History for the Asking
Our job at Riley’s Farm is to construct a convincing backdrop and fill it with characters that breathe life into these stories. The goal is to allow school children to engage all five senses in their exploration of our magnificent history, even if it culminates with a sheepish teacher, hiding behind her hand, muttering, “Guys…. We just talked about this YESTERDAY!”
Not to worry, for when a fourth grader dips her hands into the frigid winter waters of a Long Tom to pan for gold, a middle-schooler gnaws through his rationed hardtack, or a fifth-grader makes a face at the sulfurous stench of a freshly fired Brown Bess, history is alive again! The stomping boots of quartered regulars intruding into a home, the metallic clack of a bayonet being fixed to a muzzle, or the piercing wail of a fife above the smoky blast of a musket invites any guest to take a walk into the past with us. Speaking as a formerly apathetic student, it trumps any textbook!
So when I hear that our second U.S. President was Samuel L. Jackson, or that those who do not remember the past are condemned to death, it doesn’t worry me. Obviously, as teachers of history, we value accuracy immensely, however, we relish any answer we get, as not only are we often entertained, but they come from students who are excited and engaged, regardless of their veracity.
Now, to be fair, I have delighted in the sound of an entire class flawlessly recite the Preamble to the Constitution, and witnessed hundreds of students’ eyes light up as they answer my prompt of “Taxation without…” with a proud bellow of, “REPRESENTATION” as their teacher beams in proud approval.
Most touching, perhaps, was the conversation with a young autistic boy who approached me and asked,
“What number in order was your Battle of the George Tavern?” I replied, “Well, if Lexington and Concord was the first, and the George Tavern occurred June 26th, 1775, could it have been the second?”“No, because Bunker Hill was on June 17th.”
“Good point, lad. Most impressive!” Deciding to see how much this lad knew, I pressed on…
“Do you know who led the men on the Lexington green?”
“Captain John Parker.”
His smiling mom gently nudged him and said, “Can you tell him what Cpt. Parker said to his men that morning?”
Without missing a beat, the reply came, “Don’t fire unless fired upon, men, but if they mean to have a war, let it begin here.”
Just amazing. Answers like these are obviously beyond our expectations, and the simple correct ones make us very happy. However, I relish every opportunity to hear what our students say, no matter what their answers might be, because what counts is that they care enough to get excited about what we do here. So do I, every day.
We live history so we can teach it, and we think the best way to do that is to let the kids live it for a few hours with us.
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This post was written by Jim Riley
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