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In this unforgettable episode of Playing Teacher, Rob, Brugge, and Matthew take us behind the scenes of one of the most chaotic rituals in education: the school field trip.

It all begins with a subway disaster—Matthew describes watching a class trip unravel on public transit, complete with unsupervised elementary students and overwhelmed teachers. That story kicks off a deep (and hilarious) dive into the real logistics, emotional toll, and occasional absurdity of planning field trips as educators.

Brugge brings the heat with a list of classic class trip tales, including the time a second-grade class learned about Australian culture at... Outback Steakhouse. She also recalls her very wrong turn in Philadelphia, being lost during a track team trip, and managing Minecraft and cheerleading excursions gone sideways. Rob reflects on the stress of real emergencies, recounting moments where students weren’t picked up after events or had to be taken to the hospital—situations that blur the line between teacher and crisis responder.

The team shares their own memories from childhood trips (or lack thereof), reflects on how school trip culture has changed, and closes with some lighter moments, including a teetering school bus on a concrete divider, He-Man nostalgia, and Brugge's upcoming job interview.

If you've ever planned a field trip, survived one, or just want to hear what it's really like from the teachers' side of the clipboard, this one’s for you.

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