The Underground Railroad

This week at school went by v-e-r-y s-l-o-w-l-y, and was filled with a lot of interruptions and distractions (Picture Day was on Thursday and my classroom was part of the Underground Railroad, which you'll learn more about shortly, on Friday). However, just because the week went by slowly doesn't mean that the interruptions and distractions weren't fun, because they were. . .so much fun :] Anderson is a really, really great place to be going to elementary school. We have several things that the kids will remember for the rest of their lives. One of these things is the Underground Railroad.

In Second Grade, the students cover the Civil War, and one of the people they learn about is Harriet Tubman and her work on the Underground Railroad. At the end of their Civil War unit the teachers set up this awesome Underground Railroad simulation. The kids get all dressed up to be the Slaves, and our principal and one of the second grade teachers play The Marshalls (complete with "horses and hound dogs") looking for runaway slaves. Harriet Tubman leads groups of slaves all over the school helping them to find Safe Houses (ie: classrooms like mine) and finally to make it to Canada (the gym) where they are free. When The Marshalls come around the kids all have leaves they have made to cover their faces, thus "camouflaging" them so they can't be found.

My students were thrilled to find out that we would be a Safe House this year. All Friday morning long we had groups of slaves coming into and leaving our Safe House. The Marshalls barged in several times almost catching the slaves we were harboring. It was so much fun. However, in the middle of all of the racket that was going on I was watching the second graders, and wondering when what they were experiencing would catch up to them and make sense. I was especially watching the children, who were African-American, and their parents who were helping to guide them along (all the while taking pictures and videos) and wondering what they were thinking. I was wondering how a particular child in my class was taking all of this in. We've had several race-related things with him this year. In theory, this experience was a great concept. I hope that having experienced on an obviously microscopically tiny level what the slaves had to go through to get to be free makes them (the students) all appreciate the freedoms they enjoy in this country. . .and the freedoms our soldiers are fighting for at this very moment.

Here are some pictures of the Underground Railroad:

This is Harriet Tubman and a group of slaves making their way to Canada.

This is Braden Clakley, Aimee (who I teach with)'s son, getting some really nourishing crackers and water in the Safe House.

This was our first group of slaves to stop in our Safe House. They had to cross a "river" outside of our door, and hoot like owls to get into the Safe House.