Anyone ever go to WDW as a chaperone for a high school band?

[Now Is The Time]

My wife is a teacher and is taking over forty high school band kids to WDW this year. They will perform and march for the 3pm parade at MK. I will be going to "chaperone" as well. Anyone done this before? (I'm asking the adults, not the kids) I'm just wanting to know some of the cautions when it comes to having kids footloose and fancy free at the parks and if there are any tips in handling problems, behavior, etc. and anything I should expect. I'm sure the hotel room situation with 4 kids per room should be rather interesting.

Many thanks!

 

[summergirl32]

I am married to a high school band director and we have taken the band to WDW several times. The tape thing with the doors has worked with us. We always post a couple of chaperones during the night as an additional precaution. The students are required to stay with a "buddy" and sign in at a designated meeting place twice while in the parks. Our group is usually around 120 and our problems have been minimal. The parents and students are told that if they get in trouble with the police (shop lifting, fighting, etc) then they are no longer our responsibility and the parents will have to come get them. For minor issues, the student may be required to spend the day with a chaperone. They really hate this.
For me, being a chaperone is rewarding because I know this may be the only opportunity for some of these kids to see Disney.

 

[The Mom]

I haven't chaperoned a band trip, but do travel with a HS sports team.

The parents have to sign a form stating that they understand that THEY will have to get their child if he/she misbehaves at their own expense. A chaperone is designated as the "guard" who will stay with the student(s) until the parents arrive. If the parents DON'T arrive, the child will be off the team. But that chaperone knows that he/she might have to miss all of the events, and will be stuck at the hotel, if there is a problem.

I also agree that sometimes the chaperones are more of a problem than the kids; it was certainly the case in my daughter's trip to DC. (I didn't go as my youngest was still a baby) The bus was always being held up by a couple of parents who would stop to shop in the gift shop, or get a cup of coffee, or were late getting ready in the morning, etc. :lol:

 

[mickey&me]

9. Keep in mind that it's because of the band kids that you are there. They have worked for this all year, and they are just as excited or more to be at WDW, as you are. Let them have fun! Let them know that they can come to you at anytime, if needed.

I don't exactly agree with your first sentence here. It's for the kid's benefit that you are there. They should definitely have fun, and they will be excited, but they must be kept under control. Remember, people have different ideas about what constitutes "fun." If the kids are allowed to do as they please until something bad happens, then no one will have fun (for an example, refer to the Pop Warner incident at ASSp in Dec.). The kids will trust those who are looking out for them, not just those who want to be their friends; they have friends their own age; they need authority figures they can depend on.

 

[popsicletrees]

As Disneybird's daughter, I agree with her points especially about not giving certain kids preferential treatment. One of our chaperones and his wife were basically wardens. If you weren't his own child, you were treated like a prisoner. It actually backfired and created a lot of resistance among the students. I would classify that particular trip as my second worst trip to Disney, but it created a lot of memories that are really funny to look back on. I know there are assumptions about what teenagers will get into if left to their own devices, but at least give them the benefit of the doubt. Do lay down rules and make it known that there will be consequences if these rules are broken. There will be teenagers who will want to try and see what they can get away with, but the majority of those going will probably be good, rule abiding kids. So, just don't treat everyone like they are there to see what they can get into away from their parents. I'm not saying that you should let them have a free for all, but just be fair and clear with your rules and expectations of them.

I don't know if this has been mentioned, but we had a rule that you had to be in a group of at least two. If you were seen roaming around alone, you got to spend the rest of the day with a chaperone. Actually, for me, any rule that threatened to have you spend the rest of the day with a chaperone (my parents excluded) was enough to make me totally abide by it.

 

[wannabeBelle]

"6) this will seem odd, but worked very well. after curfew, tape their doors with a piece of masking tape, if the tape is broken (they left the room), they are punished. (no more trips for them, or their parents need to get them, depending on how far from home you are)."


But if there are 4 in a room, and perhaps only one has left the room, would you send all 4 home? That doesn't seem very fair.

It may not be fair but the other option is that every kid who wants to go must attend with his/ her parents who will then be responsible for the kid's behavior while on property. I give you chaperones a lot of credit for being willing to take on the responsibility for another person's child. It is such a major undertaking. All of the parents in any grouping like this should be super grateful to you for protecting their children while away from them. Belle

 

[I<3WDW]

6) this will seem odd, but worked very well. after curfew, tape their doors with a piece of masking tape, if the tape is broken (they left the room), they are punished. (no more trips for them, or their parents need to get them, depending on how far from home you are

this is sooo good I will pass it on to the music teachers going on thier next trip:goodnevil

Masking tape does work....I was in band in high school and chaperoned trips after I graduduated. Because usually there is one chaperon (who takes takes 2-3 hour turns) who is constantly going up and down halls. If you hear that sound..you know there is trouble..also If you are staying somewhere that has balconies...someone may want to sit outside and watch those. We had some brave boys who climed from balcony to balcony!

 

[figmentmom]

also If you are staying somewhere that has balconies...someone may want to sit outside and watch those. We had some brave boys who climed from balcony to balcony!

I didn't want to post this because there's enough scary stuff in this thread already :ROFLOL:, but after that, here goes anyway! My high school band went on a trip to Montreal one year, and they put all the girls on one floor, and the boys UP one floor. The rooms all had balconies. Mayhem ensued.

Oh, sure, it was funny at the time, but GOD ALMIGHTY, someone could have been killed!

So, lay down the law, chaperones!

 

[wdwmomof3]

6) this will seem odd, but worked very well. after curfew, tape their doors with a piece of masking tape, if the tape is broken (they left the room), they are punished. (no more trips for them, or their parents need to get them, depending on how far from home you are

this is sooo good I will pass it on to the music teachers going on thier next trip:goodnevil

Our church does this and it works like a charm. :lol:

 

[Now Is The Time]

Hey I'm back with another question. It sounds easy to help keep tabs on the kids when we're in the parks with the use of cell phones but my wife doesn't particularly want to give our private cell phone numbers out to the students for obvious reasons. I think it's inevitable though that we'll be using our phone to reach a student at some point. I don't think you can rent a cell phone for a few days and then return it. :ROFLOL:Anyone have other ideas?

 

[lilclerk]

Hey I'm back with another question. It sounds easy to help keep tabs on the kids when we're in the parks with the use of cell phones but my wife doesn't particularly want to give our private cell phone numbers out to the students for obvious reasons. I think it's inevitable though that we'll be using our phone to reach a student at some point. I don't think you can rent a cell phone for a few days and then return it. :ROFLOL:Anyone have other ideas?

You can get a prepaid cell phone for about $20 and put $10-$20 worth of minutes in it just for emergencies.

 

[Miss Bell]

Haven't done WDW with the band, but I have to chime in: Band kids rock! I can't imagine another group I'd rather take on a trip.

 

[Philo]

I've never taken a grouop of kids but I have been in the group of kids a few years back when I was around 14.

We went to Germany for a week and through some clerical error we ended up staying in a slightly worse part of town than we intended. It wasn't really bad though. After a few days 'relationships' started forming and there was quite a bit of jumping out the window (it was ground floor so no injuries) and into the window some of the female students.

Nothing really bad happened but we were caught one night and the teachers explained that we shouldn't be doing for all the usual reasons but also because one of the hotel staff noticed that a known 'child predator' was wondering around the hotel grounds. Again, thank god that nothing happened but the the teachers serious and honest approach to the situation stopped all the misbehaving.

 

[goofy's revenge]

I've been a sponsor/chaperone on 4 different educational Honors trips. (upper level science/art) While those kids may not be band kids they were pretty well behaved. I think the important thing is during their free time make them stay in groups. Stress that even at WDW safety comes in numbers. We also held their tickets once we were in the parks, kept them from being able to leave. Of course that was before fastpass so I'm not sure about that now. Also give them some hotel ground rules so they don't annoy other guests. There's probably more but I hope that helps.