We had an ambitious day today, and it is late, but we are extremely well accomplished. For the first time since we have been running this trip, our class finished all the monuments tours in one day! And not by rushing.
A big part of what makes a PDS trip to DC different from other schools’, is that the students are the interpretive guides at each monument. They work in pairs before the trip to research the monument and write a script. The information includes what is commemorated as well as something about the design of the structure. All tours also include an activity. Jake Lahey pioneered this format from the start, and it works really well. When we arrive at a new monument, I pull out the appropriate script and the tour starts!
A huge theme of monuments and memorials is war. This is tough to grapple with. Some of our nation’s war memorials, like the DC War Memorial, seem to take us far away from battles. That small and elegant structure is Grecian in proportion and looks like a memorial to a small ancient god. The Korean and Vietnam Memorials are very different, asserting a very human understanding of war. The WWII Memorial falls somewhere in between the two styles.
Our visit to the Vietnam Memorial was especially moving today. A couple of students knew of family members whose names are on the wall, and that always brings meaning to the memorial. A few students and I were witness to a very moving moment when an older woman located a name of a loved one. A park service member spoke gently and sympathetically to her as the woman wept. The name was far on the bottom, and the park service employee took paper and chalk from a bag, laid full on on the stone, and made a rubbing for the woman, who we heard say, “I am so glad you are helping me. I never could have done that.” The students who ran our Vietnam War Memorial tour were especially assertive with their classmates, telling them that when they offered reflective comments, they couldn’t be silly. And, they were not.
We had plenty of light hearted moments too. It’s so much fun when a group develops its own memes. Students now measure the heights of monuments in “Andrew’s,” and “Alex’s.” We had a very creative tour at the Lincoln Memorial that was written as a little two person play, and performed by the thespian tour guides, Corinna and Leah. Students really covered the WWII Memorial looking for “Killroy.” You’ll see a bunch of pictures with the “V” or peace sign in hands– that is a move known as “The Will.”
Our tours had us outside in bracing weather from about 9:30 until 2:30. We even dined al fresco at a kiosk so that we could stay on the trail. Once we had finished all but one tour, we decided to head to the Museum of American History for about 90 minutes of warm museum. The group was allowed to split up and see exhibits as they chose, until the museum closed. Transportation, TV culture and the First Ladies exhibit were pretty popular.
We left the museum at 5:30, and walked to the White House for the last tour. It was the most crowded area we were in all day, although as you’ll see in the pictures, we had no trouble taking our photos and staying on the sidewalk for as long as we wanted to. Our last walk was to dinner at Bolt Burger, a three year favorite for PDS. Karl took my camera and you’ll see a series of mugging for the camera shots from our dinner. Our bus returned us to the conference center tired, but it’s a good kind of tired.
Today’s found poem, again written by all and composed by Karl, is, I believe, especially strong. I hope you see in it the willingness and ability to reflect that has been cultivated in these students. It is even more moving that they wrote their journal entry at the end of a day so busy that they declined going to the rec room once we got back. The poem shows, eloquently, why experiential education is so powerful.
April 5, 2016
Memorials and Monuments
Today was a notably long day, filled to the brim with tiresome walking
Nine miles in the cold
We saw a lot of monuments today
It brought up a lot of emotional feelings for everyone
Especially me
I was greeted
Yelled at
Then assaulted by an overwhelming barrage of history
The walking was quite treacherous
The gateway between many different memorials and monuments
Each having their own charms and appeals
Amazed by effort and beauty
I felt some small degree of pride
An ocean of sorrow
Turmoil aplenty
Monument tours were lead by the students
A really great experience
Each monument has a different meaning
Touches everyone in a different way
It was more about the impact and emotions that these monuments left on us rather than the sightseeing
The memorials tell the story of the American history
The story of America
The FDR Memorial
Lots of trees and waterfalls
A man with polio overcame his disease and inspired other people to meet their dreams
A huge engraving of FDR’s death
And the people
Reacting to the news of his death
The Lincoln Memorial
Regal, Wise
Yet a man of the people
I love him
The MLK monument
Messages and memorable quotes brought my senses back to life
Emerging from the rock in a symbol of hope
The Washington Monument
A towering obelisk
Hopeful and patriotic
Traditional and commemorative
The Vietnam Memorial
I saw how many names were on the wall
It just seemed to keep getting bigger and bigger
Simple, yet solemn
Seeing the people visiting the wall
Wanting to cry for hours
There was so much more power to the things that make you stare death in the face
America’s history
How it still affects us today
The way that we look at war has changed drastically over time
We have gone from down playing it with simplicity and columns to showing the faces and the names of all the people who died
My view of what DC is, and what America is, definitely changed
I was forced to comprehend the infinite multitude of reactions, then attempt to gauge my own reactions, which were equally complex
How proud and dedicated we are honoring our ancestors, accomplishments, and tragedies
There are people that exist in the USA that care a lot for others
Some of the best involved finding reality and making our own future.
According to my Fitbit, I walked 22,474 steps today– that is almost 9 miles. Erin’s phone app, which uses GPS tracking, logged more. This mercury group has endurance!