Roadie: Women's Rights National Historic Park

The Wesleyan Chapel, site of the First Women's Rights Convention in 1848. (10/8/18)

Though less than a sixty minute drive from our home in Rochester, New York, Anne and I had never been to the Women's Rights National Historic Park. During last October's Columbus Day long weekend, we took our day off from work to drive out to nearby Seneca Falls where the "park" is located. As (relative) locals, and residents of the hometown of suffragist Susan B. Anthony, it is easy to overlook local historic sites in one's own backyard, even those with such significance to Unites States History. More a series of interconnected museum displays than a traditional "park" (no hiking shoes required!), there is quite a bit to take in over relatively short square footage that comprises the Visitor's Center and nearby sites. The town of Seneca Falls, the basis for Bedford Falls from It's A Wonderful Life, includes a quaint Main Street with other tourist sites to investigate.

Inside the restored Wesleyan Chapel. (10/8/18)

Declaration Park lies between the Wesleyan Chapel and Visitor's Center. (10/8/18)

The Waterwall on which the entire text of the Declaration of Sentiments 
and it's signers are inscribed. (10/8/18)

Green space at Declaration Park. (10/8/18)

Entrance to the park Visitor's Center at 136 Fall Street
 next to the Wesleyan Church. (10/8/18)

Juliette Gordon Law (right), founder of the Girls Scouts of America. (10/8/18)

Display depicting the history of Girl Scouting. (10/8/18)

Replica of The Declaration of Sentiments. (10/8/18)

(10/8/18)

The First Wave statue exhibit inside the entrance of the visitor's center. (10/8/18)

Me with statues of Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Frederick Douglass. (10/8/18)

Displays leading to the second floor of the Visitor's Center.(10/8/18)

A myriad of images, artifacts and media representations 
documenting Women's Rights Movement. (10/8/18)

(10/8/18)

One of many engaging pieces for clarifying
necessity for equity. (10/8/18)

Incredible photography capture reality that these
historic events are not really ancient history. (10/8/18)

These pictures taken during our trip do little justice to the scope and power of the displays and sites at the Women's Rights National Historic Park. Each display includes quite a bit of great reading offering a wide range of perspectives on the Women's Rights Movement from both participants and those impacted. Having recently read and analyzed the Declaration of Sentiments with my students, it really is incredible that it took another 70+ years for women to fully gain the right to vote nationally. The images, statues and site at the Women's Rights park serve as powerful reminders of how far our nation has come relative to delivering equity, and in light of recent political environment, how far there is yet to go.

Roadie: FDR Presidential Library & Museum

The FDR Presidential Library & Museum located in Hyde Park, New York. (9/3/16)

On Labor Day weekend, my wife and I once again made our way to New York City. Four years ago it was an anxious train ride to deliver my stepson to Columbia University for his freshmen year; this year, his final one as an undergraduate, was a much different trek. Having spent the summer in New York City, the majority of his belongings were already there, and rather than escorting him to campus, as he departed our home in Rochester, my wife and I left by car. When he arrived in town to settle in in on Saturday afternoon, we were arriving in Poughkipsee, New York, for some sightseeing before taking the train to visit the following day.

At this point Gregory really doesn't require much help moving, but we wanted to see his new dorm and decided to make a weekend out of it. Having Gregory go to college in New York City has provided Anne and I with many opportunities to visit a number of the historical sites in and around New York City, and this final September journey was no different--except that we were not solely in Gotham.

A National Historic Site, The Frederick Delano Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum, operated by the National Park Service, is located on the grounds of Springwood, the Roosevelt family estate in neighboring Hyde Park, New York. With Poughkipsee only a manageable two-hour train ride from New York City, its location was ideal as a base of operations for a day trip to the FDR National Park prior to heading to NYC. We would have liked to have spent more time in Hyde Park, as the four hours we did spend visiting was only enough to see a small part of the park's offerings. The library was built under the President's personal direction in 1939-1940, and dedicated on June 30, 1941. It is one of the thirteen presidential libraries under the auspices of the National Archives and Records Administration.

Close-up of FDR bust outside museum. (9/3/16)

Given their four terms in office, it is not suprising how quotable
President Roosevelt and his wife turned out to be.

Not a recreation, but FDR's working study in the museum during his life. (9/3/16) 

The President's desk from his time in the Oval Office. (9/3/16)

Busts of FDR and Eleanor Roosevelt welcome visitors to the museum. (9/3/16)

Picturesque park land immediately outside the museum. (9/3/16)

Looking back through these images from our visit to the FDR Presidential Library and Museum, I am struck by how poorly they reflect how incredibly entertaining and educational this historic site is. As someone with not nearly as deep an understanding of U.S. history as he should, while visiting places I am often more focused on taking the displays in than capturing the experience on "film". In addition to the few displays seen above, there are also six-minute films for viewing prior to each section of the museum. Each included archival footage and were thoroughly engaging. Ranging from FDR's childhood and early political life to an exploration of his lasting influence on the world, narrated by President Clinton, taken as a whole they provided wonderful context and background.

When we met Gregory the following day in New York City, both Anne and I highly recommended that he take some time to visit the FDR Presidential Library and Museum in Hyde Park.

Accepting The Call For the First Time (Again)

The Call of the Wild begins with an unattributed epigraph:
the first stanza of "Atavism," a 1902 poem by John Myers O'Hara.

Two weeks ago, in anticipation of our impending seven-day break from classes, I asked my Advanced Placement students if any of them had a favorite book that they enjoyed re-reading for fun. The few that did, mentioned the titles that one might expect from normal eleventh graders: titles from any number of popular young adult franchises such as Harry Potter, Percy Jackson and the like. It was then that I hinted at the possibility of my asking them to read (or in some case re-read) a short novel that I enjoyed revisiting during break that they too may have become familiar with from middle school, The Call of the Wild by Jack London.

Though I teach high school English, and the reality that The Call of the Wild is firmly ensconced as a middle school title in our (like most) school districts, it became apparent a few years ago that, for whatever reason, London's classic was no longer being taught. As a result, most students had no awareness of Jack London beyond, maybe, having been assigned (and consequently dreading the experience of) reading "To Build a Fire".

As was expected, many students balked at the idea of being assigned a book to read during this time (and more than one colleague suggested to me "it is break after all"), I reminded my charges that had I any faith that they might read anything during our time apart, I might feel differently. An ulterior motive I had for assigning this particular book was the hope that some had indeed read it in middle school, and could therefor come to the realization upon re-reading it that books returned to at different points in one's experience can reveal new layers of understanding that their younger selves may have missed. (I knew some had been assigned it in the past by virtue of their names having been scrawled in the covers by their younger selves), of those few who had, none remembered it.

The task required of students' while reading was non-threatening as it mirrored one they had recently completed: as each read, she or he would annotate using either post-it notes (in the school's book) or in-text notations identifying and explaining specific literary strategies employed by London in telling Buck's story. The course was, after all, Language and Composition so our shared emphasis would be on writer's craft. For my part, I would also be re-reading the text, albeit for the upteenth time, and share select pages of annotation with the via my Twitter feed and our class blog throughout the course of our break. (Full disclosure: I could not resist the urge to begin (again) so actually began reading and annotating prior to the start of break.)

As some of my students reluctantly accept "the call" for the first time, and others willingly embrace Buck's tale for a second, I look forward to sharing together with them after break our thoughts on the journey (and process)...

Cleveland (and J-Rock) Rocks

Part of the numerous art installations in the Daniel Burnham section of the
Cleveland Mall. (9/27/15)

I spent last weekend in the Beachwood suburb of Cleveland, Ohio, making two trips into the city. In a span of 36 hours during two trips to the North Coast Harbor district in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, on the shore of Lake Erie, we managed to take in two of the linchpins of Cleveland's shoreline redevelopment project, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Cleveland Browns Stadium.

Oaktown's #1 B-Boy and I outside the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame! (9/26/15)

On the first day, the friend who I was visiting and I went to visit the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and, though armed with our cell phones, I left my "regular" camera in the car. The following day, one on which he was working at the Cleveland Browns-Oakland Raiders NFL game, I walked around the general vicinity of the stadium parking garage and snapped a few touristy pictures of local landmarks and artwork. It was an especially gorgeous day for picture taking and football watching.

Cleveland continues to build. (9/27/15)

The Great Lakes Science Center from the Cleveland Mall. (9/27/15)

FirstEnergy Stadium, officially FirstEnergy Stadium, Home of the
Cleveland Browns as viewed from the Mall. (9/27/15)

View from my seats at FirstEnergy. (9/27/15)

A sea of Browns fans entering the stadium fro a showdown with the Raiders! (9/27/15)

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum located on the shore of Lake Erie in
downtown Cleveland, OH, as viewed from the Mall.(9/27/15)

Pretty much the only reason we went to the Hall of Fame. (9/26/15)

Yes, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame closes at 5:30 on Saturday night?! (9/26/15)

J-Rock identifying the Beatsie Boys! (9/26/15)

Exterior of the Cuyahoga County Courthouse in Cleveland, OH.
The frieze of the cornice includes the inscription "Cuyahoga County
Courthouse". (9/27/15)

Statue of Alexander Hamilton (1911), by Karl Bitter, outside
Main Entrance. (9/27/15)

The fact that Cuyahoga County and the winding river that runs
through it are named for the Iroquois American Indian word
meaning “crooked water” or “crooked river” may account for
the Native American visages on the doors to the court house. (9/27/15)

Close-up of door to court house. (9/27/15)

Close-up of statue of Thomas Jefferson (1911), also by Bitter,
outside the Cuyahoga County Courthouse's South Side Main
Entrance.(9/27/15)

Six stone statues, sculpted by Daniel Chester French, of historical law givers reside
above the cornice. (9/27/15)

Two statues at the center of six depicting figures associated with the development of
English and American law.(9/27/15)

(9/27/15)

View of Cuyahoga County Court House from down the street
with artwork in the foreground. (9/27/15)

Often associated only with an at-times annoying Drew Carey sitcom, it seems to me that Cleveland sometimes get's a bum rap. I found the city beautiful, the stadium fantastic and the entertainment factor of both my walks and game-day experience to be excellent. After passing the Cleveland skyline numerous times on trips elsewhere in the past, I was very pleased with my first experience there as a visitor.