History, Natural History & the Arts
As of right now, President Joseph Biden is still planning to turn on federal student debt payments on September 1st, 2022. The payment pause was originally initiated by former President Donald Trump in March 2020.
About 43 million student loan borrowers, mired in more than $1.6 trillion in debt, are still waiting on Biden’s promise to cancel student debt. [Read more…] about Student Loan Debt Strike Info Session July 26th
Although the Grimm Brothers’ tale of Hansel and Gretel surviving alone in the woods after being abandoned by their parents is based on a grim reality – the famine of 1315-1317 – there are compelling reasons to take kids into a forest today.
As long as they are kept out of the clutches of evil witches, and are brought to their respective homes right afterward. [Read more…] about Forests & Their Benefits for Children’s Health
In a town as old as Williamsburg, Virginia, which was established in 1638, it’s often the case that historic buildings with interesting pasts stand unnoticed and in plain sight.
Such was the case for the building that once housed Williamsburg’s Bray School. A school founded by a group of Anglican clergymen with the express purpose of educating Black children in the ways of the Anglican faith. It was an education that included reading, possibly writing, and the Book of Common Prayer. [Read more…] about Educating Black Children at the Williamsburg Bray School
The 2022 New York State History and Education Conference, set for October 28th through 30th at SUNY Oneonta, has announced a call for proposals. This years theme is “History Fights Back.” [Read more…] about NYS History and Education Conference Call for Proposals
The Organization of American Historians (OAH) has announced that Jennifer A. Ingold, Bay Shore Middle School, is recipient of the OAH’s 2022 Mary K. Bonsteel Tachau Teacher of the Year Award, which is given annually for contributions made by pre-collegiate teachers to improve history education within the field of American history. The Award was presented during the OAH’s 2022 Conference on American History. [Read more…] about Long Island Middle School Teacher Receives 2022 Teacher of the Year Award
Dear Teacher…
Thank you –
From the child you taught to read
From the battered child you held close
From the one you taught to act on stage
So she could be herself
From the one who couldn’t count
Until you convinced him he did
From the one who stuttered
And you waited
From the friendless one
You shared lunch with
From the heavy one
You taught to dance
From the immigrant
You welcomed
From the one they teased
And you told I’m with you
From the one who acted tough
But you weren’t fooled
From the one whose writing was an angry shout
That you read and corrected
From the one whose life was closed
And you opened a door
From the one who said no
And you said yes
From all the kids you taught were okay
And can be better
Thank You.
On the April episode of Crossroads of Rockland History we explored the life and artistic legacy of Sidney A. Simon (1917–1997). On the occasion of an exhibition of his works at the Blue Hill Art and Cultural Center (Pearl River, NY), two of Simon’s children, Teru Simon and Mark Simon, joined Clare Sheridan to share memories of their father and their own recollections of growing up on South Mountain Road in Rockland County. [Read more…] about Life and Artistic Legacy of Sidney Simon
The Hudson River Estuary Program announced a new Hudson River Curriculum Guide, featuring original lesson plans from the Estuary Program and its partners. The inquiry-based, multi-component science guide is designed for teachers and students to enhance STEM learning, as well as deepen their engagement and understanding of the Hudson River and its watershed. [Read more…] about Hudson River Lesson Plans For K-12 Teachers
I joined the faculty of Syracuse University in 1975. I was surprised to learn that my institution once had a farm and hopes for a college of agriculture.
To my chagrin, I learned that my school lost out to Cornell back in 1904 when Liberty Hyde Bailey (1858-1954) bested Syracuse University’s Chancellor James R. Day in getting legislation passed in Albany to provide Cornell with state funding for an agricultural school. [Read more…] about Cornell Agricultural Dean Liberty Hyde Bailey: A Man for All Seasons
Migration is more than the mere movement of people and populations. It implies a transmission of ideas, customs, and practices. The arrival in the mid-nineteenth century of large numbers of political refugees in the United States from German-speaking territories would transform economic and cultural life in the locations of settlement. It had a major impact on the philosophy of education in Boston, New York, and elsewhere. [Read more…] about A History of Kindergarten: From Spa to Tenement