Time to Reflect

This is the time zone my body still thinks it’s in...

Well, it’s been 24 hours since we walked in the door, I’m still on Greenwich Mean Time, and I’ve fallen woefully behind on my work! This will probably be the last blog for a bit while I get caught up on work around the house and work for my FFT fellowship.  It’s been quite amazing and I am grateful to Fund For Teachers and Expeditionary Learning for their support of my work. It’s all still rattling around up in my head, some of the pieces fit together, others are still square pegs trying to find their way into round holes. In no particular order, here are a few thoughts....

What story would they tell if they could speak? 

What’s Worth Saving?

There is so much fantastic preservation work happening in the UK around historic sites (from prehistory to modern times). The number of Roman artifacts historians have discovered in Great Britain number in the thousands - every brooch pin, every horseshoe nail, every leather sandal, every broken pot shard, is carefully cataloged, interpreted and displayed for others to see and learn from. I think I have seen my share of artifacts behind glass cases on this trip - some enthrall, others make you stifle a yawn. Do we really need so many Samarian pots? Augustan bronze coins? I think of what is happening in Syria and Iraq as ISIS maraud through humanity’s cradle. The destruction of priceless artifacts, the senseless erasure of a history they do not like. It seems insane that people can do this - but when I think back to Hadrian’s treatment of the Jews, I see that not much has changed.

Vindolanda was an impressive and inspiring real-time look at how the work of preservation is done. Having an opportunity to speak with archaeologists and educators there gave me a better sense of how the Romans lived - and died. Contrast this with Segedunum, which to me felt sterile and shellacked. Yet artifacts at both locations told the story of the Roman experience in Britain - but one was much more successful in communicating that story and the story of WHY it matters. How can I avoid the “shellac” in preparing my learning expedition about the Romans? How will I make this “why” part come alive for my students?

London Tower in the foreground and the modern skyline behind it.
Which of there buildings will still be here in 2,000 years? Who gets to decide?

How Shall We Be Remembered?

The Romans never probably considered that in 2,000 years, an American teacher would be preparing a 12 week unit of study on the Roman experience in Britannia. What they have left behind, not only in their artifacts, but in their own written words, tells us much about their customs, beliefs and laws. Their refuse piles speak volumes of their trade practices. Their funerary monuments tell us where they come from and of their service to the Empire. In my own city, the earliest settlers of our community risk having their graves forgotten because no one cares enough to devote the time or resources to maintaining the site. Yet the Romans have headstones that have lasted hundreds and hundreds of years.

Noble Roman woman holding death mask of late husband;
his ashes would have been interred in a jar behind the woman’s left shoulder.

What do the students need to learn? What do they need to remember? How will they demonstrate this? Looking at my own Learning Targets will help be design an expedition based on experience and knowledge - but I do want to honor the student voice (which is always a bit of a tightrope walk).


Have I Met My Goals?

Well, no. My goal is to create and teach a learning expedition about the Roman experience in Britain, using Hadrian’s Wall as a case study of barriers we erect to keep the “other” out.  Gathering information, researching history, visiting the sites - yes, that aspect is just about over with. The hard part is yet to come! Let’s review my Learning Targets one more time:

• I can interpret ancient ruins and archaeological sites and explain their role in both Roman and British history.

On the first LT, using the handy-dandy fist-to-five scale, I’d give myself a 4. If I had a bit more time I probably would have joined the dig at Vindolanda or at one of the other sites across Britain where citizen science is happening.  If shown a floor plan of a Roman fort, I could probably indicate where the barracks were and where the principia (HQ) was located. I could tell you the location and purpose of the vallum along Hadrian’s Wall, but I can’t say I’m 100% sure of all artifact interpretation. Explaining the role of these structures in history I have a solid handle on, but need to refine my knowledge a bit more before I feel ready to teach 30 sixth graders about it!

• I can evaluate how the Romans, Picts and Britons viewed Hadrian’s Wall and interacted with it.

Hmmm, probably a three on this one only because it has been difficult getting the viewpoint of the locals who had the wall “done to them.” The Romans have documented their work and lives along the wall quite extensively - pay records, assignment posts, letters between friends and families - capture what the Roman experience was like. The Roman Army Museum re-tells this in a captivating and interactive experience. I am hoping my MOOC with Newcastle University helps fill in the blanks.  I did learn a lot more about the Iceni and Brigantes - two tribes of Britons who fought the Romans and won (at least in the early days) but the story of the Scots and Picts along the wall is less well documented, but was going to be an important part of the student learning. Need to find out more.

• I can describe the legacy of Rome in the modern era.

A five on this one, for sure. Here’s my proof:

Ok, in all seriousness, just walking around modern day London, the mark of Classical architecture and infrastructure is everywhere. English is the new lingua franca, just as Latin was 2,000 years ago, and we build amazing public works, and sadly, we also seek to control and destroy those who don’t agree with us, through force and the creation of new walls, many of them invisible yet just as powerful. This will be the toughest part of my expedition to create and teach - and quite possibly the part I am looking forward to the most.

I will be posting here as the Expedition is developed and when our school year gets underway, we’ll be sharing our work here, too. Thanks for following and feel free to leave comments or questions!