By now, most of our students should be well on their way to recovery. I am just now starting to feel a little rested. What a fantastic week. We ended our visit to the nation's capital by spending the day visiting museums on the National Mall. Because the day was spent in small groups, today's pictures will be limited in number.
We all started the day at the Smithsonian Air & Space Museum. Many of the kids headed straight to the flight simulators. While not heavy on history, they are a lot of fun and always a popular part of our final day. Without enough time to see everything that the museum has to offer, the kids headed off to see something that was of interest to them - some at the Wright Flyer, others at space displays, and some at the military flight exhibits. We ended our time at Air & Space by eating lunch at the museum food court.
As has become custom, I gave the kids some choice for their second museum stop. Mrs. Bigelow and Mrs. Zoda took a group to the National Gallery of Art, and the rest headed over to the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History. Again, more than one could ever hope to see in one visit. From the gem collection (including the Hope Diamond) and dinosaur hall, to exhibits on sea life and mammals, to an exhibit on the history of human existence. The kids were given two hours to explore as they wished.
To end the day, the two groups met at the Smithsonian Museum of American History. Though worn out by this time, the kids spent two final hours exploring the exhibits offered.
With as much as we were able to see over the past week, it is only a fraction of what Washington, DC has to offer. I really hope that the kids have the opportunity to return from time to time for further exploration. I trust that each student has come away from this trip with their favorite stops, best museum picks, and so forth. My hope is that all gained some appreciation for their country's history, as well as the people and events that shaped it.
It is important to point out here how pleased I was with the behavior of our students over the past week. At each stop we made, the Swift Creek group was always among the best behaved and most respectful. And believe me, there were many groups at each venue.
I also want to thank the teacher chaperones - Ms. Smith, Mrs. Zoda, Mrs. Bigelow, and Mr. Lynch - who sacrificed a week of their classroom time to help make this trip run smoothly. It's always nice to have a member of our administration join us, and I want to thank Mr. Burgess for filling that role this year.
Finally, thank you to each parent who committed themselves to having their child participate in this incredible experience. I know that this requires quite a bit of sacrifice. Thank you.
Now for the final day pics:
Sunday, May 1, 2011
Thursday, April 28, 2011
Spending the Day in Pennsylvania
Well, rather than wait until we return to the hotel in a couple of hours, I am writing on the bus ride back from Pennsylvania. You'll get the update now and the pics when I get back to my room.
It was an early start this morning with a 6:45 departure from the hotel. After a two hour drive, we began our visit at the Gettysburg National Military Park. We were treated to a 2-hour guided tour of the battlefield, the most well-preserved battlefield in the world. From Bufford's cavalry, to Seminary Ridge and the Devil's Den, the Wheat Field and Little Round Top, to Cemetery Ridge and Pickett's Charge, it was the best 2-hour overview of the three day battle that you can get.
After the battlefield tour, we headed into the new visitor center for a film - A New Birth of Freedom - and the cyclorama show. To make the most of our time, we had a Subway boxed lunch on the bus as we headed about 2 hours east to Lancaster County, PA.
Those who know me would agree that I love technology just about as much as anybody, but I must say that there is something really appealing about the simplicity of Amish living. Clean air, beautiful farms, and lots of amazing food. We had several hours to explore and experience all three. We ended our time in Amish Country with a wonderful family style meal.
It's hard to believe, but tomorrow is our final day in Washington. After packing up and checking out, we'll spend the day exploring a few of the Smithsonian museums. Still lots to see and learn. We will get an extra hour of sleep tomorrow, as the museums do not open until 10am.
I'll leave it there for now. Don't forget to check back later for pics.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Location:Plaza Blvd,Lancaster,United States
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
National Treasure: SCMS Edition
That's right. We made in and out of the National Archives today, and none of our kids tried to steal the Declaration of Independence.
Visiting the National Archives - and seeing first hand the Charters of Freedom - actually came after lunch today. We started our day at Mount Vernon, the home of George and Martha Washington. After touring the mansion and grounds (including the Washington Tomb), we spent a good amount of time in the new education center. If you have never been to Mount Vernon, or if has been several years since you visited, you have got to get there to tour the museum and education center that they have recently added. If only I had a classroom like that!
We then headed back into the District for lunch and shopping time at Union Station. For most of the kids it was their first time in a real train station. What an architectural masterpiece.
Next was the National Archives. One thing that has struck those of us that have doing this for the last few years is how fortunate we have been with getting in and out of venues so quickly. Last year we spent at least an hour and a half in line at the Archives. Today, we walked right in.
After the Archives, we headed to NW DC and the National Cathedral. This is always one of the highlights of the trip. The kids are usually surprised at how interesting visiting a church can be. We ended our visit to the Cathedral at the tomb of Helen Keller. The pictures that I took cannot accurately depict how amazing this place is. You really do need to get here to see for yourself. I always end the trip - and I will this year - by telling the kids that I hope this is just their first trip to DC. This is the kind of place that really requires several visits.
Having driven by and around the Washington Monument for two days, we finally let the kids out of the bus to see it up close. They spent about 30 minutes of free time to just chill-out. I think we all needed a little time to unwind.
We finished up in the District this afternoon with a visit to the Vietnam Veterans, Lincoln, and Korean War Memorials. The Vietnam Veterans Memorial never fails to have an impact on the kids. Talking in the classroom about the over 58,000 names on that wall can never match seeing them etched in black marble.
We ended the night with dinner at the Pentagon City Mall. After talking about the National Mall for two days, I always enjoy the questions on the way to Pentagon City. Is this, like, a real mall?
Well, I'm going to leave it there for tonight. We have a 5:30am wake-up call scheduled for tomorrow. It will be a long day as we travel to Pennsylvania to visit Gettysburg and Amish country. Do I have the best job in the world or what?
Visiting the National Archives - and seeing first hand the Charters of Freedom - actually came after lunch today. We started our day at Mount Vernon, the home of George and Martha Washington. After touring the mansion and grounds (including the Washington Tomb), we spent a good amount of time in the new education center. If you have never been to Mount Vernon, or if has been several years since you visited, you have got to get there to tour the museum and education center that they have recently added. If only I had a classroom like that!
We then headed back into the District for lunch and shopping time at Union Station. For most of the kids it was their first time in a real train station. What an architectural masterpiece.
Next was the National Archives. One thing that has struck those of us that have doing this for the last few years is how fortunate we have been with getting in and out of venues so quickly. Last year we spent at least an hour and a half in line at the Archives. Today, we walked right in.
After the Archives, we headed to NW DC and the National Cathedral. This is always one of the highlights of the trip. The kids are usually surprised at how interesting visiting a church can be. We ended our visit to the Cathedral at the tomb of Helen Keller. The pictures that I took cannot accurately depict how amazing this place is. You really do need to get here to see for yourself. I always end the trip - and I will this year - by telling the kids that I hope this is just their first trip to DC. This is the kind of place that really requires several visits.
Having driven by and around the Washington Monument for two days, we finally let the kids out of the bus to see it up close. They spent about 30 minutes of free time to just chill-out. I think we all needed a little time to unwind.
We finished up in the District this afternoon with a visit to the Vietnam Veterans, Lincoln, and Korean War Memorials. The Vietnam Veterans Memorial never fails to have an impact on the kids. Talking in the classroom about the over 58,000 names on that wall can never match seeing them etched in black marble.
We ended the night with dinner at the Pentagon City Mall. After talking about the National Mall for two days, I always enjoy the questions on the way to Pentagon City. Is this, like, a real mall?
Well, I'm going to leave it there for tonight. We have a 5:30am wake-up call scheduled for tomorrow. It will be a long day as we travel to Pennsylvania to visit Gettysburg and Amish country. Do I have the best job in the world or what?
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
How much can you fit into one day?
Answer: A lot!
After around 14 hours of touring today, we are finally back at the hotel and settled in to get some rest. I will try and remember everything that we did and saw today.
I never get tired of visiting Arlington National Cemetery. I can think of nothing more moving for young Americans to experience. I hope that they were each able to grasp the magnitude of the sacrifice surrounding them. We attended the changing of the guard ceremony, followed by a wreath-laying ceremony with three of our kids - Jasmine Asker, David Arnold, and Luke Sembler - and Mr. Burgess representing Swift Creek Middle School. They did a wonderful job.
Leaving Arlington, we headed into DC for the first time. After a quick group picture in front of the Capitol, we headed inside to take a look. The kids had a little time to spend in the gift shop before our guided tour through one of the greatest buildings in the world. We then had lunch in the Capitol cafeteria. After lunch, we took the underground tunnel to the Library of Congress for a quick look around. It was then off to a photo stop at the White House.
Just as Lincoln did so many years ago, we left the White House and headed over to Ford's Theater. The kids were treated to a detailed explanation of the events that led to our 16th president's assassination. It's funny how much better that story plays at the very spot that it occurred then what I can do in my classroom. There's nothing like experiencing history up close and personal.
It was then off to the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum. You never know how a group of 7th grade students will react to something like this. We chose to keep the kids in their small chaperone-led groups (thanks Mrs. Bigelow for that suggestion) for this stop and that forced them to spend a little more time taking it all in. I think that most of them got the point of this powerful museum.
What's more interesting than one group of kids at the Great American Buffet? Three groups of kids there at the same time. Let's just say that everyone ate well.
Dinner was followed by stops at three memorials: Jefferson, Iwo Jima (Marine Corp), and Air Force. All three are great after sunset, and offer amazing nighttime views of the District.
Whew! That is a lot to cover in one day and one blog post. We have another long day scheduled tomorrow, beginning with Mount Vernon in the morning. I'll again put up as much as I can on Facebook throughout the day. Now for some pictures and video.
After around 14 hours of touring today, we are finally back at the hotel and settled in to get some rest. I will try and remember everything that we did and saw today.
I never get tired of visiting Arlington National Cemetery. I can think of nothing more moving for young Americans to experience. I hope that they were each able to grasp the magnitude of the sacrifice surrounding them. We attended the changing of the guard ceremony, followed by a wreath-laying ceremony with three of our kids - Jasmine Asker, David Arnold, and Luke Sembler - and Mr. Burgess representing Swift Creek Middle School. They did a wonderful job.
Leaving Arlington, we headed into DC for the first time. After a quick group picture in front of the Capitol, we headed inside to take a look. The kids had a little time to spend in the gift shop before our guided tour through one of the greatest buildings in the world. We then had lunch in the Capitol cafeteria. After lunch, we took the underground tunnel to the Library of Congress for a quick look around. It was then off to a photo stop at the White House.
Just as Lincoln did so many years ago, we left the White House and headed over to Ford's Theater. The kids were treated to a detailed explanation of the events that led to our 16th president's assassination. It's funny how much better that story plays at the very spot that it occurred then what I can do in my classroom. There's nothing like experiencing history up close and personal.
It was then off to the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum. You never know how a group of 7th grade students will react to something like this. We chose to keep the kids in their small chaperone-led groups (thanks Mrs. Bigelow for that suggestion) for this stop and that forced them to spend a little more time taking it all in. I think that most of them got the point of this powerful museum.
What's more interesting than one group of kids at the Great American Buffet? Three groups of kids there at the same time. Let's just say that everyone ate well.
Dinner was followed by stops at three memorials: Jefferson, Iwo Jima (Marine Corp), and Air Force. All three are great after sunset, and offer amazing nighttime views of the District.
Whew! That is a lot to cover in one day and one blog post. We have another long day scheduled tomorrow, beginning with Mount Vernon in the morning. I'll again put up as much as I can on Facebook throughout the day. Now for some pictures and video.
Monday, April 25, 2011
. . . and 16 hours later.
Well, after a 16 hour bus ride we've finally arrived at our hotel. The kids are all in their rooms, and hopefully getting some rest. We have an early start tomorrow, starting with breakfast at 7:15.
We have a busy schedule on tap for tomorrow. We begin with Arlington National Cemetery, including a wreath laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. We'll also tour the U.S. Capitol and eat lunch at the Capitol cafeteria.
After lunch we'll swing by the White House for a picture stop. We'll then spend time touring Ford's Theater and the U.S. Holocaust Museum. As time permits, we'll hit a number of monuments and memorials.
I'm light on pictures tonight, but I'll make up for it tomorrow.
We have a busy schedule on tap for tomorrow. We begin with Arlington National Cemetery, including a wreath laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. We'll also tour the U.S. Capitol and eat lunch at the Capitol cafeteria.
After lunch we'll swing by the White House for a picture stop. We'll then spend time touring Ford's Theater and the U.S. Holocaust Museum. As time permits, we'll hit a number of monuments and memorials.
I'm light on pictures tonight, but I'll make up for it tomorrow.
Saturday, April 23, 2011
T minus 29 Hours and Counting
The beginning of the SCMS DC Tour: 2011 Edition is now just hours away. I've spent most of today making final preparations and answering questions from students and parents. What to wear? What to pack? And so on, and so on.But what about . . .?
The best answer to most of the question is: Use common sense. If those shorts would be inappropriate for school, then they're probably inappropriate for the trip. I've got a weather widget over there on the right column of this page. As you can see if you click on the 10-day forecast link, you'll probably want to plan for some hot, some cool, and, unfortunately, a little wet weather.
Keeping Up-to-Date
Parents wanting to keep up-to-date with what we are doing in DC have a couple of options this year. I'll be posting pics and news throughout each day on Facebook and right here on this blog. I'll do my end of day wrap-up, including a slide show of the days pics, here on the blog. I will not be posting news and pics this year on the Washington Trip page on my class website.
Need to get in touch?
While you are more than welcome to post comments on any blog post, do not use a blog comment to try and contact me during the trip. Call, text, or message me on Facebook if you need to a timely response. My phone number is (850) 509-7032.
Don't be late!
I look forward to seeing everyone Monday morning at 4:30am. Please do not be late. We'll meet in the cafeteria for baggage check and final announcements before departure.
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