Behind One Open Door...

....Lies many more open doors.  It's a domino effect.  A valuable lesson I have learned from taking the risk of applying for the Fund For Teachers Grant.  Putting yourself out there for rejection but also for the possibility of success is something that can't be taught...but it can be modeled.  And as we get deeper into the school year, our failures and success, our journey of learning is proving invaluable to our students.  Our Fund For Teachers Grant has inspired us to want more for ourselves and our students.  And we have gotten more!

We have been busy since the summer.  We were both blown away by the reflective power of blogging while in Ireland, and we were very determined to bring this into our classroom.  Our motivation to bring in the blog has morphed into a greater drive to learn more about and bring into the classroom 21st century skills.  Earlier this year, we wrote a grant proposal for a classroom set of iPods.  We received our iPods on Tuesday...and the collective excitement from our students was noticeable!  Our purpose originally was to allow students to blog their metacognition of reading.  However, since then, we have thought of many more ways to use this in the classroom.  We also want our students to collaboratively make sense of social studies by creating and maintaining a wiki. We want students to provide each other feedback on their metacognition blogs and wikis.  We are using some iPods on Friday and Monday to have them watch iMovies that we created while we were in Ireland as a research tool.  Our motivation for blogging also inspired us to apply for our district's technology E2T2 grant.  This is a cohort of middle school teachers who had to apply to become a part of it.  Here we are learning aboutt 21st Century Skills...and  how to apply those skills into our teaching, and expectations of our students.

So here we are...starting a new journey of learning that was born from our journey to Ireland.  One open door leads to many other open doors.  I can only imagine what will open to me from this journey!

We are closing this blog in order to open a new blog that will chronicle the journey we take with the E2T2 Grant.  Be sure to follow us, as we journal our learning and our experiences with our students!

Noel's blog:  "Journey Into the 21st Century"  mrsfalksjourney.blogspot.com

Stephanie's blog:  "Thinking about technology"  sgallegostechthinking.blogspot.com

Noel

   

Full Circle

My trip has come full circle and how appropriate that it happened at the end of our journey in Ireland. While walking around the streets of Ennis, my husband and I literally stumbled upon a large sculpture of two hands with uplifted palms. Immediately curious I wandered over to the plaques below the impressive art by Shane Gilmore entitled “Hands”. This is what I read,

“HANDS OF WELCOME
ACKNOWLEDGING THE PRESENCE OF
IMMIGRANTS ASYLUM SEEKERS
REFUGEES FELLOW E U CITIZENS
IN OUR COMMUNITY”

So, while we teach about what pushed and pulled the Irish to America and what life was like for those immigrants in the United States- an ocean away, Ireland is extending her hands to immigrants too!

Stephanie

The Precipice

Today we visited the Cliffs Of Moher. I kept wonder, what is so special about these cliffs...why not the cliffs at Old Head in Kinsale? But when I turned the corner, and on tiptoes, looked over the rock wall they put up to stop people from going over to the edge of the cliffs, I understood why this area draws people from all over the world. Truly, the green rolling hills, and rock walls go all the way to the end, and then whoop...straight cliff. Not for the faint in heart, these cliffs used to provide nourishment for the local people from the beginning of people in the area through World War II. In social studies, we read aloud Nory Ryan's Song, by Patricia Riley Giff. It is the story of a teenager living in Famine Ireland. In the novel, Nory, as a last ditch effort to feed her family, decides she needs to go over the cliffs in her area to collect the eggs of the birds who make their nests in the sides of the cliffs. Though Nory lives closer to Galway in the novel, I immediately imagined Nory on the sides of the Cliffs of Moher when I got as close as I could to the edge. The Cliffs of Moher, as in other cliffs on the Irish cost, became the Famine Irishman's hope for food. To collect eggs, one would tie a large rope around their waist, stand on the edge of the precipice, back facing the ocean, and several men would lower that one person down to find eggs. This was extremely dangerous. Not only were there dangers in the fact you were being lowered down a cliff, and the rope could break at any moment, or your body could be slammed into the rock, but you had to fight off the birds who were protecting their nests. Standing on these cliffs today, I could imagine how desperate a family would have to be to do this.

Today is our last day in Ireland. And as I think about what we have learned, I find myself standing on a precipice of learning. The extent of knowledge we have gained is vast, and will take weeks to unravel. We have photos, this blog, artifacts and video of not just the Cliff of Moher, but of each day. We forward march into the summer armed with knowledge and insight. We are happy we have the summer to prepare everything we have learned. It is bittersweet to leave, I look forward to going home to my children, but I am finding it hard to leave.

Noel and Stephanie

We don't have Internet access in the town we are staying in tonight. Pictures of today will be posted later this week. Though our trip to Ireland is over, the synthesis of our learning is not. We will continue to post entries of our new learning in the weeks to come. Come back and visit our site if you feel so inclined. Stephanie has vowed to learn how to play the Irish flute, so, perhaps we will post video, if we learn how, of her first concert!

The tourist thing!

Today we went to Blarney Castle, and Stephanie and Donald bravely kissed the Blarney Stone! So, now they are both blessed with eloquence! Unknown to myself, the Blarney Stone rests at the TOP of the castle - and those of you that know me, know that heights do not sit well with me. I fought my own battle however and made it to the top of the castle! But when I realized, you had to lie down on your back (held by someone whose job it is to hold people), go a bit over the edge of the castle railing in order to kiss the stone, my life flashed before my eyes faster than it does when driving on these roads, and I decided I needed to get down quickly. So, blessed as Stephanie is now with eloquence...she will finish the work of the blog! (Just kidding!) Though eloquent Stephanie wanted me to write that she is the reigning champion of Hearts!

Tomorrow, we are sad to leave beautiful Kinsale, but excited to travel to Ennis. A travel day tomorrow...then the Cliffs of Moor on Tuesday!

Noel

The Confluence

Yesterday, my Great Grandmother and Great Grandfather held my hand as I walked around the Cobh (pronounced Cove) Heritage Center. The Heritage Center in Cobh (the town has known many names, Cove – until 1847, Queenstown –from 1847 -1920 then the Irish name for Cove – Cobh since 1920) is housed in the same building that was the Port of Call for emigrants leaving Ireland since the early 1800’s. This port became the Famine Irishman’s escape to America. But Cobh remained an important departure point for Irishmen through 1950. In fact, between 1848-1950 2.5 million of the 6 million who emigrated from Ireland left from Cobh. My two Great Grandparents left Ireland from Cobh around the late 1890’s. They traveled separately, and met each other in Albany, NY. As we were driving in to Cobh, I couldn’t help but wonder…did my Great Grandparents see the same ancient wall that I was looking at? Did they see the same trees, some of the same buildings? Upon getting out of the car, and looking over the water landscape, I was overwhelmed with the feeling that they too had seen the same seascape. When I walked through the Heritage doors and down the hall, I smiled, thinking, they too walked through these doors and down these halls. Did the thought ever cross their minds that generations later, someone from their family, from the United States, would be walking in their footsteps? What hopes and fears did they harbor upon entering Cobh and seeing the massive Ocean Liners?

I know that my Great Grandmother, Anna Foley, traveled alone. She was around 14 or 15 when she left Ireland. Was she scared, or was she so determined to change her lifestyle, like my grandmother always said, that fear never crossed her mind? My Great Grandfather, John Farry, traveled with his brother. I believe he was around 19. Did they go to the United States seeking adventure? Emigration during the Great Famine was usually a last resort. And most emigrants went to Canada or Australia. Their landlords sent some to Canada because they couldn’t pay the rent, and yet their landlords sent some to Canada, because they (the landlords) knew the majority of the people wouldn’t survive the trip. We learned from Terri, the curator of the Skibbereen Heritage Center, that some Famine Irishmen would intentionally commit crimes, so that they would be sent to Australia, a common punishment for criminals of the time. The food on the ships was better than the food in the workhouses. However, as in the case of my Great Grandmother and Great Grandfather, many emigrants following the Great Famine, made the choice to emigrate.

Yesterday, we learned that those that chose to emigrate did so for the following reasons: brighter future elsewhere, lure of a better life, land, encouragement from former immigrants and hopes for riches and success. Anna left Ireland because her sister was already in New York and she was looking to elevate herself above the farm life she was leaving. John too left for a brighter future and better life. Though I don’t know if they left Ireland in the hopes of striking it rich, they found each other in New York, and successfully raised a family.

Yesterday I met my Great Grandparents at the confluence of the past and present at the Cobh Heritage Center and we spent the afternoon together in each other’s company.

Note: As in the Skibbereen Heritage Center, we were asked not to post pictures from inside the Cobh Heritage Center Museum on the web. The pictures we did take can be used for the classroom. Pictures posted are those outside the museum.

Noel

Trivia Pursuit…anyone?

Visiting the Cobh Heritage Centre reinforced many of the key facts of the immigrant experience that we teach about, and it was a confirmation that what we are teaching is an interesting and compelling topic. Watching Noel along with many other people researching their own family heritage was inspiring. Humans have a deep desire to know who they are and where they come from. The Cobh Heritage Centre has unique genealogical services to help people trace their heritage. I am not Irish but today I wanted to be. This museum was packed with so much information that I soaked it in and know that someday I will recall this information for not only our students but for my family’s trivia pursuit games.

Some highlights for me today:

-Standing in the spot where Annie Moore and other immigrants boarded an ocean liner made me think about how scared and unsure of the future those emigrating must of felt. Annie Moore was the first immigrant ever to be processed in Ellis Island when it opened in 1892.

-The United States wasn’t the only destination for immigrants. Canada, Argentina, Australia, Britain, and New Zealand, were other places that immigrants sought a better life in.

-“Convict” ships sailed out of Cobh carrying men and women who had been sentenced for crimes ranging from small crimes to murder. Sending criminals out of the country to other places (like Australia) that needed labor seemed to be an ideal way for authorities to get rid of “undesirable” members of society.

-The Lusitania was an ocean liner traveling from New York to Liverpool when a German torpedo struck it during World War One. The ship sank 10 miles off of coast of Ireland. 1,198 people lost their lives in this attack. I had never even heard of the Lusitania before visiting here.

-The Titanic’s last stop before sailing on out into the Atlantic Ocean was in Queenstown (Cobh). A total of 123 passengers boarded the Titanic in Cobh (3 first class, 7 second class, and the remainder in third class) many of these people would not survive her maiden voyage.

-The town of Cobh has had three names: Cobh, Cove, and Queenstown

-The current town of Cobh has a park named after John F. Kennedy.

-I may be able to answer more trivia pursuit questions now when I play against my dad.

Stephanie

Walking In the Past

Yesterday, we went to Skibbereen, one of the worst effected areas during the Great Famine. As we pulled in, it was hard for me to imagine an Irish town of 1840. There were bustling storefronts, tiny, packed, busy roads and brightly painted houses. This town looked as much alive as any other Irish town we have passed through. After a harrowing drive through town (OK, I can’t NOT talk about the road system here…one needs to pray to both Saint Christopher (the Patron Saint of Travel) and Saint Jude (the Patron Saint of Impossible Things) to ensure safe travels on the road system here), in which several times, lives – within the car and pedestrians, – were in question), we made it safely to a car park (a parking lot). Our destination was the Skibbereen Heritage Center, home to The Great Famine Commemoration Exhibition.

We walked through the Exhibit. Read the displays, and listened to the audio-visuals. But the majority of our learning came from listening to an employee and the curator of the Heritage Center. While going through the exhibit, much of what we already knew was confirmed…most Irish people of the time lived in extreme poverty; many people died more as a result of disease than anything else; and the population of Ireland declined rapidly due to the famine, either because of death, or immigration. Once again, we found the power of learning in listening to the experts, who had insight on the Great Famine not listed in the exhibition. From Margaret, the employee, we learned that a professor in the United States has been able to trace the blight DNA to South America. So the blight traveled from South America, to North America, to Europe then finally to Ireland. We learned from Margaret that real research into the Great Famine did not start until around 1950. Up until 1950, people were angry, wounded and couldn’t move past the “blame game.” The Famine was too “recent,” too “real” to really explore. For the first time, in the 1950’s, people were able to look at the Great Famine without playing the “blame game…” people began to look at what happened with an objective eye. The exhibition, and Margaret, both struck a cord with me. Margaret talked about how the famine was caused by a natural disaster, from an airborne blight. It was the response of the British Government, and the response of world governments, and the Laissez-Faire attitude of the political time period, that intensified and ratcheted up the stakes of the blight. And then she said, “Could they (the British and the world) have done more? Yes…” This statement brought me back to a part of the exhibit; it compares the current famine in Sudan to the Great Famine…stating that the famine in Sudan is the Irish skeletons of the Great Famine in black skin. And Margaret voiced what I was thinking, “Can we do more (for famine struck countries)? Yes.”

The curator of the exhibit, Terri, was a wealth of knowledge. And from her, I have started to answer the guiding question “Why does prejudice exist?” Throughout our research in Ireland, there was a question nagging at my core – “Why did the British seem to hate, yes hate, the Irish with such vigor?” To me, it seems that the British truly went out of their way to demoralize and keep the Irish at the bottom of the social ladder. Terri offered some insight. By the 1830’s, Great Britain was deeply entrenched in the Industrial Revolution. The average citizen in Great Britain was working 12-hour days, six days a week, many in poor factory-working conditions. During this time in Ireland, life was more laid back. The Industrial Revolution had not put its hand on Irish shores, and therefore, most people were still potato farming. Though work during the planting and harvesting season was extensive and difficult, this season did not last long. So to an outsider, it looked like the Irish had a lot of time on their hands. Which, to an extent, they did. The Irish filled their time bonding as a community with dance, story telling, drinking and playing music. This was very much a part of their culture. They worked hard, and some even migrated to other parts of Ireland for work when it wasn’t the potato season. But this was unknown to the Englishman. To the 12 hour working Englishman, working in a dangerous factory, the Irishman looked lazy. And from this, we see the seeds of hatred planted and prosper. The image of the drunk, fat, lazy, poor Irishman can trace some of their roots to these English perceptions. And these images traveled around Europe and to the United States. I have started to learn that the world was more interconnected during this time period then I believed. Another example of countries depending on other countries is the fact that for the first two years of the Famine, governments sent aid to Ireland, however, during 1847, the world began to feel “Famine Fatigue”- they were “tired” of hearing about Ireland…and so they stopped the aid…and this proved to be devastating to the people of Ireland, who would not see “the end of the tunnel” until after 1850.

Last, Terri gave us some primary documents, not included in the exhibition. These documents are first hand accounts of the famine from people who visited Ireland in 1847. As we began the historical walking tour of the Great Famine in Skibbereen, we retraced the steps of Elihu Burritt, and American who kept a journal – as we walked the trail, we read his journal, visiting the same places he wrote about. When we stopped at the Soup House (still in existence today, but in a dilapidated state), we read his journal “The soup house was surrounded by a cloud of these famine scepters, half naked, and standing or sitting in the mud, beneath a cold drizzling rain. The narrow defile to the dispensary bar was choked with young and old of both sexes, struggling forward with their rusty tin and iron vessels for soup, some of them upon all fours, like famished beasts.” And as we walked up Bridge Street, one of the poorest areas in Skibbereen during the famine, we read again his words: “As we continued our walk along this filthy lane, half naked women and children would come out of their cabins, apparently in the last stage of fever and beg for food…”

Today, the Great Famine was brought into color as we walked in the past.

Noel

Please Note: The Heritage Center allowed us to take pictures of their exhibits for classroom use only; they asked us not to post these pictures on websites. Therefore, pictures you see today are ones that we took outside the Heritage Center.

“Dear Old Skibbereen”

Today we visited the Skibbereen Heritage Centre in Skibbereen, Ireland where many historians believe was the epicenter of the potato famine. I have always been moved by this song and so my reflection today will be after each stanza of the song.

“Oh Father dear I often hear you speak of Erin’s Isle,
Her lofty scenes and valleys green, her mountains rude and wild.
They say it is a lovely land wherein a prince might dwell,
Oh why did you abandon it? The reason to me tell."

The landscape of Ireland is majestic and beautiful. You never know what breathtaking sight you will see when you come around the corner. Each new town we go through holds something, new and different.

When visiting the Skibbereen Heritage Centre we were able to really delve into the potato famine. Some new learning for me included another possible answer to the line in the song “why did you abandon it?” While I know that the potato famine was a push factor for immigration I didn’t realize that the growing season of the potato was rather short compared to other crops. Due to this short season many farmers who work the potato fields had to travel inland into Ireland to find work harvesting other crops.

Could one reason the father abandoned Skibbereen was to look for work? The guides at the center reminded us that back in the days of the famine news did not travel quickly and it is quite possible that Skibereen along with other Irish towns may of felt that the blight had only hit their area and the farmers moved on to other parts of the country only to find that the blight had ravage the entire country.


"My son, I loved my native land with energy and pride,
‘Til a blight came over all my crops- my sheep and cattle died.
The rent and taxes were to pay, I could not them redeem,
And that’s another reason why I left old Skibbereen."

One of our guiding questions on this trip is to try and answer the question: Why does prejudice exist. Noel and I both were surprised that in today’s experience we may have added more knowledge to our schema on this question. It wasn’t an uncommon thought by the British that the Irish were lazy, because as potato farmer- once the crops had been planted and harvested the farmers had more time throughout the year to do other things. This down time could have been translated as “lazy” The English who were embarking on the industrial revolution- a shift in their own work habits looked down upon the Irish. This information crossed our minds as a possible reason that the English had some stereotypes of the Irish. We were able to buy a book at the gift shop that explores this theme more.

"Oh! Well do I remember that bleak December day,
The landlord and the sheriff came to drive us all away.
They set my roof on fire with their cursed English spleen,
And that’s another reason that I left old Skibbereen."

This verse in the song touches deeply on emotions- to be evicted is hard but on a December day and watching the place you called home burned down so no hopes of returning. Today one of the guides shared with us that it hasn’t been until recently that the Potato Famine has been something that more people are willing to talk about. As generations get father away from the tragedy they are more willing to investigate the many aspects of the famine rather than “pointing the finger of blame.”

"Your mother, too, God rest her soul, fell on the snowy ground,
She fainted in her anguish, seeing the desolation round,
She never rose, but passed away from life to mortal dream,
And found a quiet grave, my boy, in the Abbey near Skibbereen."

One powerful part of the day was a visit to the mass gravesite for unnamed famine victims. History whispered to us in the head stones and the quote that surround the site.

"And you were only two years old and feeble was your frame,
I could not leave you with my friends, you bore your father’s name.
I wrapped you in my cota mor at the dead of night unseen,
I heaved a sigh and bade good-bye to dear old Skibbereen."

During the famine many hard decisions had to be made and parents were forced to confront life and death questions such as if you only have a small portion of food- if that- who do you feed first? Do you take the portion? Does your husband? Do you feed your elderly mother? Small daughter? I can’t even allow my mind to think on these questions very long but makes me more grateful for the blessing that God has given my family and me.

"Oh! Father dear, the day may come when an answer to the call,
Each Irishmen, will feeling stern, will rally one and all.
I’ll be the man to lead the van beneath the flag of green,
When loud and high we’ll raise the cry- “Remember Skibbereen”.

The Skibbereen Famine Exhibition was a powerful way to remember the victims of the famine as they should be remembered. Famine occurs still today in our world and today made me think about that.

Stephanie

Fairies do exist

Ireland is an ancient Island...everything about it seems mystical and magical... There is something about this Island that is special, and can't be replicated anywhere else. From how the clouds creep, climb and hover over a mountain top, to the rippling sea of tall green grass by the seaside - the oldness and magic of this land can be felt everywhere. When we were in Bonane Parish on Wednesday, we learned how fairies were consulted in all major decisions. When looking for a place to build a house, potential settlers set up a series of rocks in a triangular position, and left the rocks for 3 days. If the rocks were undisturbed, then the fairies were OK with you building a house there. Fairies were mischievous creatures that were to be taken seriously.

There are sacred Druid areas around Bonane...I am sure around all of Ireland. Intertwined with the Druid religion and the Fairy world, it is believed that sites were chosen based on the consent of the fairies. They were sacred ground. But during the famine, even sacred ground was desecrated. You will see a picture of a Ring Fort, which was sacred ground for centuries. In this Ring Fort, that was to be protected by Fairies, you will see the remains of a potato field in the middle of the field. Despair overtook some townsfolk and they tilled the ground in the hopes that the blight wouldn't touch the potatoes in the sacred ring...that was not to be the case.

Back in Kinsale last night, we took a Ghost Tour of the town. Though the tour was a satirical view on tragic events in the past that explain certain ghosts of the town, deeply embedded in this tour was the respect for the stories and legends of the past.

Walking the streets, beaches, ancient structures and homes, you get the feeling that you are not alone here...people and fairies of the past walk with you. And their presence enhances your experience.

Noel

A Little Q & A

A few questions I couldn’t answer as a teacher and now I can because of this trip:

#1. In Ireland’s mythology- what is the difference between a “shee” and a “banshee”? A “shee” is an evil fairy and should be feared while a “banshee” is the “queen bee” over all the fairies and she should terrify you as she wails before someone is about to die.

#2. Where did the sayings “he is a dead ringer “ or “saved by the bell”? These sayings trace back to a time in history when people where mistakenly buried alive and being afraid of burying a person alive- a small rope was buried with the dead and then the rope was attached to a bell above the gravestone so if some poor soul was buried alive they could grab the rope and ring the bell.

#3. Why would an Irishman sign up to become a soldier in the British army especially knowing the hard feelings that existed between the two countries? Many Irishman were left no choice during and after the potato famine, as they needed a job to survive. The British army also changed their rules and allowed Catholics to serve in the military, as they needed more men.

#4. Name one country that has been an alley for Ireland? Spain. At one point the Spanish came to help defend the Irish port city of Kinsale. The Spanish fought side by side the Irish.

#5. What is the significance of the name-WORKHOUSE, which was for the poor, starving men and women during the famine? Many of the wealthy and people in power felt that if the poor received a hand-out they would always be expecting a hand out and not work. At workhouses the poor would often be given jobs like building roads or walls around graveyards.

History lives

Yesterday, we had the fortunate opportunity to have the owner of Molly Gallivan's Cottage, Stephen O'Sullivan, tour us around the farm and other historical sites of the parish of Bonane. Once again, we were shown kindness, friendship and compassion from the Irish people. Stephen spent five, indelible hours with us. The history of the Bonane Parish is extensive, and there are artifacts that can be dated back to around 3,000 BC. The most meaningful portions of our time with Stephen was listening to his knowledge of the famine. We saw 2 famine houses on our tour with him. The first house, we were told, accommodated 12 family members. Here at this house, we learned that English landlords taxed the Irish people for the number of windows that they had in their houses. If they were a poor family, there would be now windows in their house. Stephen told us that this was done to demoralize the Irish people, to keep them in the dark, to place them beneath the worth of the English. But it was at this time that the Irish invented the split door... In order to let light into the house, the top portion of the door would be opened...thus creating a window that wasn't taxed. A resourceful group! People who lived in extreme poverty, did not have windows, or a fireplace. A hole was cut in the center of the roof to allow for the smoke from the fire in the center of the house to escape.

We also learned that during the famine, if people couldn't pay their taxes, they were evicted...thrown out of their houses. Often times, houses were burnt to the ground by the English, and it wasn't uncommon for the head of the household to be hung in front of the house as a warning to neighbors. I had known about the evictions, but the information about the hangings was new to me...and shocked me. Stephen also told us about how soup kitchens were established by the English government to help feed the people. I also knew about this, but what I didn't know is that in order for one to accept the free soup, one had to denounce their Catholic Religion and become Protestant. There was a great division between these two religions in Ireland, and to force someone to leave their religion for a bowl of soup was another way to demoralize the Irish population. Even worse than this, people who accepted the donations from the soup kitchen, had to drop the O in their names. For example, if you were an O'Connor, or O'Sullivan, you would then become a Connor or Sullivan. These people were called "soupers" and to this day, in this region of Ireland, there are differences between the O'Connors and Connors, and it is still known today, who the "soupers" were. Again, this was used to strip the Irish of their pride and dignity. (Stephen did mention that there were many Irishmen who immigrated to the United States and voluntarily dropped the O in their name, so they are separate from the "soupers" of the famine.)

Stephen's ancestors suffered through the famine...he had members who perished during this time, and family members who immigrated to the United States. This is a subject that still touches the heart of the Irish today, including Stephen - who at times, found it difficult to talk to us about the famine. The emotions and pain left from the famine are still very much alive today. Talking to Stephen brought this pain and suffering to life for me. There is no book or Internet site in the world that could have made the history of the famine more alive for me. History lives here...and I can't wait to learn more.

Today, we travel to Charles Fort, a great historical landmark in the town of Kenmare.

Noel

Pride and Passion

As we were being given a personal tour of a 200 year old farm at Molly Gallivan’s cottage I was enchanted and taken with our guide, Stephen O’Sullivan, and the passion and pride he exuded. As a 5th generation Irishman who can trace his roots to the early Bonane region.

In our expedition we use the young adult novel "Nory Ryan’s Song" by Patricia Reilly Giff as an anchor text for our students. I kept catching myself making connections to the book and wondering if the main characters had lived similar to this. I made sure to capture lots of video and pictures. We had the idea of creating an illustrated guide to go along with our novel to enrich the literature and transport the students back to the setting of the book. I know it may sound simple but many of our students don't know what a potato plant looks like or what a thatched rook was.

One visual image I can't get out of my head is the remains of a famine house that we stood smack in the middle of. Stephen shared that it wasn't uncommon for 12 or so people to live in a house the size of a small kitchen in the United States. I was shocked to find out that the English landlords would tax the Irish farmers more if they had windows. This is why you will see houses with doors that are cut in 1/2 and the top part opens to act as make shift windows. The concept of a 1/2 door shows true ingenuity at work.

As we were guided around the farm soaking (literally...from the rain and figuratively...from the wealth of knowledge) we came to a neo-lithic stone row that Stephen discovered on his property. The stones he found are significant as they are believed to be placed in this unique spot to connect to other stones in the region at certain parts of the year. The stones date before the time of Christ and are believed to be a way that the Druids and Celts created their calendar around the alignment of the sun and the moon.

It doesn't take one long to realize how excited this discovery was for Stephen. His passion for learning about the stones and this time period was contagious and made me want to do some research for myself. Stephen is a wonderful example of a life long learner and one who is willing to share what he has learned with others. Life long learners do exist outside of the classroom and it was refreshing to meet someone who has used his knowledge for good. He is a chair person for a council who has invested time and money into preserving the heritage of Bonane.

I know we are only at the beginning of our trip but the expereince we had with this alone was irreplacable, thanks in a large part to Stephen's passion and pride for this amazing country, it's history, and the people of Ireland. Many thanks to Stephen, his wife, and the staff at Molly Gallivan's Cottage.

The Unexpected

A walking zombie that is how I felt on the afternoon of Monday June 7 after arriving in Ireland. I knew that I would be tired from traveling, and by loosing seven hours to my day. I did not anticipate, nor imagine, how exhaustion could effect my very being. I knew I was tired, but perhaps I didn't truly appreciate my tiredness, until we went into a Pub for lunch around 1:00, and as I was sitting listening to the conversation, I found myself in tunnel vision, and the next thing I knew my head snapped down and up. I had fallen asleep sitting in a Pub. We got back to our house, and I took a 2-hour nap which kept me up for a few more hours. A walk around the area we are staying in yielded a ruined fort. Loosing the battle to nature, the fort resembles a skeletal impression of what must have been an impressive building in its prime. Across the bay, stands a larger fortress, also decaying, though still very impressive. Both fortresses, we later found out from the locals, were built as watchtowers as the area we are staying in not only became one of the main places for immigrants to leave during the famine, but was also an area that lent itself to attack by enemies of the English. However, exhaustion took over, and I was in bed at a respectable 8:30 a good 12-hour sleep helped to relive some of my tiredness.

Our trip continues to surprise us, and for me, the most unexpected surprise is the friendliness, and willingness of the local Irishmen to treat visitors like part of their family. We were involved in a 4-car crash yesterday morning, in front of a small inn and pub, on a back road in Ireland, on our way to Kenmare a small, beautiful town in Count Kerry. We were hit from behind, hitting the car in front of us that hit the car in front of them. Luckily, no one was hurt. But even in this time of turmoil, the owner of The Welcome Inn and Pub, an elderly man, took care of everyone by asking all involved if he could make a cup of tea for them. Such a small gesture that hold tremendous significance. My grandmother is Irish. Her parents immigrated to the United States in the late 1890's. My grandmother, and my mother, always used to make tea for us when we were young and we sick. Tea, it seems, has great healing powers for the soul that is. We also received great kindness from the police (or Guard as they are called here), the tow truck drive who gave us a lift, and answered our tourist questions, and the rental agency. Everyone was kind and helpful.

Our day of kindness did not end there. We had reservations yesterday afternoon at Molly Gallivan's Traditional House and Farm. This is a farm that existed 200 years ago. As part of the farm, the owner will take you on a tour of the farm, and in the evening, you can reserve a spot to join in on a performance of an American Homecoming. I called the owner, Stephen, and told him about our accident. We wouldn't be in Kenmare on time to make the tour, but Stephen was adamant about making sure we made it to the evening dinner and performance. He assured me that he would work around our arrival, and he then mentioned that if there was anything he could do to help, we were to let him know. He even offered talking to the rental agency, because as he told me, He's Irish and all and could speak for me. This touched me deeply, this is a man whose never met, we've corresponded by email, but he didn't know what I looked like and yet he was willing to support me.

We did finally make it to Kenmare. We are staying at the Shelburne Lodge. I had called the owner earlier to tell her we would be late because of the accident. She greeted us with open arms, and sat us down in front of the fire, for yes, a cup of tea! We were then off to Molly Gallivanís. Kenmare is beautiful. While County Cork has rolling hills, sometimes steep, but always green, County Kerry has a more dramatic landscape. Jutting mountains with exposed rock and liken and sharp deep gullies. Molly Gallivanís Cottage is tucked away in narrow valley. The cottage is stunning. Resorted to its original state in the early 1990ís, this cottage is made of the local rock and has a thatched roof. This is they type of house that the typical Irish farmer would have lived in during the famine years. We were welcomed with open arms, and sat down to enjoy an evening of traditional Irish stew and entertainment. During the famine years, many Irishmen left their homes to travel to the United States to make money to send home to their families. On the night before they left, the villagers held an American Wake. This was a celebration of the member who was leaving, but it was also a farewell. It was an evening of coming together as a village, extended family to say goodbye. This was called an American Wake, because often times, these farewells were forever. However, on the rare occasion people did come home to Ireland, the villagers once again threw a celebration, this time, calling it an American Homecoming. And it was this homecoming that we experienced last night.

This much I learned. Deeply rooted within Irish culture is the love of story telling whether it be recitation, story telling with rhyme and rhythm, song, or just spinning a tale, the Irish use the power of story telling to bring family, friends, community members and strangers together. The Irish welcome all into their house, and as we sat by the fire last night, listening to the songs and stories of the past, I felt connected to the audience members and the performers. The Irish use the art of storytelling to explain hardships, celebrations and to describe important events and people in their lives. The stories we heard last night were funny, prideful and sad. We heard songs of immigration and what surprised me is that the songs had no malice in them towards the United States and ancestors leaving. In these songs, I got the impression that the Irish see the famine years and the subsequent immigration because of them, not as a time to be angry at, but they accept this part of their history but they accept it with a sense of sadness and longing for those of the past who had to leave their homeland. Yes, this was also unexpected.

We are returning to Molly Gallivanís today, to seek more knowledge.

Noel

Compassion defines the Irish People

Compassion is a character trait that we strive to exhibit and build in our students. In many ways compassion was shown to Noel and I today. Where else would you have a pub owner come out and ask if we would like a cup of tea after we were rear ended by a young Irish girl? Everyone has gone out of his or her way to help us or offer a word of encouragement. The owner of Molly Gallivan’s cottage has even offered us a tour of the farm today since we missed the one yesterday. Compassion defines the Irish people.

Nothing spells out comfort food like Irish stew and homemade apple crisp with ice cream. After a very eventful day, with the car accident, dealing with the rental car agency and wondering if we would even make it to Molly Gallivan’s cottage, we did and I am so glad we didn’t miss it.

We were quickly transported back 200 years to an old traditional farm. Our group was truly made to feel like part of the family. We ate our lamb stew in a small thatched roof room and then onto an evening of a re-enactment of an Irish man who had immigrated to America and who was returning home to visit. Traditional Irish dancing and songs filled the night air as we sat around the fire joining in on the celebration.

My mind immediately began to spin on how we could incorporate this type of event into our own classroom. In my mind I started to see how our students could create a similar event to express their own stories and learning via recitation.

Stephanie

The Journey Begins

We are all checked in and waiting for our plane. I keep thinking how grateful I am for this chance to enhance my own learning. One desire Noel and I have as teachers is to make learning for students more authentic. We have been trying to get our heads around to this for awhile now. I am hoping this trip will help provide us with many moments of inspiration. Something tells me that the Emerald Isle will do just this.

Finding Never Land

Almost giddy with excitement...I can barely live through the next day and a half. We leave June 6, and by 7:00 AM (Ireland time) Monday June 7, we will be in the Shannon Airport, trudging, I am sure off the plane...and letting our adrenaline fuel us through the day. And though we physically start our journey on June 6, we've been on this journey for a lot longer. Preparations for traveling for the both of us has been tough. We are mothers of young children, and therefore have had to not only get ourselves prepared, but prepare our children and their caretakers. We are leaving for eleven days. And the stress of putting everything in place has been tantamount. I can not imagine, the stress that Irish immigrants must have felt trying to prepare to leave their homes, most likely, forever. I am only leaving my children for eleven days, some Irish were leaving their families for months, years, and perhaps forever. It must have torn at their heartstrings to do so. There is nothing, that I can foresee, that would take me away from my family for that long. I am sure that almost everyone would say the same thing. Life must be near unbearable to have to separate family members. But that is exactly what Irish families found themselves having to do. What courage these immigrants had... to know that they must tear themselves away from all that they knew, loved and cherished, in order to keep the family alive. Preparing for this trip alone, has increased my admiration and empathy for the Irish immigrants of the past.

It's been a long time since I have been a "foreigner" - someone new to a place- unfamiliar with local customs, beliefs and ways. Is this how the Irish felt upon waiting for their ship to leave the harbor on their way to the United States? I can't but imagine what I am feeling is similar to how some immigrants must have felt...adventure, excitement, anxious and even unsure. But unlike the Irish, I will be coming home. If I feel lonely and out of place, if I miss my children and my bed...it will only be for eleven days. This is not forever. But for most Irish, these are feelings that they would also feel, but they wouldn't be able to alleviate their pain by "flying" home for a visit.

My children have been enjoying the story of Peter Pan for months now. In the Walt Disney version of the story, when Peter is teaching Wendy, Michael and John to fly, he tells the three to think of wonderful things....Wendy thinks of a mermaid lagoon, Michael thinks of an Indian warrior and John thinks of a pirate cave. When the children reach Never Land...it is exactly like the three Darling children imagined it would be. But I can't think but wonder, would Never Land have been the same if the three children were not Wendy, Michael and John? Does Never Land become what you want it to? Did the Irish find their Never Land in the United States? I know, from the history books, that the streets of America were not paved in gold, as some immigrants were led to believe. But, did they find what they sought? Will my trip to Ireland live up to my expectations? Will I fall in love with the geography of the land, the people, the customs, traditions and the sheep and cows in the road...just like I have heard that I will? Will I find what I seek... Is Ireland the Never Land that I imagine it will be? Just like the Irish must have had to do when they left their harbor, I will have to trust in the fact that Never Land does exist, but perhaps not my exact Never Land, and that going into the unknown will change my life.

Noel

The Meat and Potatoes

What is our purpose for going to Ireland? What do we hope to achieve? What's the meat and potatoes, our essential learning, for our work in Ireland?

We have three guiding questions that act as our compass for learning in our Immigration Expedition in 7th grade: Why do people immigrate? Why does prejudice exist? and How does the American Dream exist today? In part of our grant application, we wrote:

"...we have selected two case studies that help students analyze the issues of immigration and prejudices- Irish Immigration and Mexican Immigration. ...we can teach our students about the potato famine, we can relate events in chronological order and we can discuss cause and effect. But we lack raw emotion. By traveling to Ireland to explore and experience the calamity of the potato famine, and the mass migration out of Ireland, we hope to bring to our students a better "reality" of what it must have been like for people to leave their home country. We want to explore the culture of Ireland in the 1800s to better understand how that led to American stereotypes, and ultimately how those stereotypes led to prejudice. ...we can better guide them through their journey in addressing why prejudice existed and ultimately why it still exists today in our own school and community.

Harvey Daniels, the leading expert in literature circles, once said, "In order to look in the mirror, one must first look out the window." This is the approach we will take with our students. We believe that in order to plant the seeds of change within our students, we must first address the macro idea of immigration. Irish immigration will be used as our case study in which students will follow the journey the Irish took in realizing the American Dream. Ultimately, we will use the Irish experience as the link to current immigration and cultural issues within our community today, asking students to look in the mirror when examining Mexican immigration.

Our goals for our students are to develop a sense of compassion, empathy and awareness to groups of people who successfully struggle to overcome extreme poverty and hardships to achieve the American Dream. We want our students to develop a sense that the American Dream is accessible regardless of what economic and social level they were born into and that hope exists because of the stories of the immigrants who came before them. Through a cross cultural comparison between Ireland and Mexico, students will understand how an immigrant group of the past overcame prejudice and achieved the American Dream and how an immigrant group in the present is striving for the American Dream today."

Our hope is that our research in Ireland takes us through the same journey of learning we will ask our students to take. Because Expeditions are centered around guiding questions, we have transformed our trip to Ireland into our own Expedition. Thus, our guiding questions for our trip are:

Under what conditions did the Irish immigrate during the Potato Famine?
Why does prejudice exist?
How did the American Dream exist for famine Irishmen?

Ultimately, our purpose is to seek answers to these questions. We will publish our learning throughout our journey, but our final product/demonstration of what we learn will be a published photo essay. This is the meat and potatoes of our Expedition to Ireland.

Noel

And the Oscar goes to...

OK, so this is hardly the caliber of an Oscar...our winning of the grant was not a broadcast on national television, no one critiqued what I was wearing the day we heard we were selected for the grant (at least not to me) and there were no prepared speeches. But...we first found out we were selected for the grant among friends and colleagues and the news was delivered by our principal. It felt right. Two other teams from Minturn Middle School applied for a grant to travel, and they too were awarded grant money from the same organization. We celebrated together - for each other - and for our little school in the woods. Just about half of our staff will be traveling around Europe and the US on a Fund For Teachers grant this summer. How extraordinary is that!? I felt honored to be among such a high caliber of teachers.

Having not received the grant for two years, I understand how competitive the Fund For Teacher Grant is. There are currently 165 EL Schools in 29 states. There are 4,075 teachers within the EL network. 12 groups within the EL network received funding for their research from Fund For Teachers. 3 of the 12 groups come from Minturn Middle School this year! I am still in awe that I fall within the rank of these amazing teachers. Not just teachers at MMS, but all EL teachers who applied for a grant this year. I now understand what actors mean when they say they are honored to have been nominated for an Oscar within a group of highly talented actors!

We received formal, written notification of our acceptance a few weeks ago. I was at the Post Office, on my own. I opened the letter...by myself. There were no overwhelming sounds of applause, cheers and hoots and hollers. BUT, I felt like there were. I still do. So, I'm changing my mind. This is the caliber of the Oscars! And the Oscars go to....Noel Falk and Stephanie Gallegos, Kari Bangtson and April Slagle, Tracy Teetaert and Cindy Cassidy - 3 of the 12 2010 Fund For Teachers Fellows!

Check out the Fund For Teachers Link that lists the 2010 Fellows. Under schools, click on Expeditionary Learning Schools. There you can read about all cool places teams and individuals will travel to this summer! www.fundforteachers.org

Noel

Welcome to our blog!

As an Expeditionary Learning School, teachers are often brought into Professional Development situations in which they become active participants, and are introduced to new concepts, ideas and protocols as students. We are asked to experience what we demand of our students. Teachers live what our students learn. We take the same journey they take. And this has never been truer to me than the process I went through in writing this grant that will take Stephanie and myself to Ireland to research.

I wrote the first draft of this grant in the fall of 2004 during nap times. I had taken a year off from work to be a mom. And while my young children napped, I would write. Needless to say, it took months to write the first draft. After months of writing, Stephanie and I spent months revising the grant. We sought various advice. Finally we submitted the grant in the winter of 2007. We held our breaths...we didn't get the grant that first year. No matter, we thought, we'll apply again. Spring and Summer and early Fall passed. Again, the grant was taken out for revisions. We used examples of grants from winners from the previous year to make changes, we sought advice from other people, and revised until we could practically recite the entire 4 pages from memory. In the winter of 2008, we submitted the grant again. We held our breaths....a little more cautiously this time. We didn't get the grant. This time, it was a little harder to pick ourselves up and say, "no matter, we'll apply again." But we did say it. We wanted this badly.

Spring and Summer and early Fall passed. Again, the grant was taken out in November of 2009 to begin the process of revising. Again, we used examples of grants from the winners of the previous year to revise our grant. We sought advice, and truly, this time, after hours, weeks, months, years....we could recite the entire 4 pages by memory. We submitted the grant in January 2010. We held our breaths....cautiously... in the back of my mind, I wasn't sure if I could take another rejection and turn around and revise again. BUT, this week...we found out we got our grant! Years of emotions flooded in, and I can't tell you how proud I am of what we accomplished.

One Expeditionary Learning School Design Principle is "Success and Failure: All students need to be successful if they are to build the confidence and capacity to take risks and meet increasingly difficult challenges. But it is also important for students to learn from their failures, to persevere when things are hard, and to learn to turn disabilities into opportunities." As teachers in an EL school, we experience what our students experience. What I learned about myself during the process of writing, submitting, re-writing, and re-submitting, and re-writing and re-submitting, is that I know what it means to persevere...and that I CAN persevere, and I CAN achieve what I put my mind to. So, here we are. Welcome to the blog that will chronicle the journey we have taken and the journey we will take to research in Ireland. WE MADE IT!!!
Noel