the trip.

This summer was my travel summer. I was off with a group of seventeen for a two week tour in France and Italy. Prior to our departure, I always emphasize to my students that while they will be traveling and seeing many things, they also serve as ambassadors from the United States in every little thing that they do and say while abroad. For many of the Europeans that they encounter, my students are the very first “real” Americans that they meet. The students are not the stereotypical television characters that Europeans see on the U.S. sitcoms that are broadcast there. They’re real.

I took another group of "real" American teenagers this year, and I was quite proud of how they represented our country. After a few days in Paris, even my Latin students were greeting the Parisians with a smile and a “Bonjour.” All of my dear students attempted to order their food in French, and they smiled big smiles and replied with a heartfelt “merci” when they were understood.

My students met folks in southern France and in Italy with smiles and laughter. They waved and greeted cheerfully people that we passed in train stations and in public parks. They were prompt and polite.

Sometimes American travelers are viewed by natives in other countries as loud and rude. Many Americans travel to other lands expecting English to be spoken to them. They expect things abroad to be like they are at home. We Americans have also been fed the message for so long that “what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas,” and that tends to be the vacation motto for many of us. But what happens in other countries helps to form an image of what Americans are really like, and that’s why I stress to my students the importance of their behavior while we travel.

One of my students even came to me during the trip to tell me that she had experienced rude American teenagers herself and that she completely understood my message of student ambassadorship. All of the students became increasingly aware of their noise levels in hotels and public places. They even monitored each other’s respectful behavior.

The U.S. was very well represented by this group of students from Catoctin High School. They let those that they encountered in Europe know that America’s youth is pleasant, fun-loving, kind, and respectful. It made the trip even more worthwhile.