Dr. Wendy Ghiora – Posting #94 – July 31, 2011
Planning for the coming school year brings a lot of hope and some great expectations. It’s a perfect time to reflect upon what went really well during the previous school year and what things definitely need to be changed. Here are a few simple things to consider for starters:
Room Arrangement
What is the most effective positioning of student desks?
Where should my desk be located?
If you are planning to truly engage students, they will most likely participate in an abundance of cooperative learning activities. Desks joined in groups with students facing one another are most conducive for this. In most cases groups of four work well. The teacher’s desk should be located in an easily accessible spot where students can see the teacher and ask for help when needed.
Classroom Routines
What are the most important classroom routines?
• What are students expected to do as soon as they enter my classroom?
• What do I expect my kids to do once an assignment is completed?
• When can students use the bathrooms?
• Where do I want them to place various papers and supplies?
• What roles do each team member have?
Looking Ahead
Let students know right from the beginning what the purpose of the class is. Let them know what goals you expect them to reach by the end of the year. Be sure to explain these in a way that says:
“These are the things you will know, understand and be able to do by the end of the year.”
Remember Your Camera
Remember to take a photograph of each student during the first week of school. Have each student write what yearly goals they have set for themselves. I would suggest limiting this to three major goals. At the end of the year, take a new photograph of each student and have them look at their original goals and write how much progress was made toward each one. They can write about how each goal was almost met, totally accomplished, or even surpassed. Then place the beginning and ending pictures and statements side by side for comparison. Students will be amazed at how far they have come!
Your camera will come in handy to record unique and fun learning activities throughout the school year. Photos can be used in school newsletters and for an end-of-the-year Memory Book for your students. It’s true: “A picture is worth a thousand words.”
Have fun planning for a fantastic school year!
Sunday, July 31, 2011
Saturday, July 2, 2011
FOURTH OF JULY REFLECTION
Fourth of July Reflection
Dr. Wendy Ghiora – Posting #93
I have always thought the inscription on the Statue of Liberty incorporates the essence of what our forefathers had in mind. We still welcome people from all lands, seeking a better life under the brilliant torch of freedom. This is the poem from which that inscription was taken. I hope you enjoy it as you enjoy this Fourth of July and the many gifts we enjoy as Americans.
The New Colossus
By Emma Lazarus 1849–1887
Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame,
With conquering limbs astride from land to land;
Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand
A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame
Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name
Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand
Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command
The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame.
“Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!” cries she
With silent lips. “Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”
Fourth of July Reflection
Wendy Ghiora
On this Fourth of July, I reflect as I stand,
On thankfulness for my birth in this land.
Some say, it’s not a perfect place,
But for me, it wields an awesome grace.
For nowhere else can one truly give,
With a freedom to think and a freedom to live.
On this Fourth of July, I reflect and stand,
So thankful I was born in this wonderful land.
Dr. Wendy Ghiora – Posting #93
I have always thought the inscription on the Statue of Liberty incorporates the essence of what our forefathers had in mind. We still welcome people from all lands, seeking a better life under the brilliant torch of freedom. This is the poem from which that inscription was taken. I hope you enjoy it as you enjoy this Fourth of July and the many gifts we enjoy as Americans.
The New Colossus
By Emma Lazarus 1849–1887
Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame,
With conquering limbs astride from land to land;
Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand
A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame
Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name
Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand
Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command
The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame.
“Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!” cries she
With silent lips. “Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”
Fourth of July Reflection
Wendy Ghiora
On this Fourth of July, I reflect as I stand,
On thankfulness for my birth in this land.
Some say, it’s not a perfect place,
But for me, it wields an awesome grace.
For nowhere else can one truly give,
With a freedom to think and a freedom to live.
On this Fourth of July, I reflect and stand,
So thankful I was born in this wonderful land.
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
WILL WE EVER LEARN?
Will we ever learn?
Dr. Wendy Ghiora - Posting #92 - June 14, 2011
I found an interesting and entertaining analogy I would like to share with you:
Horse Story (an analogy)
Unknown Source
Common advice from knowledgeable horse trainers includes the adage, "If the horse you're riding dies, get off."
Seems simple enough doesn't it? Yet in education we don't always follow that advice. Instead, we often choose from an array of other alternatives which include:
1.Buying a stronger whip
2.Trying a new bit or bridle
3.Switching riders
4.Moving the horse to a new location
5.Riding the horse for longer periods of time
6.Saying things like, "This is the way we've always ridden this horse
7.Appointing a committee to study the horse
8.Arranging to visit other sites where they ride dead horses more efficiently
9.Increasing the standards for riding dead horses
10.Creating a test for measuring our riding ability
11.Comparing how we're riding now with how we did ten or twenty years ago
12.Complaining about the state of horse these days
13.Coming up with new styles of riding
14.Blaming the horse's parents. The problem is often in the breeding.
15.Tightening the cinch
Will we ever learn?
Dr. Wendy Ghiora - Posting #92 - June 14, 2011
I found an interesting and entertaining analogy I would like to share with you:
Horse Story (an analogy)
Unknown Source
Common advice from knowledgeable horse trainers includes the adage, "If the horse you're riding dies, get off."
Seems simple enough doesn't it? Yet in education we don't always follow that advice. Instead, we often choose from an array of other alternatives which include:
1.Buying a stronger whip
2.Trying a new bit or bridle
3.Switching riders
4.Moving the horse to a new location
5.Riding the horse for longer periods of time
6.Saying things like, "This is the way we've always ridden this horse
7.Appointing a committee to study the horse
8.Arranging to visit other sites where they ride dead horses more efficiently
9.Increasing the standards for riding dead horses
10.Creating a test for measuring our riding ability
11.Comparing how we're riding now with how we did ten or twenty years ago
12.Complaining about the state of horse these days
13.Coming up with new styles of riding
14.Blaming the horse's parents. The problem is often in the breeding.
15.Tightening the cinch
Will we ever learn?
Saturday, June 4, 2011
DANCE DELIVERS
Dr. Wendy Ghiora – Posting #91 – June 4, 2011
I happened to see an interview on TV today with Jacques d’Amboise. He is the former principal dancer with the New York City Ballet. When asked how he got into ballet, he said, his mom wanted to keep him from getting in trouble with the “street kids,” so she made him join her and his sister at his sister’s ballet class. In order not to make it a complete waste of his time, he used to make “fart” noises and do other stunts to disrupt his sister’s class. The teacher (a very wise lady), responded by asking:
“Young man, why don’t you come here and see if you can jump as high as the girls?” He was hooked.
After a brilliant career with the New York City Ballet, as dancer and choreographer, Mr. d’Amboise founded the National Dance Institute (NDI). This institute was founded in the belief that the arts have a unique power to engage children and motivate them toward excellence. NDI strives to reach every child, transcending barriers of language, culture, and physical challenges. This group has impacted the lives of over 2 million children.
Year after year, NDI transforms the lives of over 35,000 New York City public school students, their parents, teachers and local communities through classes, residencies and performances. They work with mainstream, bilingual, and special education classes.
An education in the performing arts, endows children with the experience of social interaction and develops personal standards that become key aspects of their lives. Children who are fortunate to have an early exposure to elements of the performing arts, dance and music during their primary education develop confidence in achievement, self discipline, learning techniques, social interaction, and learn the importance of structured routines, and the ability to work together. These skills will serve them well through their academic careers and in their achievements as adults.
After the Jacques d’Amboise interview, Two small groups of New York City students gave a brief performance. One group did a sort of modern ballet, wearing tennis shoes. The second group did a highly spirited clogging dance. The brilliant performance, accompanied by the sheer joy and exuberance beaming from the faces of those children, was a powerful testament to the value of the arts in education. We need more like Jacques d’Amboise in this world!
Dancing is just discovery, discovery, discovery. ~Martha Graham
I happened to see an interview on TV today with Jacques d’Amboise. He is the former principal dancer with the New York City Ballet. When asked how he got into ballet, he said, his mom wanted to keep him from getting in trouble with the “street kids,” so she made him join her and his sister at his sister’s ballet class. In order not to make it a complete waste of his time, he used to make “fart” noises and do other stunts to disrupt his sister’s class. The teacher (a very wise lady), responded by asking:
“Young man, why don’t you come here and see if you can jump as high as the girls?” He was hooked.
After a brilliant career with the New York City Ballet, as dancer and choreographer, Mr. d’Amboise founded the National Dance Institute (NDI). This institute was founded in the belief that the arts have a unique power to engage children and motivate them toward excellence. NDI strives to reach every child, transcending barriers of language, culture, and physical challenges. This group has impacted the lives of over 2 million children.
Year after year, NDI transforms the lives of over 35,000 New York City public school students, their parents, teachers and local communities through classes, residencies and performances. They work with mainstream, bilingual, and special education classes.
An education in the performing arts, endows children with the experience of social interaction and develops personal standards that become key aspects of their lives. Children who are fortunate to have an early exposure to elements of the performing arts, dance and music during their primary education develop confidence in achievement, self discipline, learning techniques, social interaction, and learn the importance of structured routines, and the ability to work together. These skills will serve them well through their academic careers and in their achievements as adults.
After the Jacques d’Amboise interview, Two small groups of New York City students gave a brief performance. One group did a sort of modern ballet, wearing tennis shoes. The second group did a highly spirited clogging dance. The brilliant performance, accompanied by the sheer joy and exuberance beaming from the faces of those children, was a powerful testament to the value of the arts in education. We need more like Jacques d’Amboise in this world!
Dancing is just discovery, discovery, discovery. ~Martha Graham
Friday, May 13, 2011
Alternative Schools, No Longer the "Siberia" of the School District
Dr. Wendy Ghiora – Posting #90 – May 14, 2011
I taught for over twenty years at three different traditional public high schools in Southern California. During those years I didn’t know much about the “Alternative High Schools.” What I did know was two things. First, alternative schools were where students (usually juniors or seniors) were sent who were labeled, "at risk," meaning they were in danger of not finishing school because of a deficiency in course credits, pregnancy, or other reasons. Secondly, I knew that none of us teaching at our pristine “regular” high school would ever want to teach at the “Alternative” school. It would be akin to being sentenced to the harsh labor camps in the unwelcoming, frigid atmosphere of Siberia. We actually thought, teachers who taught in Alternative Schools, had been demoted for one reason or another. But, when I learned the truth about Alternative Schools, my eyes were delightfully opened. Here's how that happened.
In more recent years I was appointed to serve on several WASC (Western Association of Schools and Colleges) committees. This is the team that visits and observes at various high schools and determines whether or not to grant State Accreditation to that school and for what period of time. Many of these visits were to “Alternative” high schools.
One realization I had right off the bat was these schools were literally the student’s last chance to get a high school education and earn a diploma. That part I pretty much guessed. But I was not aware that alternative school students actually take advantage of the opportunity and work extremely hard to prove they can be successful.
Many adults assume the students enrolled in Alternative High Schools are the trouble makers, the lazy students or slow learners who have failure written all over their faces. On the contrary, some of these kids are among the brightest I’ve ever met. They simply “march to the tune of a different drum.” Many of them just want a place to learn, where they are respected and accepted for who they are, and the abilities they possess. Alternative schools can be just the place to do that.
Alternative School staff understands when a child is accepted and wanted, great things can happen. And they also understand that acceptance must not only come from the staff; (vertically), it must also come from fellow students (horizontally). In other words, in order for students to feel part of the group, both teachers and students must provide that validation. So Alternative Schools work hard to make that happen by creating a climate for success.
Students do well in these schools because they feel respected by everyone there. There are no cliques like there are in traditional high schools. Everyone talks to everyone else. Students never feel they are being judged by their appearance. Teachers also are non-judgmental. If a student is behind in a subject, they ask for help because they know the teachers won’t make them feel stupid just because they never learned something they probably should have learned a long time ago.
Alternative Schools, as effective as they are, still have challenges. High school students are still young. They have adult thoughts, and do adult things, but they need adult guidance. Students bring problems to school that affect their ability to perform on any given day. These problems need to be acknowledged and treated before the student is ready to learn. Some of these students are virtually homeless and must work in order to survive. Through experience and training, the staff learns to listen to students and watch for signs that indicate present or potential distractions. Then they deal with them right away.
In a recent study on Alternative Schools for the Oregon Department of Education, conducted by Cliff Brush and Bob Jones, they collected the following student statements regarding the care given them by staff at their school:
“They really watch out for us here. After all, we’re still children. Well, we’re really teenagers, but we still need people to take care of us.”
“My teachers notice if I’m having a problem. I don’t even have to say anything. They can tell just by looking at me. They know right away.”
“Sometimes I come in feeling bad. My teachers make me feel better. They make me laugh.”
“If I have a problem and try to hide it, other students can see it and they ask me if I’m all right. After a while you stop saying, ‘Yes,’ and you talk about your problem.”
“I saw a movie on animal rights and mistreatment of animals that really upset me, and the teacher let me stay and talk about it until I was calmed down. I missed the next class, but that was all right with everybody.”
“Teachers don’t just help us with academics. They help us find money for college. They don’t just send application forms home with us. The sit with us and help us fill them out.”
When asked, “Do you have a better idea of what you want to do after high school than you did before,” the vast majority answered, “Yes.” A typical response, “I thought of myself as a dropout. I was comfortable with that. Now, I plan to go to college.”
“This school helps you figure out who you are and what you’re good at.
It makes you think about what you’re going to do with your education.”
[Staff comment] “We’re not teaching them how to be high school students. We’re teaching them to be successful people.”
We know that students learn in different ways and at different speeds. They need staff that are patient with their style and pace of learning and will persevere with the student until learning has occurred. Not every student catches on to what is taught the first time it is presented. This is true for students in traditional schools as well as for students in alternative schools. The difference the alternative school makes, according to students, is that teachers will stick with them until they understand the material.
These final comments from students summarize, in their minds, why the alternative school program is working for them:
“We are like a family at this school. We have family time activities every week.”
“When I come here in the morning, every adult says Hi to me.”
“In my old school, no one noticed me. Here I have a place and I count for something.”
“In other schools it’s like, do this, do it our way. You have no power.”
“We’re all here because we want to be.”
“If I couldn’t go to this school, I’d probably just drop out.”
I can attest to the fact these same ideas and feelings were expressed by students I met within California alternative schools and likely encompass the same reasons these schools are enabling “at risk” high school students throughout our country to achieve the knowledge, the success and the future they almost lost. Perhaps the so called “regular” or “traditional” high schools could learn a thing or two by taking a trip to “Siberia,” and instead of a rigid frozen environment, discover one full of warmth, light and real hope.
Our greatest natural resource is the minds of our children. Walt Disney
I taught for over twenty years at three different traditional public high schools in Southern California. During those years I didn’t know much about the “Alternative High Schools.” What I did know was two things. First, alternative schools were where students (usually juniors or seniors) were sent who were labeled, "at risk," meaning they were in danger of not finishing school because of a deficiency in course credits, pregnancy, or other reasons. Secondly, I knew that none of us teaching at our pristine “regular” high school would ever want to teach at the “Alternative” school. It would be akin to being sentenced to the harsh labor camps in the unwelcoming, frigid atmosphere of Siberia. We actually thought, teachers who taught in Alternative Schools, had been demoted for one reason or another. But, when I learned the truth about Alternative Schools, my eyes were delightfully opened. Here's how that happened.
In more recent years I was appointed to serve on several WASC (Western Association of Schools and Colleges) committees. This is the team that visits and observes at various high schools and determines whether or not to grant State Accreditation to that school and for what period of time. Many of these visits were to “Alternative” high schools.
One realization I had right off the bat was these schools were literally the student’s last chance to get a high school education and earn a diploma. That part I pretty much guessed. But I was not aware that alternative school students actually take advantage of the opportunity and work extremely hard to prove they can be successful.
Many adults assume the students enrolled in Alternative High Schools are the trouble makers, the lazy students or slow learners who have failure written all over their faces. On the contrary, some of these kids are among the brightest I’ve ever met. They simply “march to the tune of a different drum.” Many of them just want a place to learn, where they are respected and accepted for who they are, and the abilities they possess. Alternative schools can be just the place to do that.
Alternative School staff understands when a child is accepted and wanted, great things can happen. And they also understand that acceptance must not only come from the staff; (vertically), it must also come from fellow students (horizontally). In other words, in order for students to feel part of the group, both teachers and students must provide that validation. So Alternative Schools work hard to make that happen by creating a climate for success.
Students do well in these schools because they feel respected by everyone there. There are no cliques like there are in traditional high schools. Everyone talks to everyone else. Students never feel they are being judged by their appearance. Teachers also are non-judgmental. If a student is behind in a subject, they ask for help because they know the teachers won’t make them feel stupid just because they never learned something they probably should have learned a long time ago.
Alternative Schools, as effective as they are, still have challenges. High school students are still young. They have adult thoughts, and do adult things, but they need adult guidance. Students bring problems to school that affect their ability to perform on any given day. These problems need to be acknowledged and treated before the student is ready to learn. Some of these students are virtually homeless and must work in order to survive. Through experience and training, the staff learns to listen to students and watch for signs that indicate present or potential distractions. Then they deal with them right away.
In a recent study on Alternative Schools for the Oregon Department of Education, conducted by Cliff Brush and Bob Jones, they collected the following student statements regarding the care given them by staff at their school:
“They really watch out for us here. After all, we’re still children. Well, we’re really teenagers, but we still need people to take care of us.”
“My teachers notice if I’m having a problem. I don’t even have to say anything. They can tell just by looking at me. They know right away.”
“Sometimes I come in feeling bad. My teachers make me feel better. They make me laugh.”
“If I have a problem and try to hide it, other students can see it and they ask me if I’m all right. After a while you stop saying, ‘Yes,’ and you talk about your problem.”
“I saw a movie on animal rights and mistreatment of animals that really upset me, and the teacher let me stay and talk about it until I was calmed down. I missed the next class, but that was all right with everybody.”
“Teachers don’t just help us with academics. They help us find money for college. They don’t just send application forms home with us. The sit with us and help us fill them out.”
When asked, “Do you have a better idea of what you want to do after high school than you did before,” the vast majority answered, “Yes.” A typical response, “I thought of myself as a dropout. I was comfortable with that. Now, I plan to go to college.”
“This school helps you figure out who you are and what you’re good at.
It makes you think about what you’re going to do with your education.”
[Staff comment] “We’re not teaching them how to be high school students. We’re teaching them to be successful people.”
We know that students learn in different ways and at different speeds. They need staff that are patient with their style and pace of learning and will persevere with the student until learning has occurred. Not every student catches on to what is taught the first time it is presented. This is true for students in traditional schools as well as for students in alternative schools. The difference the alternative school makes, according to students, is that teachers will stick with them until they understand the material.
These final comments from students summarize, in their minds, why the alternative school program is working for them:
“We are like a family at this school. We have family time activities every week.”
“When I come here in the morning, every adult says Hi to me.”
“In my old school, no one noticed me. Here I have a place and I count for something.”
“In other schools it’s like, do this, do it our way. You have no power.”
“We’re all here because we want to be.”
“If I couldn’t go to this school, I’d probably just drop out.”
I can attest to the fact these same ideas and feelings were expressed by students I met within California alternative schools and likely encompass the same reasons these schools are enabling “at risk” high school students throughout our country to achieve the knowledge, the success and the future they almost lost. Perhaps the so called “regular” or “traditional” high schools could learn a thing or two by taking a trip to “Siberia,” and instead of a rigid frozen environment, discover one full of warmth, light and real hope.
Our greatest natural resource is the minds of our children. Walt Disney
Saturday, April 23, 2011
RESPECT: THE COMMON THREAD
Dr. Wendy Ghiora – Posting #89 – April 23, 2011
In my capacity as a teacher and school principal, I have noticed a common thread connecting all great teachers and leaders. That common thread is respect.
According to the online dictionary, respect is:
1. To feel or show deferential regard for; esteem.
2. To avoid violation of or interference with: respect the speed limit.
3. A feeling of appreciative, often deferential regard; esteem.
4. The state of being regarded with honor or esteem.
5. Willingness to show consideration or appreciation.
Respect is, a bit difficult to grasp in finite terms, as it is subjective. If one insists on an absolute definition, I would say the closest absolute definition of respect would be:
For me, respect is, at minimum, one person's condoning what another does as socially acceptable. At the higher end, it is admiration for doing something good or beneficial to society.
Many teachers and great leaders demonstrate this brand of respect by their actions. They are consistent in granting respect and set the example for all to follow. When one is shown respect the great feeling accompanying this gesture promotes the desire to give the same respect back. Once this is accomplished, the team you are leading will gain the confidence needed to achieve far beyond their own expectations and yours.
The common thread that runs through successful teachers and leaders is respect for others including children. Belief that students can achieve more than they thought possible is a part of that respect. It is also a respect for the process of teaching itself. Christa McAuliffe said it best: "We are in a position to touch the future. It's what we do."
In my capacity as a teacher and school principal, I have noticed a common thread connecting all great teachers and leaders. That common thread is respect.
According to the online dictionary, respect is:
1. To feel or show deferential regard for; esteem.
2. To avoid violation of or interference with: respect the speed limit.
3. A feeling of appreciative, often deferential regard; esteem.
4. The state of being regarded with honor or esteem.
5. Willingness to show consideration or appreciation.
Respect is, a bit difficult to grasp in finite terms, as it is subjective. If one insists on an absolute definition, I would say the closest absolute definition of respect would be:
total acceptance; not a hint of resistance to what another does
Short of this, respect is simply an accepting of what another does, whether you agree with it or not.
For me, respect is, at minimum, one person's condoning what another does as socially acceptable. At the higher end, it is admiration for doing something good or beneficial to society.
Many teachers and great leaders demonstrate this brand of respect by their actions. They are consistent in granting respect and set the example for all to follow. When one is shown respect the great feeling accompanying this gesture promotes the desire to give the same respect back. Once this is accomplished, the team you are leading will gain the confidence needed to achieve far beyond their own expectations and yours.
The common thread that runs through successful teachers and leaders is respect for others including children. Belief that students can achieve more than they thought possible is a part of that respect. It is also a respect for the process of teaching itself. Christa McAuliffe said it best: "We are in a position to touch the future. It's what we do."
Friday, April 8, 2011
Why We Revere Revere
Dr. Wendy Ghiora – April 9, 2011 – Posting #88
Paul Revere Revere’s Ride
Listen my children and you shall hear,
Of the midnight ride of Paul Revere...
One of the enduring legends of the American colonists' fight for independence was Paul Revere's heroic ride from Boston to Lexington, Massachusetts on April 18, 1775. It foiled British plans to arrest American revolutionaries Samuel Adams and John Hancock. Although Revere was arrested after delivering his warning, he was released in time to witness the ensuing Battle of Lexington and Concord, the first skirmish of the Revolutionary War in 1860.
Considered by many Americans to be one of the greatest and most famous American patriots, a near mystique has gathered around Paul Revere. With his active involvement in the American Revolutionary War, Revere's heroic actions helped establish his own legend. Here are some facts about our beloved hero:
Silversmith
Paul Revere earned his living as silversmith, one of the most respected and admired tradesmen in Boston. His company produced tea sets, silverware and special engravings. Revere Ware is still sold today in some of our finest cookware stores.
Boston Tea Party
As a member of the Sons of Liberty, an underground organization that favored revolting against the British, Revere participated in the famed Boston Tea Party in 1773.
The Midnight Ride
Paul Revere remains best known for his involvement in the Midnight Ride, where he rode on horseback in April 1775 from Boston to Lexington, alerting colonists of approaching British troops. The battle that followed marked the start of the American Revolutionary War. Here we have a man who had everything to live for, but was willing to give his life for a cause very dear to his heart; freedom.
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
In 1861, more than 40 years after his death, Paul Revere's Midnight Ride became immortalized when the famed poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow wrote the classic American poem, Paul Revere's Ride.
The landlord of the Wayside Inn orally tells the fictionalized story of Paul Revere. In the poem, Revere tells a friend to prepare signal lanterns in the Old North Church to inform him if the British will attack by land or sea. He would await the signal across the river in Charlestown and be ready to spread the alarm throughout Middlesex County, Massachusetts. The unnamed friend climbs up the steeple and soon sets up two signal lanterns, informing Revere that the British are coming by sea. Revere rides his horse through Medford, Lexington, and Concord to warn the patriots.
Longfellow was inspired to write the poem after visiting the Old North Church and climbing its tower on April 5, 1860. The following morning he began writing the poem. The poem served as the first in a series of 22 narratives bundled as a collection, similar to Geoffrey Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales, which was published in three installments over 10 years. When written in 1860, America was on the verge of Civil War. The poem was published in the January, 1861, issue of The Atlantic Magazine on December 20, 1860, just as South Carolina became the first state to secede from the United States. Paul Revere's Ride was meant to appeal to Northerners' sense of urgency and, as a call for action, noted that history favors the courageous.
Longfellow, who often used poetry to remind readers of cultural and moral values, warns at the end of the poem of a coming "hour of darkness and peril and need", implying the breakup of the Union, and suggests that the "people will waken and listen to hear" the midnight message again. By emphasizing common history, he was attempting to dissolve social tensions. Unfortunately, his ploy did not work.
The poem waffles between past and present tense, sometimes in the same sentence, symbolically pulling the actions of the Revolution into modern times and displaying an event with timeless sympathies.
Poetic License
Longfellow's poem is not historically accurate but his "mistakes" were deliberate. He researched the historical event, using works like George Bancroft's History of the United States, but he manipulated the facts for poetic effect. He was purposely trying to create American legends, much as he did with works like The Song of Hiawatha(1855) and The Courtship of Miles Standish(1858).
The poem depicts the lantern signal in the Old North Church as meant for Revere and not from him, as was actually the case. The historical Paul Revere did not receive the lantern signal, but actually was the one who ordered it to be set up. The poem also depicts Revere rowing himself across the Charles River when, in reality, he was rowed over by others. He also never reached Concord. Longfellow gave sole credit to Revere for the collective achievements of three riders. In fact, Revere and William Dawes rode from Boston to Lexington to warn John Hancock and Samuel Adams that British soldiers were marching from Boston to Lexington to arrest Hancock and Adams and seize the weapons stores in Concord. Revere and Dawes then rode toward Concord, where the militia's arsenal was hidden. They were joined by Samuel Prescott, a doctor who happened to be in Lexington. Revere, Dawes, and Prescott were stopped by British troops in Lincoln on the road to nearby Concord. Prescott and Dawes escaped, but Revere was detained and questioned and then escorted at gunpoint by three British officers back to Lexington. Of the three riders, only Prescott arrived at Concord in time to warn the militia there.
What a great specimen to use as an example for your students. Discuss the use of poetic license by the author. Ask small groups of students to decide if poetic license is merited and to explain why or why not. Even today, this poem brings home the overwhelming feeling of the pride we feel for heroes then and now, those willing to give their lives for our freedom.
Paul Revere’s Ride
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Listen my children and you shall hear
Of the midnight ride of Paul Revere,
On the eighteenth of April, in Seventy-five;
Hardly a man is now alive
Who remembers that famous day and year.
He said to his friend,
"If the British march By land or sea
from the town to-night,
Hang a lantern aloft in the belfry arch
Of the North Church tower as a signal light,--
One if by land, and two if by sea;
And I on the opposite shore will be,
Ready to ride and spread the alarm
Through every Middlesex village and farm,
For the country folk to be up and to arm."
Then he said "Good-night!"
and with muffled oar Silently rowed to the Charlestown shore,
Just as the moon rose over the bay,
Where swinging wide at her moorings lay The Somerset,
British man-of-war; A phantom ship,
with each mast and spar Across the moon like a prison bar,
And a huge black hulk, that was magnified By its own reflection in the tide. Meanwhile, his friend through alley and street
Wanders and watches, with eager ears,
Till in the silence around him he hears
The muster of men at the barrack door,
The sound of arms, and the tramp of feet,
And the measured tread of the grenadiers,
Marching down to their boats on the shore.
Then he climbed the tower of the Old North Church,
By the wooden stairs, with stealthy tread,
To the belfry chamber overhead,
And startled the pigeons from their perch
On the sombre rafters, that round him made Masses
and moving shapes of shade,--
By the trembling ladder, steep and tall,
To the highest window in the wall,
Where he paused to listen and look down
A moment on the roofs of the town
And the moonlight flowing over all.
Beneath, in the churchyard, lay the dead,
In their night encampment on the hill,
Wrapped in silence so deep and still
That he could hear, like a sentinel's tread,
The watchful night-wind, as it went
Creeping along from tent to tent,
And seeming to whisper, "All is well!"
A moment only he feels the spell Of the place and the hour,
and the secret dread Of the lonely belfry and the dead;
For suddenly all his thoughts are bent
On a shadowy something far away,
Where the river widens to meet the bay,--
A line of black that bends and floats
On the rising tide like a bridge of boats.
Meanwhile, impatient to mount and ride,
Booted and spurred, with a heavy stride
On the opposite shore walked Paul Revere.
Now he patted his horse's side,
Now he gazed at the landscape far and near,
Then, impetuous, stamped the earth,
And turned and tightened his saddle girth;
But mostly he watched with eager search
The belfry tower of the Old North Church,
As it rose above the graves on the hill,
Lonely and spectral and sombre and still.
And lo! as he looks, on the belfry's height
A glimmer, and then a gleam of light!
He springs to the saddle, the bridle he turns,
But lingers and gazes, till full on his sight
A second lamp in the belfry burns.
A hurry of hoofs in a village street,
A shape in the moonlight, a bulk in the dark,
And beneath, from the pebbles, in passing, a spark
Struck out by a steed flying fearless and fleet;
That was all! And yet, through the gloom and the light,
The fate of a nation was riding that night;
And the spark struck out by that steed, in his flight,
Kindled the land into flame with its heat.
He has left the village and mounted the steep,
And beneath him, tranquil and broad and deep,
Is the Mystic, meeting the ocean tides;
And under the alders that skirt its edge,
Now soft on the sand, now loud on the ledge,
Is heard the tramp of his steed as he rides. It was twelve by the village clock When he crossed the bridge into Medford town.
He heard the crowing of the cock,
And the barking of the farmer's dog,
And felt the damp of the river fog,
That rises after the sun goes down.
It was one by the village clock,
When he galloped into Lexington.
He saw the gilded weathercock Swim in the moonlight as he passed,
And the meeting-house windows, black and bare,
Gaze at him with a spectral glare,
As if they already stood aghast At the bloody work they would look upon.
It was two by the village clock,
When he came to the bridge in Concord town.
He heard the bleating of the flock,
And the twitter of birds among the trees,
And felt the breath of the morning breeze
Blowing over the meadow brown.
And one was safe and asleep in his bed
Who at the bridge would be first to fall,
Who that day would be lying dead,
Pierced by a British musket ball. You know the rest.
In the books you have read
How the British Regulars fired and fled,---
How the farmers gave them ball for ball,
From behind each fence and farmyard wall,
Chasing the redcoats down the lane,
Then crossing the fields to emerge again
Under the trees at the turn of the road,
And only pausing to fire and load.
So through the night rode Paul Revere;
And so through the night went his cry of alarm
To every Middlesex village and farm,---
A cry of defiance, and not of fear,
A voice in the darkness, a knock at the door,
And a word that shall echo for evermore!
For, borne on the night-wind of the Past,
Through all our history, to the last,
In the hour of darkness and peril and need,
The people will waken and listen to hear
The hurrying hoof-beats of that steed,
And the midnight message of Paul Revere.
Paul Revere Revere’s Ride
Listen my children and you shall hear,
Of the midnight ride of Paul Revere...
One of the enduring legends of the American colonists' fight for independence was Paul Revere's heroic ride from Boston to Lexington, Massachusetts on April 18, 1775. It foiled British plans to arrest American revolutionaries Samuel Adams and John Hancock. Although Revere was arrested after delivering his warning, he was released in time to witness the ensuing Battle of Lexington and Concord, the first skirmish of the Revolutionary War in 1860.
Considered by many Americans to be one of the greatest and most famous American patriots, a near mystique has gathered around Paul Revere. With his active involvement in the American Revolutionary War, Revere's heroic actions helped establish his own legend. Here are some facts about our beloved hero:
Silversmith
Paul Revere earned his living as silversmith, one of the most respected and admired tradesmen in Boston. His company produced tea sets, silverware and special engravings. Revere Ware is still sold today in some of our finest cookware stores.
Boston Tea Party
As a member of the Sons of Liberty, an underground organization that favored revolting against the British, Revere participated in the famed Boston Tea Party in 1773.
The Midnight Ride
Paul Revere remains best known for his involvement in the Midnight Ride, where he rode on horseback in April 1775 from Boston to Lexington, alerting colonists of approaching British troops. The battle that followed marked the start of the American Revolutionary War. Here we have a man who had everything to live for, but was willing to give his life for a cause very dear to his heart; freedom.
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
In 1861, more than 40 years after his death, Paul Revere's Midnight Ride became immortalized when the famed poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow wrote the classic American poem, Paul Revere's Ride.
The landlord of the Wayside Inn orally tells the fictionalized story of Paul Revere. In the poem, Revere tells a friend to prepare signal lanterns in the Old North Church to inform him if the British will attack by land or sea. He would await the signal across the river in Charlestown and be ready to spread the alarm throughout Middlesex County, Massachusetts. The unnamed friend climbs up the steeple and soon sets up two signal lanterns, informing Revere that the British are coming by sea. Revere rides his horse through Medford, Lexington, and Concord to warn the patriots.
Longfellow was inspired to write the poem after visiting the Old North Church and climbing its tower on April 5, 1860. The following morning he began writing the poem. The poem served as the first in a series of 22 narratives bundled as a collection, similar to Geoffrey Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales, which was published in three installments over 10 years. When written in 1860, America was on the verge of Civil War. The poem was published in the January, 1861, issue of The Atlantic Magazine on December 20, 1860, just as South Carolina became the first state to secede from the United States. Paul Revere's Ride was meant to appeal to Northerners' sense of urgency and, as a call for action, noted that history favors the courageous.
Longfellow, who often used poetry to remind readers of cultural and moral values, warns at the end of the poem of a coming "hour of darkness and peril and need", implying the breakup of the Union, and suggests that the "people will waken and listen to hear" the midnight message again. By emphasizing common history, he was attempting to dissolve social tensions. Unfortunately, his ploy did not work.
The poem waffles between past and present tense, sometimes in the same sentence, symbolically pulling the actions of the Revolution into modern times and displaying an event with timeless sympathies.
Poetic License
Longfellow's poem is not historically accurate but his "mistakes" were deliberate. He researched the historical event, using works like George Bancroft's History of the United States, but he manipulated the facts for poetic effect. He was purposely trying to create American legends, much as he did with works like The Song of Hiawatha(1855) and The Courtship of Miles Standish(1858).
The poem depicts the lantern signal in the Old North Church as meant for Revere and not from him, as was actually the case. The historical Paul Revere did not receive the lantern signal, but actually was the one who ordered it to be set up. The poem also depicts Revere rowing himself across the Charles River when, in reality, he was rowed over by others. He also never reached Concord. Longfellow gave sole credit to Revere for the collective achievements of three riders. In fact, Revere and William Dawes rode from Boston to Lexington to warn John Hancock and Samuel Adams that British soldiers were marching from Boston to Lexington to arrest Hancock and Adams and seize the weapons stores in Concord. Revere and Dawes then rode toward Concord, where the militia's arsenal was hidden. They were joined by Samuel Prescott, a doctor who happened to be in Lexington. Revere, Dawes, and Prescott were stopped by British troops in Lincoln on the road to nearby Concord. Prescott and Dawes escaped, but Revere was detained and questioned and then escorted at gunpoint by three British officers back to Lexington. Of the three riders, only Prescott arrived at Concord in time to warn the militia there.
What a great specimen to use as an example for your students. Discuss the use of poetic license by the author. Ask small groups of students to decide if poetic license is merited and to explain why or why not. Even today, this poem brings home the overwhelming feeling of the pride we feel for heroes then and now, those willing to give their lives for our freedom.
Paul Revere’s Ride
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Listen my children and you shall hear
Of the midnight ride of Paul Revere,
On the eighteenth of April, in Seventy-five;
Hardly a man is now alive
Who remembers that famous day and year.
He said to his friend,
"If the British march By land or sea
from the town to-night,
Hang a lantern aloft in the belfry arch
Of the North Church tower as a signal light,--
One if by land, and two if by sea;
And I on the opposite shore will be,
Ready to ride and spread the alarm
Through every Middlesex village and farm,
For the country folk to be up and to arm."
Then he said "Good-night!"
and with muffled oar Silently rowed to the Charlestown shore,
Just as the moon rose over the bay,
Where swinging wide at her moorings lay The Somerset,
British man-of-war; A phantom ship,
with each mast and spar Across the moon like a prison bar,
And a huge black hulk, that was magnified By its own reflection in the tide. Meanwhile, his friend through alley and street
Wanders and watches, with eager ears,
Till in the silence around him he hears
The muster of men at the barrack door,
The sound of arms, and the tramp of feet,
And the measured tread of the grenadiers,
Marching down to their boats on the shore.
Then he climbed the tower of the Old North Church,
By the wooden stairs, with stealthy tread,
To the belfry chamber overhead,
And startled the pigeons from their perch
On the sombre rafters, that round him made Masses
and moving shapes of shade,--
By the trembling ladder, steep and tall,
To the highest window in the wall,
Where he paused to listen and look down
A moment on the roofs of the town
And the moonlight flowing over all.
Beneath, in the churchyard, lay the dead,
In their night encampment on the hill,
Wrapped in silence so deep and still
That he could hear, like a sentinel's tread,
The watchful night-wind, as it went
Creeping along from tent to tent,
And seeming to whisper, "All is well!"
A moment only he feels the spell Of the place and the hour,
and the secret dread Of the lonely belfry and the dead;
For suddenly all his thoughts are bent
On a shadowy something far away,
Where the river widens to meet the bay,--
A line of black that bends and floats
On the rising tide like a bridge of boats.
Meanwhile, impatient to mount and ride,
Booted and spurred, with a heavy stride
On the opposite shore walked Paul Revere.
Now he patted his horse's side,
Now he gazed at the landscape far and near,
Then, impetuous, stamped the earth,
And turned and tightened his saddle girth;
But mostly he watched with eager search
The belfry tower of the Old North Church,
As it rose above the graves on the hill,
Lonely and spectral and sombre and still.
And lo! as he looks, on the belfry's height
A glimmer, and then a gleam of light!
He springs to the saddle, the bridle he turns,
But lingers and gazes, till full on his sight
A second lamp in the belfry burns.
A hurry of hoofs in a village street,
A shape in the moonlight, a bulk in the dark,
And beneath, from the pebbles, in passing, a spark
Struck out by a steed flying fearless and fleet;
That was all! And yet, through the gloom and the light,
The fate of a nation was riding that night;
And the spark struck out by that steed, in his flight,
Kindled the land into flame with its heat.
He has left the village and mounted the steep,
And beneath him, tranquil and broad and deep,
Is the Mystic, meeting the ocean tides;
And under the alders that skirt its edge,
Now soft on the sand, now loud on the ledge,
Is heard the tramp of his steed as he rides. It was twelve by the village clock When he crossed the bridge into Medford town.
He heard the crowing of the cock,
And the barking of the farmer's dog,
And felt the damp of the river fog,
That rises after the sun goes down.
It was one by the village clock,
When he galloped into Lexington.
He saw the gilded weathercock Swim in the moonlight as he passed,
And the meeting-house windows, black and bare,
Gaze at him with a spectral glare,
As if they already stood aghast At the bloody work they would look upon.
It was two by the village clock,
When he came to the bridge in Concord town.
He heard the bleating of the flock,
And the twitter of birds among the trees,
And felt the breath of the morning breeze
Blowing over the meadow brown.
And one was safe and asleep in his bed
Who at the bridge would be first to fall,
Who that day would be lying dead,
Pierced by a British musket ball. You know the rest.
In the books you have read
How the British Regulars fired and fled,---
How the farmers gave them ball for ball,
From behind each fence and farmyard wall,
Chasing the redcoats down the lane,
Then crossing the fields to emerge again
Under the trees at the turn of the road,
And only pausing to fire and load.
So through the night rode Paul Revere;
And so through the night went his cry of alarm
To every Middlesex village and farm,---
A cry of defiance, and not of fear,
A voice in the darkness, a knock at the door,
And a word that shall echo for evermore!
For, borne on the night-wind of the Past,
Through all our history, to the last,
In the hour of darkness and peril and need,
The people will waken and listen to hear
The hurrying hoof-beats of that steed,
And the midnight message of Paul Revere.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
