That was a lot of 3rd Graders....

       Today was a very crazy day, even compared to my usual schedule. My employer, the Spartanburg County Historical Association, specializes in giving guided tours of historic homes to school children. Back in Spring of 2010 we were contracted to go all the way to COLUMBIA to do a presentation for a school there. My normal group size .....15-30 kids. Today I woke up at 4 A.M. to go teach a group of 108. Thankfully they were broken up into 6 groups, so it was not the crazy riot it sounds like it would be.


Listening to my story, and why I had come there

       A strange feeling that few people experience is walking into a school carrying a flintlock musket while wearing colonial clothing. Only a handful of people know why you are at the school, but everyone watches you walk by and puts all other thoughts on hold. Even if they are makng announcements over a PA system, they will stop talking to focus on you. That was the situation I walked into today at 7:25. Now the best feeling is teaching a group of people, and seeing that they understand and are interested in what you're talking about. I think that every one of the children in my groups today not only had a good time, but they learned about the American Revolution and the role that militias played in that conflict.



When the groups came in, the first activity they was to pick out what items I (a colonial messenger) would need to survive the long journey back to Spartanburg County. This sounds pretty straightforward, but the things they were looking for were placed on a table with dozens of other objects that were either useless to me or modern inventions. Being in first-person, I did not know what plastic or styrofoam was and the kids had to explain to me the meaning of "tennis ball", "football", and "CD player".



Choosing the items needed

My "Corporal" wearing the waistcoat and hat of a Loyalist
militia member

 Once all my equipment was chosen, we disussed the difference between militias; how to tell the difference between friend and foe. Since the miltia wore whatever clothes they had, insignia on the hats had to provide the distinction between Patriot or Loyalist. I dressed up one child from each group, making them my "corporal", and they assisted in the next activity. They got to choose if they wore the "Patriot" hat with the paper in it, or the "Loyalist" hat with the leaves on the side.

      

The next activiy was a militia drill. Each issued a wooden gun, the children were split into two companies and competed to see who could perform the arms drill quietest and keep the straightest line. The girl in the picture on the left wearing the red vest was probably the best "Corporal" of the day. She would actually walk up and down her line inspecting her "troops", being sure they were in a straight line and performing the movements properly. And she was not afraid to push or pull them into line if they were out of place.

         

The last part of the activity was to practice firing their "muskets". The two "companies" would face each other and fire, making the loudest gunfire sound they could. It got a bit noisy at times, but they had to be sure to stay in their lines. Their teacher would then choose who had performed the drill the best, and the winning company would give a loud "HUZZAH!" in celebration. If a tie breaker was needed, a bayonet drill was performed to see who was most proficient in keeping their lines while charging the enemy (the other company).

I really can't think of another job that would give me near as much satisfaction as this. By being able to share my passion for history with these kids, hopefully there will be a future generation of historians who care enough to preserve their past. I think that a good impression was made, and I wouldn't have changed any of it...... but that was a lot of 3rd Graders.