Having taught American History for over half of my life, I'm a huge fan! (Notice that I didn't say "history buff"! You won't find me on Jeopardy or in any history bowl competition. Honestly, when under pressure - I tend to forget the names of some key players or offer the wrong dates for important battles.) But, it's really the individual stories that impresses me most. You might be thinking that my interest in American History is mainly because I'm a teacher. Or maybe it's because I'm simply a nerd at heart. Whatever you think is fine- it won't hurt my feelings, and it doesn't change my mind. I know the history of this great country and stories of its key players, the Patriots.
When my boys were in elementary school, I encouraged them to participate in the American Heritage Poetry Contest every year. Both accommidated their mother's wishes. They memorized and recited poems about American Heroes each year. As they prepared to recite their poems, I had the opportunity to teach them about some ordinary people that behaved in extraordinary fashion - forever altering the history of our country.
I wasn't the only one doing the educating, though. How shocked I was when Nate revealed to me the subject of his fifth grade Social Studies Fair project. I was blown away as he "taught his teacher/mom" about The Turtle. Before that day, I was completely unaware that during the American Revolution a submarine, The Turtle, was designed by Patriots to perform a suprise attack on British ships in Boston Harbor. Who knew? In case you are wondering, The Turtle was not exactly successful at its mission, but Wow! Needless to say, he took his teacher/mom to school that day! And I have never forgotten it.
Clearly, all of us can learn valuable lessons from the past. Those timeless lessons can make us better when we allow it. I know that I continue to learn invaluable lessons from Patriots of our past. These are the stories that cause me to self-reflect and self-evaluate my own personal role in history. What part will I play? Am I willing to make sacrifices so future generations can enjoy the liberities given to me? These are just a few of the questions that I have wrestled with on my journey.
Last night while I was tossing some of these intense questions around in my mind, I decided to write a little poem. Because Christmas is almost here, I thought, "Why not make it '2020 Night Before Christmas'?' So here it is- my version of "2020 Night Before Christmas". I hope you enjoy! If you don't, it's fine. (You and I were awarded that liberty in our US Constitiution- Ammendment 1.)
