The Hoggatteer Experience - THE HOGGATTEER REVOLUTION

Fort Ticonderoga: Stephen Pell

6/15/2019

While I have a moderate knowledge of the French and Indian War (since last year's stint at Mount Vernon), I really do not know much about World War I. That's another reason this year's Teacher Institute at Fort Ticonderoga in Upstate New York intrigues me.

The museum founder at Ticonderoga was a man by the name of Stephen Pell, and a couple of our sessions, this summer, will focus on his experiences during WWI (Stephen Pell’s Great War and Working with Stephen Pell’s Wartime Letters). Naturally, I have never heard of this man, but I did see a recent post on Facebook and Twitter that let me know this:

During service in WWI, Stephen H.P. Pell, museum founder, was stuck in the leg by a fragment of exploding shell. He had this case made to hold the shell fragment and incorporated the initials and photos of his nurses.

This was a personal memento for Mr. Pell, something he held dear, and I look forward to seeing it on display and getting to know Stephen Pell, this summer. Also as a part of the exhibit are Mr. Pell's military uniforms which are featured partially in one of the fort's videos (right).

With more searching, I have discovered that Pell served in both the Spanish-American War and WWI. In the latter, he served in with the French Army in the American Ambulance Service. The the United States entered the war, Pell transferred to the U.S. Army Ambulance Corps.

An article in the Schenectady Gazette (left), June 14, 1938, describes Stephen Pell as being from a "landed family" - that is, a family that had long owned land. In fact, he inherited a piece of land, included the ruins of Fort Ticonderoga, from his great grandfather, and in 1908, he began the restoration process for the fort.

Born in 1874, Pell became well respected for his collection of Colonial coinage and Indian Peace Medals. He can be seen interacting with guests at the fort at the end of the video below.

Braddock's March

6/14/2019

Art Appreciation

Observe the artwork here.

What do you notice?
What do you wonder?
What is happening?
Write your thoughts.

Music Appreciation

Life Is a Highway

The Fear

Born for This

Never Give Up

Unstoppable

GEORGE WASHINGTON WAS UNBREAKABLE

There is no less incredible account of the making of George Washington than his experiences in the following year. In 1755, Washington soldiered on in the French and Indian War (in England known as the Seven Years War), now under the leadership of Major General Edward Braddock.

Washington, now a colonel, became sick and chose to remain on the side of the trail for some time before rejoining the unit. Once he did, British Forces were confronted by the enemy in what is now known by many names: the Battle of Monongahela, Battle of the Wilderness, and the Battle of Braddock's Field. This last title assigned due to the events of the day.

Mount Vernon has an excellent visual presentation in the Orientation Center that highlights this portion of George Washington's life and career. The film is titled We Fight to be Free, and really encapsulates the portion of his life during the French and Indian War.

The film features reenacted scenes from the Battle of Monongahela, in which Colonel Washington must take over for the injured Braddock. Washington leaps into a commanding role, in spite of the shots that ring out all around him. Watch it and read Mount Vernon's account of the battle for yourself and be amazed at how close he came to being killed himself.

GEORGE WASHINGTON WAS SENTIMENTAL

Major General Braddock died of his injuries four days after the battle. He was carried from the battlefield in his own burgundy-colored sash, so colored to indicate his rank. More explanation about the sash can be discovered in the video below.

Sprang and the Braddock Sash from Mount Vernon on Vimeo.

Make a prediction about how long and how wide you think the sash is. What justifications do you have for your predictions?

As indicated, the sash was given to George Washington when Braddock died. Today it is in the Mount Vernon artifact collection.

Even later, when Washington posed for a portrait, he insisted on wearing the sash of his former commanding officer in tribute. What do you notice about the portrait (left)? What do you wonder?

What are some reasons he felt compelled to wear Braddock's sash for his portrait? Are there items in your own possession that remind you of loved or respected ones who are no longer in your life? If so, are those items special to you? Why are they special? Write about one, including a description of your reasons.

GEORGE WASHINGTON DID NOT SIT IDLE

In the 16 years between the French and Indian War and the Revolutionary War, George took some time to regroup, with his beloved wife Martha, at Mount Vernon. He must have always been thinking of improving - on his plantation and mansion, as well as on the new nation that was about to form.

During this time, he experimented with crop rotation and composting. He ran a fishing operation on the Potomac River. He wrote letters to friends and acquaintances. He served in government posts. He formed opinions about slavery. In short, George kept himself busy in that interim, enjoying life at Mount Vernon and spending time with his new family, which included Martha's two children from a previous marriage (She was a widow.).

And then, duty would call once again, but this time for the Continental Army against the British regulars of whom he had been a part.

Memorization

6/13/2019

I saw John Medina, author of “Brain Rules,” speak years ago and he said something to the extent of “Creation without consumption is the equivalent of playing the air guitar; you might know the motions, but you won’t actually know how to play.” -George Couros

It happens in the teachers' lounge.

It happens in restaurants.

It happens in high school classrooms.

Over and over, in multiple settings, technology takes the place of conversation.

But that's not what I'm talking about. Not really.

I recently read a blog post by The Principal of Change, George Couros, entitled "Memorization is Not a Bad Thing". In his article, he begins with a scenario that describes a scene with which most of us can identify: The year is 2030, and a question is asked. Rather that answer the question in regular conversation, someone at the table takes out a phone and googles the answer. On and on in the conversation, members of the group do the same, seeming to have resigned themselves to the idea that Google is the new Brain. No longer is memorization necessary! Couros observes, "Soon, no one wants to talk to you because they know the conversation will be one that is focused solely on you looking at devices for reference. How boring is that?"

Boring indeed!

Why do we memorize? There's a question that brings many responses. Off the top of my head, I would think that we memorize to internalize information and processes that will improve our lives, whether by improving the ways we do things to make our lives easier (as in cooking methods or driving strategies) or by increasing our happiness (like in pursuing the hobbies and interests that are personal to each of us). In many ways contrary to this, however, our teachers forced us to memorize the specific dates of historical events rather than place those events in the context of a timeline that would demonstrate cause-and-effect and relevance to "real life".

It's a shame, really, that most of what we memorized in the good ol' days has long been lost to our memories. There's a brain-ghost of them that remains on a wall of my mind that has long since been painted over, but that information is quite useless to me now. Thankfully, as an adult, I can study what I want to study. I chase the interests I want to chase. I can, if I choose, pursue avenues that will improve my areas of weakness, or I may continue to enhance my strengths. At any rate, I can learn in a way that is comfortable to me; no longer am I bound to working through assignments (jumping through hoops) in a manner that makes my teachers happy. After a while, I find myself becoming an expert on a topic, and I didn't ever have to sit down to memorize lists, speeches, or paragraphs to get there.

There are, of course, things that I do not know - even things I do not need to know. That does not mean I don't understand them; it simply means that I choose not to crowd my brain with certain information.

Couros would tell us there must be balance in our approaches to using our memories. As teachers, we must not dogmatically insist our students so rigidly memorize facts and figures that they lose context and purpose in the process. As Couros concludes, "Memorization is a part of it but definitely should not be an endpoint."

The War that Made America: Tale Less Told

6/12/2019

It is a story that captivates - this tale less told, this account of the prelude to America's war for independence. In his telling, author Fred Anderson describes Americans as being "no more familiar with [the French and Indian War's] events and significance than they are with those of the Peloponnesian War".

It was Winston Churchill, the renowned prime minister of England and respected leader during World War II, who described the French and Indian War (or the Seven Years War, as it is known in European circles) as "the first world war". It is truly a fascinating and curious development in the struggle for possession of the North American continent that surpasses the birth of the United States, and yet it is a part of a continual arc that shapes the timeline of our independence. It is also chock full of irony, recognized by Fred Anderson as follows:

That the man who triggered the war by trying to project British power into the heart of the continent should have gone on to lead an American revolutionary army and then to serve as the first president of the United States is surely one of the greater ironies in a national history that abounds in them.

Here is a story that is more complicated than a single battle against oppressive governments. It is a story that goes far beyond a single man quickly progressing through the ranks, in spite of his mistakes and ego, to finally become the commander-in-chief and president of an infant nation. It is a story that involves more than a couple of world powers fighting in the wilderness.

Instead, we must see the French and Indian War as involving everyday farmers, families torn apart by duty, and an empire of native peoples fighting to maintain tradition. Those natives - the Indians - played a political game just as much as the nations to which they allied themselves.

The War that Made America is Fred Anderson's "Short History of the French and Indian War". I am reading this book to prepare for my week-long teacher residency at Fort Ticonderoga, New York, next month. For more information as I anticipate and reflect on my experiences at Forth Ticonderoga, please refer to the collection of links, information, lesson sets, and photographs on my Fort Ticonderoga page.

The First World War: Wet and Muddy

6/11/2019

I have a lot to learn about World War I. That's one reason why I need to read this book in preparation for this year's Teacher Institute at Fort Ticonderoga. Author Hew Strachan spends a number of paragraphs explaining the differences between the approaches to recording history at the 50-year anniversary of the Great War and the centennial.

I found it interesting to note, as Strachan explains, that a war's legacy comes long after the war is over. WW2, he says, is defined by the "greatest generation" and a noble, existential purpose, but at the time, no nation defied Adolf Hitler in defense of the Jews. The same is true of WWI.

The war began because of "the assassination of the Austro-Hungarian heir apparent, Franz Ferdinand. The lesson "a cautionary tale against elevating a violent crime into an international incident..."

The war ended in the creation of "a raft of newly independent states in central and eastern Europe, from Poland to Hungary, from Lithuania to Ukraine".

And the war war was fought differently from the way historians in the past have depicted it. Strachan describes it as "homogenised: it is trench warfare, it is shaped by artillery and machine gun fire, it is wet and muddy..."

The author also mentions the readily available primary documents existing today, in the age of technology and internet. In his mind's eye, Strachan sees someone finding old letters in his great grandparents' attic, scanning it, and posting it on the internet for everyone to see. That alone makes a great difference in the reputation of WWI now versus the way it was viewed 50 years ago.

Book: Peculiar Incident on Shady Street

6/10/2019

There is a second ghost story in this year's Mark Twain Award list from the Missouri School Librarians Association. This one is not quite as disturbing as One for Sorrow, but it is a page turner nevertheless.

From the author's website:

When the rain starts.
When the lights go out.
That's when the trouble begins...

Tessa Woodward isn't exactly thrilled to move to rainy, cold Chicago from her home in sunny Florida. But homesickness turns to icy fear when unexplainable things start happening in her new house. Things like flickering lights, mysterious drawings appearing out of nowhere, and a crackling noise she can feel in her bones.

When her little brother's doll starts crying real tears, Tessa realizes that someone - or something - is trying to communicate with her. A secret that's been shrouded in mystery for more than one hundred years.

With the help of three new friends, Tessa begins unraveling the mystery of what happened in the house on Shady Street - and more importantly, what it has to do with her!

The author tried a little too hard to make this about a girl who moves to a new location in the U.S. when it really wasn't necessary. There's a couple of characters that are pretty unnecessary, too, having very little to do with the story.

As I said, this was a pretty good page turner - that is, right up until the end, when things suddenly were solved, over, and dropped. Just when I was expecting a big revelation in the end, the solution to appeasing the ghost was really quite simple, and then it was all over. I wish there were more of a resounding conclusion to an otherwise decent story of investigation and mystery.

Fort Ticonderoga: Mount Defiance

6/9/2019

In a recent social media entry, Fort Ticonderoga posted a picture of a past Teacher Institute visiting the top of Mount Defiance to get a look at the valley and Lake Champlain below. I don't know any of the people in the picture, but they're smiling, so that's something. The institute participants do not always "climb" Mount Defiance, but this is one of the activities on this year's itinerary. I am sure there will be breathtaking views. I will try to remember to consider the natural beauty of the area as well as the ugly history that occurred there on more than one occasion.

While the boat tour of Lake Champlain will be terrific, and the bateau experience will be memorable, this time, we will be able to see it all in context. The temperature at Mount Defiance averages 79 degrees in July, with 9 days of rain, one of the concerns for this trip is that things will heat up or that it will rain on our outdoor activities. Last year, we had our share of rain for my teacher institute at Mount Vernon, Virginia, but we still had plenty of opportunities to do everything we wanted to do. I couldn't have asked for a fuller experience. Regardless of the weather, I'm certain the Ticonderoga experience will be quite rich, as well.

School Safety Survey of Missouri Teachers

6/8/2019

The questions on this survey of Missouri teachers (conducted by the Missouri State Teachers Association) are broad and ambiguous. Only teachers who were willing to answer were polled. I question the science of the poll, but somewhere around 4,000 chose to be a part of it. Still the numbers are interesting and beg the question: How does our school stack up?

The first pie chart reveals that over 71% of the responders do not feel safe in their classrooms. I wonder what they mean by that: Are they afraid of an armed intruder? Do they envision an assault by a violent student? Do they fear an administrator or a peer? And by the way, could a majority of those surveyed come from urban districts and inner cities?

The second chart addresses verbal assault. Almost the same number (around 70%) claim that verbal assault has occurred in their schools. Some of the same questions must be asked to follow up on this question. Where is the verbal assault originating, and who is on the receiving end? Teachers? Secretaries? Students?

The third chart helps draw a conclusion that most of the fears from the teachers may originate from verbal assaults. This chart shows that nearly 80% of responders indicate that physical assault is not a problem.

Next comes a bar graph to show whom teachers fear the most. About 2,000 teachers say students have committed the violent acts they have witnessed. Half that number have seen parents become violent, while a smaller number of teachers report a colleague or administrator has become violent.

And yet, only about a quarter of the responders say they have considered leaving education because of their safety concerns.

What conclusions can be drawn from this information? I would propose that further study must be conducted to "drill down" the causes of concern. Are the violent acts single occurrences or are they ongoing? I think there are more questions generated by a survey such as this one than answers gleaned.

Still, how does our school stack up?

Music Appreciation: Shakedown

6/7/2019

Students are often called upon
to read "chorally".

That is, they read together
simultaneously as a group.

Repeating this practice assists young readers with reading fluency - the speed, accuracy, and inflection of oral reading.

Why not, since it's called "choral" reading anyway, actually read the chorus of a song?

Paper Shortage?

6/6/2019

This is one photo from the early 19th-century documents collection at Thomas Jefferson's Monticello (recently posted on social media). The following explanation was offered alongside the picture:

Although it may look odd today, crossed letters—also known as cross-writing or cross-hatching—were not unusual in the early-nineteenth century. Both paper and postage were expensive, and this technique allowed the correspondent to save money by writing in one direction and then turning the letter 90 degrees and writing perpendicularly.

The penmanship of the period always seems to be precise and straight. Now, with cross-hatching, the writing is as artistic as basket weaving. What an interesting sidebar in history.

Reverse Assumptions

6/5/2019

We tend to make a lot of assumptions based on first impressions, but what if you could meet a person before seeing him/her? Would you draw different conclusions?

Take a moment to watch this video:

Now for some questions:

What is an assumption?
Has anyone ever discriminated against you because of the way you look (skin color, hair, clothing, etc.)?
What do people assume about you?
What is more important - the way you look or your personality?
How do you decide who you like to hang around with?
Would these children have acted differently if they faced each other from the start? How?
Are assumptions good or bad? Discuss why you think so.

Book: Walking with Millie

6/4/2019

There is a certain amount of charm to this book. Author Tamara Bundy captures a certain era of the past with great skill.

Here is a preview of the book:

I wanted to like this book. I kept waiting for the climax of the story, but it never really came. In addition, there was never a real resolution to the problems that occurred along the way.

While Alice's relationship with Miss Millie was described well, there are many relationships that are ill-defined in the end: Alice and the mean boy, Alice and the doctor's daughter, Alice and her father, and Alice's mother and the store owner. Any issues involving Alice's grandmother dealing with dementia are left hanging. I just kept waiting to be satisfied in all of these matters, but never was.

ClassDojo Year in Review

6/3/2019

As the ClassDojo mentor for our school, I get this report every week about our school, but I thought I would share it here for the first time. The numbers are impressive, but we should be especially proud of the last one: 92% positive feedback.

In our class at the end of the hall, I always strive to keep things above the 90% mark for the class as a whole and above 80% for each student, no matter how many total points the student has accumulated. When our numbers slip below those percentages, a conversation is called for. We can look at positive points and points that indicate work is needed and hash out causes and effects for the lower percentages.

In our class alone, we ended the year with 5,533 positive points, resulting in 90% positivity, just shy of the school's average and prompting me to think about adding a goal to our class for next year - that we will stay above the school average.

Other observations show that ALAHNAH and ALEXIS ended the year with our highest positive percentage at 99%, and PATRICK and ALEXIS ended with the highest number of positive points overall.

While there are many other factors in play in our school and in our classroom, ClassDojo gives us a window into what is happening and allows us to focus on the areas in which we need to work on the most. In our class, the most red Needs Work points were given for Disrespect. Most of these times, disrespect means disrespect for peers' concentration and personal space. Other points were given for Irresponsible, mostly indicating that a student was off-task. Consequently, on the positive side, Responsibility and Respect earned the most points.

I think it is important for a teacher to review and rethink things at the end of each year in order to hone his/her teaching craft and keep things moving forward. It is what I ask of my students every day; why shouldn't I ask the same of myself?

Fort Ticonderoga: Preparatory reading

6/2/2019

There are two required readings before the Teacher Institute at Fort Ticonderoga, this summer. The first, The War that Made America, is "a short history of the French and Indian War". The second, The First World War, is about, er, the First World War. I look forward to spotting these in the mail any day now.

Here is the synopsis about The War that Made America from Goodreads:

The French and Indian War -the North American phase of a far larger conflagration, the Seven Years' War-remains one of the most important, and yet misunderstood, episodes in American history. Fred Anderson takes readers on a remarkable journey through the vast conflict that, between 1755 and 1763, destroyed the French Empire in North America, overturned the balance of power on two continents, undermined the ability of Indian nations to determine their destinies, and lit the "long fuse" of the American Revolution. Beautifully illustrated and recounted by an expert storyteller, The War That Made America is required reading for anyone interested in the ways in which war has shaped the history of America and its peoples.

And here is a longer synopsis about The First World War from Goodreads:

Nearly a century has passed since the outbreak of World War I, yet as military historian Hew Strachan argues in this brilliant and authoritative new book, the legacy of the “war to end all wars” is with us still. The First World War was a truly global conflict from the start, with many of the most decisive battles fought in or directly affecting the Balkans, Africa, and the Ottoman Empire. Even more than World War II, the First World War continues to shape the politics and international relations of our world, especially in hot spots like the Middle East and the Balkans.

Strachan has done a masterful job of reexamining the causes, the major campaigns, and the consequences of the First World War, compressing a lifetime of knowledge into a single definitive volume tailored for the general reader. Written in crisp, compelling prose and enlivened with extraordinarily vivid photographs and detailed maps, The First World War re-creates this world-altering conflict both on and off the battlefield—the clash of ideologies between the colonial powers at the center of the war, the social and economic unrest that swept Europe both before and after, the military strategies employed with stunning success and tragic failure in the various theaters of war, the terms of peace and why it didn’t last.

Drawing on material culled from many countries, Strachan offers a fresh, clear-sighted perspective on how the war not only redrew the map of the world but also set in motion the most dangerous conflicts of today. Deeply learned, powerfully written, and soon to be released with a new introduction that commemorates the hundredth anniversary of the outbreak of the war, The First World War remains a landmark of contemporary history.

Lighting Improvements Over Summer Break

6/1/2019

We've seen great improvement in lighting design over the last 200 years, and we've certainly improved on Abe Lincoln's reading by firelight, but we've been stuck on these fluorescent models for decades now. Sometime over the summer break, we have been told that we will have new lighting installed throughout the building. The new LED lighting will be brighter and clearer than the old fluorescent models currently in our halls and classrooms.

Studies have long indicated that lighting affects learning and achievement, either increasing or decreasing the brain's ability to process data. Fluorescent lights bounce off of paper, books, and boards so harshly that it can cause double-digit deficits in student success. They also flicker, causing skin problems, migraines, headaches, eye strain, and anxiety. The new LED panels being installed at Cecil Floyd will give students just a little extra boost and make our school look so much better at the same time. They will also save the taxpayers from paying on an already high electric bill to keep us toasty in the winter and cool in the summer.

Of course, it might be easier to see the dust and grime, too.

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