"For the dead AND the living, we must bear witness"

Although not planned intentionally, today's theme ended up being about remembering.  Remembering those who have led our country (the good and the bad), those who have died for our country, those who fought by speaking out about injustice, and those who suffered when we (as a country) did not do enough to help.  There really is such a thing as emotional overload.  Usually I don't experience this until the last week of school when I am planning to say goodbye to my current class of 5th graders.  There was one point when Leigh and I didn't speak to each other for about an hour as we wondered through our exhibits.  There were just not words to express the overwhelming emotion we were feeling.

Our day started out with a Metro ride out to Arlington National Cemetery.  We arrived early (thank goodness) and missed the crowds.  Our original thought was to just visit the Tomb of the Unknowns and watch the Changing of the Guard, but that idea didn't last long once we found out the Tomb was a mile into the cemetery.  We ended up taking the tram, which included a guided tour and multiple stopping points.  Our first stop was John F. Kennedy's gravesite where the "Eternal Flame" still shines.  We continued on to witness the Changing of the Guard at the Tomb of the Unknowns. The precision and discipline the Marines demonstrated was amazing.  The Tomb was greatly honored by both the Marines guarding it, and the visitors observing.  Our final stop on the tour was Arlington House, General Lee's home, which was lost to him and his family during the Civil War.

From Arlington, we made our way to Ford's Theater where we traveled back in time to President Lincoln's years in office.  The Museum included explicit information about Lincoln's final hours.  After walking through the Museum portion, we were able to visit the inside of the theater and look up to see where President Lincoln was sitting when he was shot.  We then traveled across the street to the Peterson house where Lincoln passed away the next morning.  Being able to walk through the theater and the Peterson home has forever connected both Leigh and me to this historical event.  An event that we will now remain a part of us.

The American History Museum was our third stop for the day.  The first exhibit we visited was "The Price of Freedom:  Americans at War."  I must say, as an educator, this was a wonderful exhibit.  I think Leigh and I probably took over 100 pictures (her 4th grade standards and my 5th grade standards).  I figure we've got plenty of picture evidence to put together a nice PowerPoint when we start teaching social studies this year!  We also visited the "American Presidency" exhibit and "America on the Move," which focused on American transportation throughout the years.

Our final stop was the Holocaust Museum.  Please check out Leigh's post for more details about our visit here.  All I can tell you is that I was brought to tears multiple times as I walked through this monumental museum.  My earlier comment about not being able to express ourselves belongs with this part of our day.  We were both amazed at the respect shown by both the creators of the museum and the visitors were with us today.  Even younger children understood the importance of what they were seeing and were silent as we walked through.

My title post, "For the dead and the living, we must bear witness" is written on the walls throughout the Holocaust Museum.  I feel that I have been able to "witness" today and am now better prepared to share our history with those that I teach.

This Way to the Gas, Ladies and Gentlemen

Since Jennifer is blogging about our day, I decided to take a page from her book and write only about my personal experience at United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. 

The first thing that struck me as we walked through this amazing museum was how respectfully quiet everyone was - adults, teenagers, and children alike.  It's so rare to enter a place where literally thousands of people are and be able to hear a pin drop throughout the entire building.  But then again, I'm not sure how anyone wouldn't be stunned into silence upon seeing the pictures and videos of what happened to countless people during the Holocaust. 

There were a few exhibits that really have stuck out in my mind.  One happened when we stepped off the elevator at the first exhibit.  There was an enormous black and white photograph of soldiers standing over a mass grave with charred bodies piled deep in it.  That image set the tone for the remainder of the tour.  Another display that has stayed with me are photographs and paintings from a village of Jews that had been around for 900 years that was completely evacuated when the Jews were sent to concentration camps.  All those people gone because of who they were.  The photographs and paintings covered all four walls going from the 1st floor all the way up to the 3rd floor of the museum.  The exhibit that I personally had difficulty viewing was about the death camps.  I actually hurried through that exhibit because of the memories it brought back to me when I visited Dachau, a concentration camp in Germany.  I remember touring the barracks, the mass graves, and actually walking through the gas chambers there.  Even though I was only 16 when I went to Dachau, it is an experience I will never forget.  The aura of horror that surrounded that place has stuck with me all these years and returned with a vengeance today as I looked at videos, photographs, and dioramas of Auchwitz, the death camp in Poland. 

All of this is a reminder to me that just because a man (or woman) has the ability to speak boldly and move people to action, doesn't mean he/she should be followed.  Hitler was phenomenal at moving crowds toward action, but those actions killed millions and wiped out around 1/3 of the world's Jewish population.  And for me, that can never be acceptable. 

Love in an Elevator

Once Jennifer and I made it back to the hotel from our day of touring the National Mall, we couldn't wait to get to our hotel room.  We pushed the up button on the elevator and waited for what felt like forever.  Neither of us thought we could stand to take the stair up two flights to get to our hotel room.  We could hear all sorts of loud talking on the elevator as we were waiting for it to decend from the fourth floor.  After an eternity of waiting for the elevator to arrive, the doors finally opened, and we were faced with at least six boisterous women and two children.  They said they were not getting off but going back up.  I groaned internally and began to consider the stairs.  The elevator is small, and I didn't think there was any possible way for Jennifer and I to squeeze in there.  But I was wrong!  Jennifer and I crammed ourselves into this tiny elevator bringing our total of people up to 10.  The doors closed, the lady standing closest to the buttons pushed 2, and we waited for the elevator to rise.  We waited and waited and waited some more before we realized the elevator was not moving.  The lady pushed the "Open Door" button, but nothing happened.  It didn't take us and our new eight best friends long to realize we were stuck!  Although we were hot, sweaty, and packed into that elevator like a can stuffed full of vienna sausages, no one panicked.  The lady standing next to the buttons pushed the alarm button several times, but no one came.  She got out her cell phone and called the number posted on the elevator door.  Although we could hear the person on the other end of the line, he could not hear us!  Jennifer got out the number for the hotel, and I dialed it on my cell phone.  At least, I thought I did until the pleasant lady on the other end of the phone answered, "Good afternoon.  This is the Kauai Courtyard by Marriott (in Hawaii).  How may I help you?"  After politely apologizing for dialing the wrong number, Jennifer had me try to push the elevator door open.  At first, nothing happened, but after about 30 seconds, the door retracted, and we ran out of there like bats out of hades.  The stairs weren't so bad.  After our 5 mile track today, what were a couple of flights of stairs when it meant we could collapse into an ice cold hotel room! 

A Strong Man

Leigh has written a book about today's adventure (had to get that in there, Leigh), so I will only be focusing on one little portion... :-)

The Civil War is studied in depth in 5th grade.  It has always been difficult to help students understand the magnitude of President Lincoln's choice during this time period.  I was extremely excited and hopeful today as we made our way towards the Lincoln Memorial. 

Needless to say, my attitude greatly changed when we came face-to-face with the green paint that someone threw across the statue.  I have never been a history buff, and I am not one to voice my political opinion often, but seeing Lincoln's statue disrespected really got to me.

 We were still able to get some great pictures while we were there.  Hopefully I will be able to describe in detail, when working with my students, the intensity I felt when seeing Lincoln's statue for the first time

R.O.C.K. in the U.S.A.

Today, Jennifer and I walked the entire length of the National Mall one and a half times, and we saw so many interesting monuments made of stone, granite, marble, and other various forms of rock.  The thing that amazed me most was the mixture of sadness, anger, joy, and pride that I felt at each
place we visited. 

We began today's journey at the Washington Monument which is undergoing repairs from an earthquake that occurred in August 2011.  We were quite annoyed that after almost 2 years, the monument is still closed, but we did get some great pictures.  You don't truly comprehend how tall the monument is until you see it in person.  As I was staring at it today, it reminded me of the six foot one inch first President: strong, tall, and reflective. 

From the Washington Monument, we continued our trek stopping to admire the World War II Memorial.  It was divided into two sides one for the Pacific and one for the Atlantic.  The memorial was a very peaceful place with its fountains and small pool in the center unlike the war that actually happened around 70 years ago. 

We were worried the Lincoln Memorial would not be opened due to the vandalism that took place last week.  Even though crews are still working to clean up the green paint, the memorial was opened.  Jennifer and I stood in awe at this great man that tried to keep our nation together during some of its darkest times, but we both expressed our sadness that this great memorial had been tarnished and our anger at the person who did it.  Our applause goes out to the crews who are working around the clock to bring Mr. Lincoln to his former glory.

Next we began to make our way back down the National Mall stopping by the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall.  I was struck with the sheer amount of names etched into each section of that great wall.  While my knowledge of the this particular war is small, my respect for those men who fought in the war continues to grow.

From there, we traveled down Constitution Avenue to the National Archives.  I could not wait to see the documents that I teach my fourth graders about every year: The Declaration of Independence, The Constitution, and The Bill of Rights.  Oh how I wish I could have taken pictures to not only show my students these all too important documents, but to also show them one of the rough drafts that Jefferson did on the Declaration of Independence. I told the teenager standing next to me, "See!  Even Thomas Jefferson had to revise his own writing!"  Of course, the poor teenager looked at me like I was insane, but he doesn't understand how passionate this teacher is about helping students see the importance of drafting and revising and then do it!  Of course the reason that I could not take pictures of any of the documents is because they are fading away.  Two hundred years of being exposed to not only regular light but flash photography as well has faded the ink on these precious documents.  Jennifer and I were both terribly saddened by the fact that you can hardly make out any words on the Declaration of Independence.  I had to get down as close to the glass as possible and squint really hard to even slightly make out John Hancock's John Hancock.

After a brief lunch in the Archive's cafe, we hustled down Constitution Avenue to the Dirkson Senate Office Building where Tennessee's Senators Bob Corker's and Lamar Alexander's offices are located.  At two o'clock, we were taken on a tour of the Capitol by two of Senator Corker's interns.  If you ever come to Washington, DC, I do suggest making arrangements with your state's congressmen to schedule a tour.  It is free, and it gets you to the front of all the lines!  We were able to bypass the crowds that went to the Capitol without scheduling appointments.  While this history nut enjoyed the tour of the Capitol immensely, my favorite part of the tour was going through the underground tunnels that connected the Congressmen's and women's office buildings to the Capitol.  We were able to take their underground trolley and even passed Senator John McCain and Senator Rand Paul while we were down there. 

After a day filled with historical landmarks, documents and tours, Jennifer and I returned to the hotel to soak our feet and rest our bodies until our next outing! 

Leaving on a Jet Plane

It's hard to believe that this morning, I woke up at Jennifer's house, and now we're sitting in our hotel room on Capitol Hill reflecting on a long day spent with jet airplanes and rockets. 

During the morning, we traveled on Delta Airlines from Chattanooga to Atlanta and onto Washington D.C.  All I can say is thank goodness for electronic devices!  Jennifer and I passed the time on the planes and in the airports playing Candy Crush, Solitare, Bejewled Blitz, and a couple of intense games of Wheel of Fortune. 

Once we arrived in D.C., the nerve racking part of the trip began for me - finding a taxi to get us from the airport to the hotel.  Thankfully, Jennifer was well prepared.  Once we picked up luggage, we had a cab in about 60 seconds and quickly arrived at the hotel.  After we checked in with our families to let them know when had arrived safely, we ventured out onto the streets of DC.

We spent the afternoon at the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum.  I was so excited upon entering the museum to see two of my favorite planes, The Spirit of St. Louis and Glamorous Glennis.  Thanks to my husband's passion for aviation, I was able to tell Jennifer about not only those two planes but several others as we traveled throughout the years of aviation.  I'm always eager to look at anything dealing with NASA.  Seeing the Apollo 11 space craft and one of the lunar rovers along with Gene Kranz's Apollo 13 Vest were just a few of the exhibits we saw that I loved!  We were able to blast off into space with the Discovery Space Shuttle thanks to the IMAX movie The Dream Is Alive.  While I've never witnessed any of the rockets or shuttles being launched into space, the images and sounds during the movie made me feel like I was there.  We concluded our 5 hour tour of the National Air and Space Museum at the Albert Einstein Planetarium.  Whoppi Goldberg narrated Journey to the Stars, a video about the birth and death of stars in our universe.  We enjoyed the video, and our exhausted bodies enjoyed the reclining seats in the dark room! 

We ended our day getting take out from We the Pizza.  Those 3 slices of pepperoni pizza and Diet Coke hit the spot after the first exciting day with jet airplanes.

Now if only we could stop our brains from spinning, we might get some sleep and be ready for tomorrow!

Countdown: 5 more days

Let the packing begin!!!