Scavenging with Remind 101

Every year I am very lucky to be able to take my 8th grade students to Boston.  Not only do they see and learn at the sites we have already covered in American history, they also get a preview of what is coming ahead throughout the year.

I gotta say that Remind 101 played a very important role in the success of this years trip.  Remind 101 is a free text messaging service made for teachers, admin and anyone else who would like a safe form of texting reminders out to students and families.

One of our annual stops is the JFK Library in which the students do a scavenger hunt through the exhibit area.  After teaching kids for almost 17 years, I know that once you set them loose in a museum most of them will simply zoom through.  The scavenger hunt gives them a fun purpose and slows them down to actually check out the exhibits.

Once we were driving to the library this year, I realized that I totally and completely screwed up and forgot the scavenger hunt.  At first I thought, I would just let it go but then the lightbulb went off and had the idea of texting them all the clues and having them jot the answers or pics down in their Notability app on their Ipads.

Journaling in the Atrium

Luckily my wonderful chaperones took the students to the opening film and I set off to reconstruct the scavenger using Remind 101 as a tool.  Once they got out of the film, it was as easy as pressing send and off they went in search of the items.  I continued to send out texts as they searched thorough the exhibit and then in the final text they were given a quote by JFK to reflect upon.  With the quote in hand, we had a reflective journal moment in the beautiful glass atrium.

After they were all finished, I was actually quite happy that I had made the mistake of forgetting the original hunt.  By using Remind 101, the students were even more engaged and excited about the hunt.  In fact, we ended up actually ushering them out the door because we were running late to our dinner appointment!

Not only did Remind 101 get me out of an embarrassing fix, it also made me stop and realize just how much teaching has changed since I began in the 1990's.  I remember jumping up and down for joy when my school bought me a new overhead projector.  I wish I could hop in a time machine and go share with that young teacher just how much it would all change.  Then again, I'm sure that app is coming soon.

The Reinvention of the Hand Turkey

Recently, my classes hit the road(or air) to turn the Boston area into our classroom.  Throughout the trip they filled out our traditional packet of materials now upgraded and revised to suit our 1:1 ipad needs.

Throughout the 4 days they gathered information for our upcoming memorial project by photographing and analyzing a variety of memorials including the Salem Witch Memorial and The New England Holocaust memorial.  In short, the trip is designed to let them actually see and experience what we have already learned about and prepare them for future lessons.

On our last day, we visited Plimoth Plantation and my students took on the role of a roving news reporter out to capture the life of a pilgrim and Wamponaug in 1627.  They interviewed and helped out the living historians by doing chores among other activities.

Problem was that I just simply did not truly know how we were going to present their findings.  Late at night it finally came to me.  Don't you just love those sleepy moments of sudden inspiration?  I decided to have them tackle Aurasma once again with it.

I will admit that I have had a love/hate relationship with Aurasma.  On one hand it is just plain cool and when it works, it's pretty mindblowing. On the other, my classes have gotten frustrated with it because it is kind of tricky.  Following the proper channels, not capturing the target and the dreaded app crash have left my students and myself a little annoyed.

That being said, I figured we would give it one more go and have them create a small film using the footage they shot at Plimoth Plantation using Pinnacle Studio on their iPads.  Each group of 3 put together a 3 minute film and then saved it to their iPad camera roll.  We found through trial and error that they needed to save it as the smallest sized video as possible since Aurasma kept saying their video overlay was too large.  Sorry, no HD for this.

Each group also created a unique hand turkey for our bulletin board that then became a trigger image.  My 8th graders love to do these "throwback" art lessons from elementary school.  We found that using markers for the hand turkey worked best.  Those that used colored pencils were simply not picked up by the app. When the aura is created, the turkey comes to life and reveals what they learned during our visit.

There are still two classes that need to complete the project but it has been wildly successful so far and it is the perfect way for them to share their findings with the school.  Who knew that a hand turkey could be so knowledgeable?

UPDATED:  Since the original post a year ago, another set of 8th graders have done this assignment. Aurasma has improved vastly over last year and the trigger images are much easier to capture and present.

A Question of Participation: Time to Fish!

Were you one of those kids that sat in school dreading the moment you would be called on to answer a question?  I most definitely was one of those kids and of course I grew out of it for the most part, but participation in school was literally torture for me growing up.

With that in mind, I face a dilemma as a teacher.  I teach in a school in which my department expects students to participate in class discussions on a frequent basis.  I tend to agree with the philosophy in principle, but I cannot help but feel major empathy for those kids that are literally terrified of the prospect of speaking in front of everyone. 

I believe that participation can take many forms other than simply contributing to the class discussion.  Opening up the opportunity to blog back a response after class has been very effective the past few years.  Heck, I would even consider tweeting back a response would be considered a form of participation.  Even if if is not technically done in class, does it not show that the student is clearly thinking through the question at hand?

One method that I have found to benefit all students most is the fishbowl discussion method.  Honestly, I cannot remember where I first heard about it, but basically the class is put into 4 different groups.  A discussion question is posed and the small groups each discuss it for a few minutes.  At the end of the time a representative is selected to participate in the fishbowl.

The fishbowl has five chairs around the table.  Each group sends member to the fishbowl where they discuss the topic based upon their small group discussion.  The rest of the students observe as silent participants.  If for some reason, someone that is not in the fishbowl wants to contribute, they may sit in the fifth chair and throw out their idea and then vacate the spot for another contributor. 

With this method, every student is participating is some capacity.  For those that are very introverted, the small group is ideal and I have found that even the most quiet of students find comfort in the small group setting.

I would welcome any feedback from anyone on how you engage those students who would rather take the "C" than speak up in class.  This former "C" kid would love your comments!

The Bloody Massacre Revisited

People have always accused me of having a flair for the dramatic, so if there is any way to plan a lesson involving costumes, then I'm totally up for it!  My storage closet in my classroom is packed to the gills with props and an unusually high number of wigs.

One of the most complex and interesting lessons we do is the annual recreation of the Boston Massacre.  Rather than just reading through a bunch of first hand accounts(which I think is also great by the way), we take those accounts and bring them to life.  I used to do a mock trial based upon the event where we put Captain Thomas Preston on trial. It worked out very well, but in the end I craved blood.

After a lot of thought, I approached our theater department to see if we could bring the event to life using a simple set, props and trained actors.  Annually, our Black Box theater in transformed into March 5, 1770 complete with snow and copious amounts of fake blood. 

The stage is set. 

The day begins like any other day but then a panicked colonist pounds upon our classroom door shouting that there is a fire and to bring our buckets to help extinguish the flames.  We follow the distressed colonist to the darkened theater.  Once we enter, it is pitch black with an audio track booming the sounds of an angry mob taunting the British soldiers along with the soldiers yelling back at them to disperse.  One thing leads to another and the theater is filled with the sounds of musket fire

Students listening to the mob.

whereupon the lights come up and the aftermath is laying in front of the students.

I then hand out an investigative journal to each student that they fill out to piece together the story.  First, they must survey the scene and make notes of any evidence left behind.  This year I placed various QR clues around to give them some hints. 

After about 10 minutes of them investigating, the colonists come out in dramatic fashion to tell their side of the story.  Students cycle around to each of them asking questions and making note of their testimony.  The British soldiers then make an appearance as well to counter what the colonists said.  It often turns into a very confrontational experience which blows the kids minds!

A colonist tells his story

I have been very lucky the past few years to have some wonderful former students give up their time to portray the witnesses.  Since they experienced it as my students in 8th grade, they are really excited to return to be the actors and each year it gets better.

The day after the massacre, I have them get into small groups to discuss their findings and then as a whole group come up with the sequence of events.  Oftentimes, I find that they have done such a good job with their own investigation that I don't really need to add anything. We end the lesson by looking at Paul Revere's engraving of the massacre and have some "aha" moments about his intention and the not so subtle way he was reworking the real story to meet the needs of the patriot cause.

While it might not be easy for everyone to go to this extreme to portray the Boston Massacre, it can be modified.  For example, the mock trial worked really well in the past.  Through the years, I have used numerous resources, but one of the best is The Boston Massacre Historical Society which has the original transcripts plus tons of other information.  For the mock trial, each student was given a role to study and both the defense and prosecution worked to develop their case. 

Another idea would be to split the class down the middle and have one side defend the actions of the colonists while the other side defend the soldiers.  I have done this for a Patriot/Loyalist debate with great results.

Students caught in the middle of an argument between soldiers and colonists

Although recreating the massacre as I have done does take quite a bit of work, the end result is well worth the effort.  Seeing my students decipher the material and get totally immersed is totally worth the rehearsals and the ridiculously early morning to set it all up.  By the way, if you want some pretty darn realistic fake blood that is easy to clean up, use clear Palmolive and red food coloring(watch out it might stain a bit).  I once used Karo syrup which ended in disaster.  Not only was it a nightmare to clean up, by the end of the day, it had attracted any army of ants.  Eh, you live you learn.

QRchaeology: Jamestown

The struggle of every teacher is to make their subjects relevant and real to students.  Throughout my 15 year teaching career, I have sought to engage students in their learning through a variety of highly interactive activities.  Wow, seriously 15?

For our study of Jamestown, I "hired" my students to serve as field and forensic archaeologists to survey both remains and relics found at the site.  With each student having an Ipad this year, it was the perfect opportunity to QR it up!

The site consisted of two grave sites and two trash pits.  Each site had a collection of QR codes and other physical artifacts.  I bought two skeletons at the local Halloween shop to add a bit of macabre to the mix and outlined each grave and trash pit with painters tape.  The QR codes either contained links to images of unearthed items or text clues about the condition of the body.

As they progressed to each site, they were given a series of guiding questions such as;

1.  Based upon the items what can you say about their daily life?  
2.  How did they survive?
3. What evidence do you have that Jamestown began to prosper?
4.  Based upon the examination of the bodies and their burial, what can you say about their status in Jamestown?  Can you determine a cause of death?  (The male was found with a bullet embedded in his leg and died of blood loss.

As with each lesson, you just never know how it will be received.  Sometimes what we think is brilliant can sometimes totally flop with the kids.  When we began the activity this morning I braced myself for blank looks, but they embraced the dig with an incredible amount of curiosity and interest.  Also, they interpreted their findings with a great deal of accuracy which gave them all a nice ego boost.  At the end I designated them all "Student Archaeologists: First Class" which got a hearty round of cheers.

The Jamestown Rediscovery website was primarily used to find the relics and the burials .  If you would like to use the QR Codes that I created, feel free to email me at oneifbylandadventures@gmail.com.  I'm working on getting a more cleaned up version at my website.  Please visit!  I'm always looking for feedback.

The Aura in the Graveyard

Capturing the Aura(ghost) of Vicente Ybor

The sheer amount of technology is wonderful and also a bit overwhelming.  Every day there is something new and exciting so I have to sort of stop myself at times and just concentrate on a few tech treasures and try to master them before stumbling into app overload.

Aurasma has been an exciting one that I will be using with my classes this year.  It is sort of like a QR code on steroids where you can link an object to an Aura.  Basically it can make the inanimate object come to life.

Yup, I love to dress up

This past week, I wanted to start out the year by letting the students learn about local history by using Aurasma at Oaklawn Cemetery in downtown Tampa.  The previous day I had gone out there myself to create the Auras linking the selected gravestones to archival pictures and information about the person buried there. 

After having spent time creating them and also experiencing the nightmare of actually falling into an open grave, the only thing left was to see if it worked with the students.  In my gravedigger outfit, I led them out to the cemetery and gave them written clues about who they needed to find.  Despite the insane heat, the kids loved it and got very excited when the auras would appear.  Admittedly, some of the auras did not work, perhaps due to shading at that time of day, but all in all, it was a successful ghost hunt.

As a class we plan on creating auras to make our class an aura filled interactive classroom linking projects to students explanations and making our bulletin boards alive. 

Aurasma has a lot of possibilities and I look forward to hearing what other teachers are using it for.

The Power of a Teacher Note

Those awkward and sometimes distressing days of junior high are never too far from my mind, especially since I am now a middle school teacher and can sometimes see the same struggles I had being played out again in the halls of my school.

Throughout all of this I will always remember the kindness shown to me by my Journalism teacher Ms. Maurer.  After a series of highly regarded movie reviews penned by me for our school newspaper, The Bunkhouse News, including a stirring tribute to the beauty and grace of Dirty Dancing, Ms. Maurer promoted me to editor in chief during the fall of 1988.

I remember working like a dog on that issue, sometimes letting my other subjects slip due to my sheer devotion to the press.  I was never the popular kid in school and sadly suffered a fair amount of abuse, being constantly referred to as "queer" through the hallways because of my lackluster sports skills.  My fawning over Patrick Swayze in my Dirty Dancing review probably didn't help much either.  Regardless, I had some major self esteem issues and the promotion at the hands of Ms. Maurer served as a much needed boost.

Soon before going to press, Ms. Maurer came up to me after an assembly smiling and holding a note.  I will never forget how she simply walked up the bleachers and handed me the note without saying a word and walked away.  This was the first time I had ever been given a note by a teacher and at the time I thought I was being fired from the newspaper.  The note was a simple and sincere thank you for having done a great job on the fall edition of the newspaper.  I was a little stunned by it and read it multiple times throughout the day, each time swelling with pride that someone had noticed and took the time to acknowledge it.

It has been over 25 years and I still have the note proudly framed and hanging up in my house during the summer and in my classroom during the school year.  It reminds me of the power of words, not just spoken words, but also written. 

It has been a goal of mine to do the same for my own students through the years.  Admittedly, I have not as been consistent as I would like to be but each new school year presents us with a new opportunity.  I know that writing an email is simply easier, but I always choose to to go old school and give out a handwritten note sealed with wax.  Hey, it's all about presentation too!

I wish I could find Ms. Maurer and tell her what that note still means to me.  I have attempted to find her through the years with no luck.  Perhaps one day she will stumble across this blog, so Leslie Maurer, if you are out there, thanks for the continued boost and inspiration!

A Gift from Mom

I think we all go through that phase where we are mortified by the thought of being seen with our parents.  I remember clearly asking to be let off at the movie theater 3 blocks away from the entrance, so that everyone would never suspect that I had ever been given birth two by those embarrassing creatures.

My mom especially liked to torment me with her music and would grab anything and turn it into a guitar and wail some Elvis song at the top of her lungs.  My friends always thought it was hilarious but I always wanted to crawl into the nearest closet and hide.


Music was the one constant in our household.  Whenever we had family reunions, my mom's 13, yes 13, brothers and sisters would break out into a beautiful sing along of old gospel hymns, some of which had been written by my grandfather, CC Clements.

My mom passed away after a long illness in 2001 and we were left with the task of cleaning up and clearing out her things.  Mom always had a cedar chest at the foot of her bed which my brother and I were banned from ever going through.

A couple weeks after she died, our dad told us to go through the chest and take what we wanted.  Upon opening the mysterious trunk, we w pored through all kinds of items Mom had kept from our childhood.  Old pajamas, books, assignments both good and bad.  It was a virtual time capsule.

At the bottom of the trunk there was a odd mass of crumbled cellophane that was yellowed and flaking.  I picked it up and began peeling away the layers like an onion.  Much to my surprise it was an old record with my grandmothers writing on it.  Mom had never told us, but she had recorded a demo record with my grandfather and I was holding it in my hands decades after it had been recorded.

I excitedly ran over to a record player that had been gathering dust in my dad's den for the last 20 years and attempted to play the record, but the player had long since broken down.  Where to go?

I finally got the idea to take it to a recording studio and see if they would be willing to play it.  I found one locally and was greeted at the entrance by a giant of a man.  I told him that my mom had just died and that I thought this might be a recording of her.  He seemed interested enough and agreed to throw it on the turntable.  He left me down in the studio and he proceeded up to the booth where he put it on.

After a few very scratchy stops and starts the sounds of my then high school age mother and my grandfather began playing from every speaker in the building.  Within just a few seconds I was sobbing; not only was I hearing my recently deceased mother, it was also the first time I had ever heard my grandfathers voice.  I looked up toward the booth and saw the owner, all 300 masculine pounds of him, also weeping like a baby. 

Although the songs were scratchy and a bit difficult to decipher, one song titled "Don't Tell Me Goodbye" truly resonated with me.  Still in the throes of grief, it seemed like Mom was speaking to me from the grave and telling me that all was well.

It was probably the greatest gift I could have ever hoped to receive.

Lessons from Matthew

Matthew

I can only hope that the path I take in my life can create and leave some positive things for the world around me. I know my path will be both good and bad, but I must continue forward the best I know how. When I reach a barrier or realize a limit, I will simply gather myself fundamentally and continue. 

-Matthew Moore

We have all had varied high school experiences.  Some of us were part of the popular group and were invited to all the best parties, while others of us barely struggled to survive the sea of teenage angst.  I definitely fell into the latter category and often say to others that I should sue Napoleon Dynamite for stealing my look.

Yes, my teenage years were not exactly the best years of my life but they do still hold some valuable lessons that I pass on to my students who are just entering that sometimes troubling time themselves.   Going into high school was panic attack inducing for me.  Feeder schools all cycled into one massive high school and from the moment I got my schedule in the mail, I was frantically calling my limited friend list to see what classes, if any, that we had together.  One of my biggest fears was that I would walk into a class and not know a single person.  Sadly, it came true.

Upon walking into my first history class of the year, I discovered that I did not recognize anyone.  Being a few minutes early, I put my books down on the closest desk and ducked out of the room in hopes of seeing a familiar face coming down the hall.  No such luck.  When I knew that I couldn't delay it any longer, I walked back into the classroom and discovered that someone had taken all my materials and had tossed them to the ground.  To add insult to injury, everything had fresh dirty footprints all over, ruining a binder and fresh stack of paper.  The teacher was nowhere to be seen (smoke break) and several students sat in their chairs giggling at me, seemingly enjoying my pain and embarrassment.  Even as I write this, my hands are shaking just bringing it back into my memory.

Me, glasses and all

I stood there for what seemed like an eternity literally frozen.  I stared at my books but felt immobilized and not sure what to do.  People had picked on me through the years, but this was different.  They were strangers.  I had done nothing wrong except put my books down.  Yes, I did fit the ultra nerd look, but it was not my fault.  I did not choose to have bad vision and wear bottle thick glasses.  I did not choose my bad skin.  I did not choose to have my crazy out of control hair.  (I was still a year or two away from discovering hair gel.)

In the middle of my desperation, a student named Matthew Moore, stood up and became my advocate.  He came over to me and began picking up my books, even straightening out the crumpled papers that seemed beyond repair.  I stood there, still frozen watching him do this.  Once he was done, Matthew put his hand on my shoulder and said "Come on, there's a seat over here" and he took me to sit beside him.  Although still wanting to crawl under a rock, I was so relieved to have Matthew there with me.

My schedule soon changed and I moved out of the class, never to have another class with Matthew again.  Despite that, every time I passed Matthew in the hall, he always smiled at me and asked how I was doing.   No, we were not best friends and we certainly never hung out in the same social groups.  He was one of the most popular kids in school, while I was relegated to dork status, especially once I began the torturous task of getting my jacked up teeth fixed with all sorts of torture devices.

I never got the chance to thank Matthew for what he did for me that day.  If I did, I would say that he was the closest thing to a physical guardian angel that I ever had in my life.  Tragically, Matthew and another student, Seth Adams, were killed on their way back from a spring break trip to Chicago.  Their deaths sent shockwaves throughout the school and left our Senior class in shambles.

Although a long time has passed since Matthew died, I still think of him often.  What was probably to him just two or three minutes of being kind to a stranger, has in reality impacted me for the last 25 years.  Matthew left behind a quote for our literary magazine which says;

"I can only hope that the path I take in my life can create and leave some positive things for the world around me.  I know my path will be both good and bad, but I must continue forward the best I know how.  When I reach a barrier or realize a limit, I will simply gather myself fundamentally and continue."

As a teacher, I try to instill the idea of being kind to one another into my classroom.   The way that they treat each other can have a long lasting impact, either good or bad.  I begin the year by doing a journal writing activity based on Matthew's quote and telling them the story above.  Although, it is a bit uncomfortable for me to share and also embarrassing, it helps to create a personal connection with the kids.  I feel that sharing personal moments like these with the kids can help broaden and open up communication.  There is nothing wrong with showing our humanity to the kids.

I wrote earlier that I never got the chance to thank Matthew, well here it is:  Matthew, thank you for being kind.  Thank you for looking up from your desk and seeing someone in need and taking action rather than doing the easy thing and simply ignoring it.  Thank you for providing a moment that I can share with my students and even though you are gone I hope that I can keep your legacy of kindness alive so that others can learn from it.  You were taken from this world far too early but your memory remains in the hearts of your closest friends, family and a formerly scared kid that you helped when he needed it the most.

Please visit my website at One if by Land Adventures

Let me read your Aura

I have to admit that there are times now that I am absolutely overwhelmed by the technology that is available to us.  Every week it seems that there is something new that will change the face of education.  The challenge is sifting through all of it and finding out what meets the needs of our classes.

Aurasma is one tool that I found to be very interesting and useful.  Sure, when you first hear or read the word it sounds like some sort of disease that would require some serious ointment, but Aurasma is an augmented reality app that could have great potential in the classroom.

Each year, we do a major research project in which students pick a person or event that they would deem worthy of a memorial or monument.  They submit a standard research paper but the true star of their project is the memorial that they design and build a model of.  Through the years, we have had submissions turned in that would rival some of the best memorial designs in D.C. for their sheer symbolic quality.

The issue has always been that when kids bring in their projects, passersby are sometimes left to wonder what their design means.  This year each student filmed themselves giving a guided tour of their project which we then linked in Aurasma.  Now, when looking at the projects, the viewer can simply open the app, point it at the project and the student pops up to explain it virtually.

We also used the app the create interactive bulletin boards as well where short videos were linked to a picture or item.  For example, a picture of former president could be linked to a student created one minute bio.

This year, I plan on exploring Aurasma even more by incorporating it into a family history project.  Every year we do what I call the "panel project" in which students create a hanging timeline of their family history in which they share a family moment while also sharing about what was happening in the United States and the world at that time.  Basically, how were your family members a part of the time they were living in and how were they affected?  Using Aurasma, I plan on having the kids link in interviews with family members.

The fun downside of using the Aurasma app is that now the kids think EVERYTHING has an aura and they are constantly scanning things to see what pops up.  Hey, it's obvious that their curiosity is sparked.  One way I solved this is by printing out the company logo and attaching it to things that have an aura.

Yes, there are many things out there to use and just going through the app store can give you heart palpitations, but I really think that choosing a few and really focusing on those is better than inundating kids with dozens of apps.  In the last year, I have seen quite a bit of app fatigue among colleagues and students.  This year, I plan on developing multiple ways to use Aurasma so the kids feel very comfortable in using it and also using it well.

I welcome any feedback that anyone has about using Aurasma.  I'm sure that I have not begun to scratch the surface of its uses.  Please visit my website at One if by Land Adventures.

A Beekman 4th

Reality television.....love it or hate it, it is definitely a part of the American culture today.  There are a limited number of them that I can take before I feel as if my brain cells are being depleted and I shake my head at the utter nonsense of such shows as Honey Boo Boo and the loads of Kardashian garbage.

That being said, a friend told me about a reality show called The Fabulous Beekman Boys a couple of years ago and I was instantly hooked on the show.  It explores the trials and tribulations of Josh Kilmer-Purcell and Brent Ridge as they move from city living to establishing their own farm and lifestyle brand known as Beekman 1802.  The great thing about the show is there is a true sense of honesty and both Brent and Josh are incredibly likable.  The inhabitants of Sharon Springs, NY are also featured and they add the kind of flair that instantly makes you want to move there.  

Josh and Brent are probably more well known as the winning couple on a recent season of The Amazing Race, which I must admit has been the one reality show that I have been a constant viewer of.    When they were announced as contestants I was very excited to see them on TV once again, but after the first few episodes I honestly kinda figured that each episode would be their last since they were just barely hanging on and other teams seemed to be getting more air time.  Much to my surprise and excitement they ended up winning.  It was seriously the first time I have ever jumped for joy during a TV show.  

Being a geography teacher, I decided to see if the Beekman boys would Skype with my class as an introductory geography lesson.  While Josh and Brent were on the show I was especially impressed with the way they played the game.  Rather than resorting to back stabbing all kinds of negative behavior that is often portrayed on reality shows, they played with dignity and fairness, not forgetting common decency.  I felt that was important lesson for my students to understand.  Luckily, Josh agreed to chat with us and answered the kids questions about the race and what he and Brent learned on their journey around the world.  

When I hit the road earlier this month, I decided to travel up to the Adirondacks and decided to stop by the Beekman 1802 Mercantile for a little shopping trip and hopefully thank Josh in person for Skyping with the kiddos.  When I got there, Brent was manning the store and Josh was nowhere to be seen.  Looking back, I really hope that Brent was not offended by my disappointment that Josh was not there.  

I guess sensing my sadness, Brent told me that they were going to be grilling some hot dogs in the local park and that I should stop by for a visit.  Honestly, I'm not sure whether he was asking me to do a quick meet and greet and then be on my merry way or not.  Regardless, I showed up and and Josh graciously offered me a bourbon slushee which helped ease my nerves a bit.....especially after the second one.

I have never been a social butterfly and meeting new people has always made me freak out a bit.  Small talk has never been one of my strengths, but armed with the slushee, I did manage to chat up some of the locals who were exactly how I thought they would be; very friendly and welcoming.  Despite that, I felt a bit like a party crasher and fidgeted a bit not sure of what to say when the conversation lapsed.  I figured since 2 slushess were doled out then I couldn't have been too unwelcome.  

Toward the end of the evening, Josh asked me out to the farm for an early morning tour which I jumped at the chance at.  Seriously, who would turn that down?  Luckily, The American Hotel, which is featured in the Fabulous Beekman Boys had some availability that night and I was able to stay there, furthering my reality show experience.  The owners, Doug Plummer and Garth Roberts were especially gracious and made me feel more like a long lost relative rather than a hotel guest.  It was the first and most likely last time I will ever be hugged by the owners of a hotel upon checkout!

Selfie with Josh Kilmer-Purcell.  Dang, wanted Brent too!

Luckily the Beekman Farm was easy to find and I seriously hoped that Josh remembered that he had invited me.  I certainly did not want to be that creepy fan that just shows up and knocks on the door.  Despite my initial fears, Josh met me on the porch and proceeded to take me around the property for a little farm and history tour.  The Beekman Mansion is gorgeous and the television show honestly did not do it justice.  Usually when I visit famous locales, I am often a little disappointed due to my elevated expectations.

Josh pointing out details on a tombstone

Josh led my down to the family crypt and explained that the Beekmans had buried their dead in an adjoining field but that it was totally trashed and the tombstones were knocked over.  The recovered tombstones were all relocated into the family crypt which gave it an even more eerie quality even though it was light outside.  One cool thing that Josh pointed out was that some of the family members listed the cause of death on the stones.  One unfortunate member of the family was run over by a carriage at a young age.  Josh hypothesized that they inscribed the cause of death as a warning to others in the family.  In addition, to the stones, there are also some human remains like what appeared to be a jawbone and a tooth.  Josh picked up a pliable piece of material and asked me to guess what it was.  Turned out it was a piece of a lead lined coffin.

Who could go to the Beekman Farm without paying tribute to the famed diva of the property, Polka Spot the resident diva llama.  Polka Spot became a celebrity in her own right on the Fabulous Beekman Boys for often naughty behavior and eccentric personality.  When I entered the barn, Josh pointed out Polka Spot and she immediately cast some shade my way.  She totally earned her diva status by looking at me and then staring me down until I left.  Luckily, Farmer John who tends to the goats was much more personable.

After checking out the barn, Josh told me that I was free to roam around on my own since he was needing to hop in the shower and get ready to head to the mercantile.  Josh and Brent recently got married and he told me to go check out the hill on the property where they conducted the nuptials.  I'm glad that I stuck around and trudged up the hill because the views from up there were like something from a postcard.

When I made it back to my car, Farmer John was mowing and waved at me.  With that, my Beekman adventure came to an end.  I was very fortunate to be able to spend some time in Sharon Springs and with these two very down to earth and friendly men.  I was hoping that the way they were portrayed on television was an honest view, and from my short experience with them, in real life they are even more likable.

Polka Spot staring me down.

A visit to Sharon Spring is highly recommended and even if you can't make it there you can order the Beekman brand and get some amazing recipes at Beekman 1802.  Honestly, I got the Mortgage Lifter Heirloom Tomato Bruschetta and kept just eating it out of the jar with a spoon.  The Salty Goat Fudge Cookies I bought were originally meant to be a gift, but they did not survive very long on the car with me.

The Beekman 1802 Mercantile in Sharon Springs, New York

The Astronaut Wives Club

Ah yes, summer....it's the time of the year when we can all toss out a beach chair and grab some good and fluffy beach reading.  Well, I have never been much for the typical beach read.  Every Nicholas Sparks book I have ever read makes me skip to the end to see who dies and from what awful illness or tragedy, and honestly, I'm still trying to forget the horror of reading Twilight several summers back.  Sorry Twihards.    Regardless, every summer, I am on the hunt for that book I can simply not put down and be sort of sad when it is over.

Recently, I was in the bookstore, yes, those DO still exist, and came upon an interesting title.  Actually, I was more drawn to the retro looking book cover, so whoever designed that......good work.  The Astronaut Wives Club written by Lily Koppel is sort of the opposite of The Right Stuff and tells the stories of the women who braved their astronaut husbands going off to space during that epic time of early exploration and discovery.

The result is often enthralling and frustrating.  The subject matter is absolutely fascinating and it is remarkable how these women were able to lean on each other through such periods of uncertainty.  These women were hounded by the press, but had to keep putting on that happy housewife demeanor even if an overzealous reporter just walked into the home uninvited.  It was also surprising to learn of the rivalries that developed between the Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo wives.  A little "Mean Girls" thrown into the mix was unexpected.

Koppel moves along at a leisurely pace which does make this a good beach read.  My one real complaint and what I found frustrating was that Koppel simply tries to cover too much ground and inundates the reader with wife after wife.  I was often going back to make sure just exactly which one she was talking about and often Googling their husbands names to make the references stand out more.  Just when you get really absorbed with one story, another one begins.  One portion of the book I was looking forward to was about Marilyn Lovell and Apollo 13, but Koppel boils it all down to just a couple of pages.  I could easily imagined The Astronaut Wives Club to have been a trilogy of books, each one focusing on the Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo programs.  It's easy to see why Koppel chose to pack it all in one book though.

In the end, The Astronaut Wives Club is a decent read, but definitely not the page turner I was hoping for.  It is a slice of American history that has needed to be told.  Unfortunately, this effort reads more like a series of short stories.  Interesting information?  Yes, absolutely, but told in a way that left me wanting more.

A Confederate in the Attic

Years ago I read a very compelling book called Confederates in the Attic which details our enduring fascination with the Civil War.  The author, Tony Horwitz, had always been interested in the war but through the years his interest had been put aside by other things, that is until the Civil War unexpectedly crashed through his front yard by way of a documentary being filmed.

Horwitz decided dig a bit deeper into Civil War lore and began following around re-enactors who devote an incredible amount of time recreating and honoring what happened 150 years ago.  One of the re-enactors that is profiled is a very dedicated man named Robert Lee Hodge who is known as being one of the most truly authentic re-enactors out there.

I recently took part in the 150th commemoration of Gettysburg.  The highlight was the memorial march of Pickett's charge on July 3 in which the public, along with re-enactors marched across the fields recreating the infamous charge minus the carnage but with me running away screaming from the potential of seeing a snake.

As I was standing around not really knowing what to do, I noticed a re-enactor standing alone in the field to my right and I instantly recognized him as Hodge.  Through the years of talking about the book with my class, students had asked me to google image Hodge so I knew it definitely had to be him.  I milled around for a second and debated whether to disturb him.  He looked pretty deep in thought so I was a little hesitant.  Eventually I mustered up the courage and started filming the pre-charge preparations and panned over to Hodge and struck up a conversation.  Looking back I should have asked permission to film him but the heat and lack of water obviously affected my etiquette.  Hodge did not seem to really care though.

Now I gotta admit that there is a stereotype that these re-enactors are just a bunch of rednecks who chum around and play war like little kids.  People have often not really understood why anyone would go to such lengths to portray an event from over 150 years ago.   Well, everyone has their own interests.  I personally do not understand why anyone would obsess over Justin Bieber, but I don't fault anyone for doing so.  Well, actually.....

Robert Lee Hodge proved to be an incredibly articulate and knowledgable man.  His commitment to history education and preservation is commendable.  In addition to re-enacting, Hodge also gives battlefield tours and travels the country giving lectures.  To find out more information about him and possibly book him for a tour simply visit his website.  Of course, don't be afraid to check out my website at One if by Land Adventures too.

Lincoln Into Art

It is no secret that I have been a bit obsessed with Lincoln since I was a young kid.  I just simply always enjoyed learning about him and my world is filled with various little trinkets in his image.  Just surveying my classroom, you will find a Lincoln blanket, a puppet and all manner of stuffed knick knacks resembling the 16th president.

On a recent trek to Gettysburg for the 150th anniversary of the infamous battle, I stumbled upon a unique art studio in which the resident artist, Wendy Allen, has devoted her craft to portraying Lincoln through art.

As I surveyed her works, Wendy was kind and accommodated my various questions.  I will never pretend to be an art critic and will readily admit that the furthest I got anywhere artistically in school was creating clay paint bombs that secured me the wrath of my art teacher.  That being said, I walked around Wendy's gallery in total appreciation of what she had created.

She was quick to point out that she considers what she creates are landscapes of Lincoln and not portraits.  In every painting there is something new to discover in Lincoln and each is unique in its portrayal.

It is also interesting to note that Wendy has chosen Gettysburg as the locale in which to create.  "It's a powerful environment in which to paint because the events at Gettysburg 150 years ago changed the course of world history.  I believe that America's soul was born the instant Lincoln concluded his Gettysburg address on November 19, 1863.  In that moment, he made true the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution."

It has been over 30 years since Allen began painting Lincoln and based upon my two visits to her studio, I think it is safe to assume that Lincoln can still continue to inspire.

For more information you can visit Wendy Allen at her website where you can order her fantastic book or if you are in the Gettysburg area, I highly suggest popping in for a visit.  Wendy is especially kind and gracious.  She even took pity on this poor miserable sap and got me some aloe spray for my severely sunburned neck.  And of course as always check out my website at One if by Land Adventures

Let's play Andersonville!

I must admit that I am a complete and total shopaholic when it comes to gift shops at historic sites.  More than anything I just like to peruse the merchandise but I sometimes cringe at some of the items that are for sale.

Among the serious items such as books and documentaries, there are sprinklings of such things as historical lipbalm.  Recently I ran across Johnny Reb mint julep flavored and Billy Yank U.S. mint flavored chapstick.  I guess your lips choose your side of the Civil War.

On my recent trip to Andersonville, carefully hidden from view was a Andersonville play set.  Yes, you can not only tour the former site of the prison camp, but if the mood strikes you then you can play it out.  I guess it is not much different from kids playing war, but the kids pretending like their little figures are dying from starvation or diarrhea seems a little extreme.  It make me wonder 100 years from now as the memories of the Holocaust become embedded in our distant memory, will there be Auschwitz play sets?  Yes, it seems preposterous to think that would ever happen, but I'm sure survivors of Andersonville never could have predicted a cheap playset would eventually be sold at the place where they suffered.

Something to ponder.

Apparently I have a blog.

It is pretty amazing how caught up in life that you can get.  I fully intended to be writing and updating this blog consistently but here it is MONTHS later and this is my most recent post.  Eh, I don't consider it a failure.

I have spent the last few months finishing the school semester and then went directly to DC to guide some student groups through the Capitol.  I never thought that I would grow tired of seeing the Lincoln Memorial, but holy crap enough is enough!

I have been home a few days now and am growing antsy to hit the road again.  I have never been much for just laying around doing nothing so I have been trying to figure out who and what I can visit on the cheap.  The unfortunate thing is that pretty much all my friends are working year round so they are never available to go with me on trips, not that being dragged to historic sites across the US would be all that appealing to them anyway, but they are growing to appreciate what I do.

I intend to make this my last year of regular teaching, yep i'm finally ready to put that out there.  I have been teaching for 15 years and although I do love teaching history, I find that the classroom is increasingly more confining with each year.  With my site One if By Land Adventures, I still plan on teaching but on my own terms without administrators or any of the other distractions that take teachers away from what they are really good at which is TEACHING.

It's time to finally pursue the dream.  I have waited long enough.

She sings, she plays the piano, she scares the crap of of visitors.

For the past few years I have taken a group of students up to southwest Georgia for a tour of Andersonville and a visit to see Jimmy Carter teach an Sunday School lesson in his home church in Plains.

Naturally when Carter teaches his lesson there is a fair amount of security that you have to go through to get into the sanctuary.  When I first went to see him teach I was more concerned about how intimidating the Secret Service would be, but they have nothing on Miss Jan who in her own frightening way explains the rules both inside and outside the sanctuary.

Once you are directed to a seat, Miss Jan then eyeballs everyone in the room and begins her 30 minute etiquette lesson on what to do and what not to do when President Carter enters the room.  She icily explains when it is appropriate to take a picture and tells you what happens if you break the the rules, all with a kindly smile. 

The one thing not to do when Miss Jan begins her talk is to not pay attention.  If you are distracted by playing on your phone or chatting with your pew partner, she will call you out in front of everyone.  On my most recent visit, she barked at a elderly man in the back, asking him if his hearing aid was on.  Eventually he shouted back to her that he was saving his battery for Jimmy.  Miss Jan was having none of it and told him to please turn it on and up through gritted teeth and a smile. 

After she explains the rules, she will give small quiz and then repeat them again if we do not prove to be a "gifted class".  Once completed she closes with a prayer and President Carter in introduced.  He often either apologizes for Miss Jan or asks if we have been well briefed which always elicits a laughs from the congregation.

Yes, Miss Jan is a force to be dealt with but in the end she is obviously very kind and well meaning.  After all these years, I am sure that she has witnessed some ridiculous behavior from visitors who lack common sense which explains her somewhat gruff demeanor.

I highly recommend making the trek out to Plains to experience President Carter teach.  No matter what your religious beliefs or lack of, the opportunity to see and have such close access to a former president should not be passed up.  Every time that I have been, I have been inspired by Carter's message.  If and when you go, just be sure to give Miss Jan your undivided attention, otherwise she will call in her "friends" to deal with you.  Trust me she will.

Thanks Matt

As a history teacher, I have to address topics that can sometimes make me a little depressed, especially after teaching it to four different classes.  Man, it can sometimes take a toll on the mood.  Although I didn't really want to, I felt it was my duty to as a teacher to have a discussion about what happened at Sandy Hook and get the kids thoughts about not only the horrific tragedy, but also about the debate our country is now embroiled in regarding guns.

We discussed it and I honestly felt that my kids had more reasoned responses than some of what the media has been throwing at us for the last few weeks.  Regardless, it was not exactly a bright and happy talk that we were having.

During the last ten minutes of class I wanted to end with a little something more upbeat to clear some of the gloom and doom so I showed them Matt Harding's latest "Dancing" video.  For the last several years Matt has been traveling the globe and filming himself and others dancing.  What I really like about his videos is the intentional or not so intentional feeling of connectivity across the earth.  So often we turn on the news and it is about the latest shooting or unrest in a foreign country.  You would think based upon the media that this planet has few redeeming qualities, but what this video does, at least for me, is reminds me that there is beauty everywhere.  The looks on the peoples faces as they are dancing is that of pure joy.

I could not help but smile each of the four times I showed this today and the reaction the kids had to it afterwards.  Although we discussed some serious matters today, it was nice that the kids left with some feeling of hope and safety.  Sometimes in this crazy world, you just have to be reminded that despite all the negative, there are some pretty great things to be thankful for.

The Lincoln Turd

It is no secret that I have had a little obsession with Abe Lincoln since I was a kid.  Throughout the years I have collected all sorts of odd little things inspired by Lincoln and visited the sites related to his life.  A couple of years ago I drove up to Springfield, Illinois to visit the presidential museum(amazing) and last year I visited the location of his birth in Kentucky.

Well, I have now made it my mission to find the holy grail of all things Lincoln; his last bowel movement.  Supposedly in Fords Theatre, Lincoln passed a little nugget and has now been handed down through the ages.  Lincoln must have been going commando that night because it is claimed to be have been found in the presidential box at Fords.  I guess it just must have slipped out and rolled out onto the floor.  The finder of it kept it and even wrote his own certificate of authenticity that read; "I Sam Frick, do swear that A. Lincoln passed this turd at Ford's"

For years a little roadside attraction in Baltimore known as The Dime Museum harbored this little treasure, but sadly the place closed up a few years back and everything was auctioned off.  The whereabouts of Lincoln's crap is unknown.  I must find it and give it the home it deserves.

I love to freak out people with this mask

History Makes Me Vomit

I have always loved a good road trip.  Even as a young guy, I loved our family vacations where we would get up early in the morning and begin the long journey to Florida.  I would prepare weeks ahead of time preparing my trip kit filled with games, candy, and drawing supplies.

Even now I cant help but still enjoy those endless hours on the road stopping off at various locales like the worlds largest rocking chair or the BIG statue of Superman in Metropolis, Illinois.   While many might use the interstates to get from point A to point B, I use them as a way of seeing all of the great Americana and history that this nation offers.

A few years ago I was accepted into an NEH institute in Pittsburg and decided to use the experience as an excuse for a history nerds road trip dream come true.  I meticulously planned out my itinerary and even decided to stay in hostels so that I could commune with other travelers.  I planned on visiting Charleston, South Carolina, Colonial Williamsburg, Philadelphia, and even planned on having a Civil Wargasm where I would visit every Civil War related site I could find.

With my Paul doll(historical action figure) by my side I set off one early June morning with the plan of getting to Charleston and visiting Fort Sumter in the late afternoon.  With my Ipod blasting my favorite Dolly Parton tunes and my car getting great mileage, I was filled with a great sense of excitement and gratitude.  Needing some gas and a little snack I pulled over in Georgia.

I stretched my legs a bit and consumed some sketchy yogurt from the local gas station before setting off again.  Within the hour my stomach began to groan and I started to feel the early warning signs of food poisoning.  I quietly cursed Yoplait but continued on towards Charleston.  Each passing mile confirmed the fact that I was descending into a hellish state of sickness.

By the time I reached Charleston I was sweating profusely and my stomach had turned itself into painful knots.  I was still determined to make it to Fort Sumter to see where the Civil War got started and boarded the ferry.  Surely the Civil War soldiers had experienced far worse than a tummy ache so I simply soldiered on.  Despite the fact that I felt like the war had declared itself in my abdomen, I still enjoyed the experience and tried to make the best of it.

Now I am not one to really throw up when sick, but I still know the telling signs that it was going to happen.  I stood among other tourists looking at a plaque when all of a sudden my mouth began to water like the alien from the Alien movies and my stomach began that lurching movement.  Before I could warn anyone, I exploded in a deluge of 12 hour old food.  I sort of felt like Moses parting the Red Sea, because as I heaved, the dozen or so tourists jumped back to escape getting splashed.  I continued my heaving and screaming for another minute before a nice guide from the National Parks Service took me to the bathroom to get cleaned up.  As I walked back past the scene of my stomach crime and saw that it had been roped off, I thought to myself that Fort Sumter had experienced war and huricanes, but I had managed to close it down with one bad yogurt.

Back on dry land, I continued to grow more and more sick and decided to not subject the hostel to my illness so I found a hotel.  Actually, it would have been better to have just rented out a bathroom for the evening since I spent a majority of the night clinging to the toilet bowl. 

The next morning I continued on to Virginia and found a cheap place to stay in Williamsburg.  Despite the fact that I was so sick, I still held on to the hope that I could still experience my itinerary.  I kept thinking that I just needed a good  nights rest.  By about 4 in the morning I knew that my plans were shot and that I would have to get medical attention, but I wanted to at least make it to Pittsburgh before I did so.

Somewhere in Pennsylvania I stopped for gas and was in so much pain that it took me five minutes to get out of my car and another five to get back in.   I vowed that it was either run out of gas and call 911 or make it to Pittsburgh.  Luckily I made it to Pittsburgh and found the first hospital that would accept my insurance.  I hobbled in the emergency room and simply uttered the words "help" before just sitting down at the nurses booth.

After a quick examination, the doctors looked at me grimly and asked how long I had been driving.  After telling them that I had been on the road for two days in that condition, the doctors informed me that I had a ruptured appendix and not food poisoning.  Within minutes I was in the operating room having the sad bits of my appendix removed.  The doctors told me later that it was a miracle that I had survived.

Throughout the entire experience I tried to convince myself that it would just pass.  I guess the one good thing that did come out of it was I got to experience the 4th of July from a hospital bed with a morphine drip.  Not quite the fireworks I was hoping for, but man the wicked dreams about them more than made up for it.  

Medgar Evers

It is really hard to travel through the south in search of historic places without having to confront some of the worst chapters in our American past.  During my last road trip, I focused specifically on visiting sites related to the civil rights movement.

VERY early one morning, I visited the former home of Medgar Evers.  I say VERY early because if you watch the video it looks as if I had just woken up and I am very soft spoken.  Obviously the morning coffee had not quite kicked in in.

Medgar Evers was the field office secretary for the NAACP in Jackson, Mississippi.  He spent a good deal of time advocating for voting rights and also the end of segregation.  He had also been heavily involved in trying to secure justice in the Emmett Till case, which sadly still has not been realized over 50 years later.

Evers and his family knew of the dangers involved with his work, but despite that he continued to fight.  Shortly after he got home right after midnight on June 12, 1963, Evers was gunned down and killed by an assassin. Byron DeLaBeckwith was accused of the murder and went to trial for it two times in the 1960's.  Each trial came back with a hung jury and Beckwith was set loose.  Finally after almost 30 years Beckwith was brought back to trial and finally found guilty of murdering Evers.  He died in prison in 2001.

I first remember hearing about Evers in my 10th grade history class and I followed the new trial closely.  Upon setting out on my latest road trip, I knew that the Evers home would have to be a stop on the itinerary.  The home is now a museum and you can schedule tour ahead of time if you would like to see the inside.  Because it was so early when I got there, I could only see the outside.  I tried to look through the windows but an old lady next door kept giving me dirty looks so I just filmed what I could and moved on.

Although his life was cut dramatically short, Ever's impact upon Mississippi was great.  Sadly, it was his death that probably provoked the most change.  For those of you interested, there was a movie made about bringing Beckwith to justice called "Ghosts of Mississippi".  Also, if you saw "The Help" you might recall that Evers death plays a prominent role in that film and book.

The Devil and Robert Johnson

While driving through Mississippi this past week I had to take a little time out to explore the myth and the legend of Robert Johnson who is widely considered a true pioneer of the Blues.  Admittedly, the Blues is not something I would typically have playing from my Ipod(Dolly Parton would be disappointed) I did enjoy something a little new and grew to appreciate it.

Robert Johnson(1911-1938) probably would have been shocked by his success because during his life he was never considered famous.  He roamed from town to town playing gigs and even spent a fair amount of time playing on street corners.  Despite his relative lack of success while he was still above ground, he did manage to cut some records which were "rediscovered" years after his demise.  It was then that people realized his talent and he finally became a legend.

Since he was relatively unknown during his lifetime, people have tried to reconstruct his story based on the scarce information that is really known about him.  Much is based on legend, most notably the story in which he reportedly sold his soul to the devil in exchange for some mad guitar skills.  Legend has it that he was told that if he took his guitar to a crossroads in Clarksdale, Mississippi, the devil in the shape of a black man would strike up a deal with him.  It is said that Johnson took the advice, went to the crossroads and the devil came and tuned his guitar.  From then on he was a master at his craft. 

His death at the age of 27 is also shrouded in mystery and some say the devil came to collect his prize.  Johnson was known to love three things; wine, women and song.  Sadly for him, all of these ended up leading to his death.  Apparently he was messing around with another mans wife and the husband ended up poisoning some booze that Johnson was guzzling down and he died shortly thereafter. 

I am always a little obsessed about finding the gravesites of people so I made it my mission to find the final resting place of Johnson.  It turned into quite an ordeal and I am sad to admit I utterly failed at it.  Thing is that no one can seem to agree where he is actually buried.  There are actually 3 gravestones for him in three different locations.  Since he was an itinerant musician no one really seemed to care to throw him a lavish funeral and his body was just buried with no real marker.  Through the years people have claimed to know the "real" location of his remains, but short of digging him up, I think the mystery will continue.  I wanted to find all three gravesites, but my enormous lack of direction and the fact it took me way too long to find the crossroads where the deal with the devil was made(yeah, look up Mike at the big sign), I had to abandon my search for his body.

Robert Johnson, although he died far too young is now remembered as being a huge influence not only on the blues, but also for his influence on the birth of rock and roll.  Many musicians, such as Eric Clapton, have cited Johnson as being instrumental in their growth as artists.