Teachers who never visited VA historic places

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
So JFC perhaps you haven't heard the complaints. I did and no one came on the Mayflower but I have had ancestors in every major war including the Revolution. DH from Civil War on...

My point was that people fly on in to the USA and don't care about this country. On 9 11 friends from Central America were furious and ready to fight for the USA. Some others had different reactions.

Turn off FoxNews and get your head out of your ass. Whether someone has visited Jamestown - or not - is not an accurate measure of a teacher's quality or commitment to their work. It's also not an accurate measure of someone's patriotism.

Just stop already.


Foxnews has nothing to do with this. This is not a liberal vs conservative issue. Does everything have to be political?

FWIW, I have posted on this thread defending the teacher and I frequently watch Fox News.

OP lacks common sense. Period. So do you.

PP, you must know by now that FoxNews is widely viewed as a dumbed-down news network for undereducated people. If you are watching it, I certainly hope it's not your only source of news.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
So JFC perhaps you haven't heard the complaints. I did and no one came on the Mayflower but I have had ancestors in every major war including the Revolution. DH from Civil War on...

My point was that people fly on in to the USA and don't care about this country. On 9 11 friends from Central America were furious and ready to fight for the USA. Some others had different reactions.

Turn off FoxNews and get your head out of your ass. Whether someone has visited Jamestown - or not - is not an accurate measure of a teacher's quality or commitment to their work. It's also not an accurate measure of someone's patriotism.

Just stop already.


[b] Foxnews has nothing to do with this. This is not a liberal vs conservative issue. Does everything have to be political?

FWIW, I have posted on this thread defending the teacher and I frequently watch Fox News.

OP lacks common sense. Period. So do you.

PP, you must know by now that FoxNews is widely viewed as a dumbed-down news network for undereducated people. If you are watching it, I certainly hope it's not your only source of news.

Bolded section in italics is not about Fox News. Nor is it about a hypothetical 5th grade teacher who relocated to Virginia from Iowa. It is about any teacher of history or social studies that does not consider US history relevant. When my children were young we heard comments from other students and parents.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I was at Jamestown over the weekend with my kids. We thought a Williamsburg trip for a couple days would be fun and we went to Jamestown for a few hours. It's fascinating if you've never been. It only took 2 hrs/25 mins to get there, so you could easily go up and back in a day. It cost about $40 for my whole family to get in.

I'm actually with OP. I'd be surprised if a history teacher that lives in this area has not been to Jamestown. It's significant to U.S. history, not just Virginia history. I do think it shows a lack of intellectual curiosity. Plus, children learn better from teachers who are both informed and excited by the subject matter. And hands on projects and field trips make the subject matter "stick" for kids.

Sure you were, OP.

I'm not the OP. My inlaws got a deal on a condo for the week so we made a side trip. It was fun and educational. And I'm not even a teacher...just someone out there who actually likes to learn something once in a while.

[Anonymous]

PP, you must know by now that FoxNews is widely viewed as a dumbed-down news network for undereducated people. If you are watching it, I certainly hope it's not your only source of news.

Actually, I watch all networks. But, again, what network you watch has nothing to do with this topic.

There are lots of reasons why someone may not have visited Jamestown. (And, I have visited there, so don't attack me.)

1. Teacher may be a caregiver on the weekends--you have no idea what is going on in her personal life.
2. Teacher may prefer to go elsewhere and may have visited other historical sites.
3. Teacher may be working on additional degrees in the summer.
4. Teacher may have a summer job.
5. Teacher may need to visit elderly relatives.
6. Teacher may be taking her own kids to swim meets.



Until a few years ago--there was little to see at Jamestown. I know--because I visited. A few ruins and a very small museum. Yes, I found it interesting. Was it enough to share with students? Certainly not any more than in history books.

But, again, because Fox is "widely viewed" as "dumbed down" indicates that you care greatly what other people think. Do you think for yourself and filter media? Do you read the WAPO and recognize the bias? It's pretty easy to find --look for the adjectives that the reporters use. That is why I watch all networks. That is why I keep my mind open to the fact that the teacher may have other things going on in her life. I love visiting historical sites, but am no longer able to do so because I have other demands and responsibilities. My excursions are limited these days. You need to be more liberal in your thinking and not just in your politics.

Why have I not been back? A DH who has difficulty traveling. As I said, you never know what is going on in someone's life.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Again, I wonder what OP's position is on teachers who've traveled the world but have never been to Jamestown? Fairfax is full of such people.

not OP but i think this is great if the teacher also makes an effort to share or integrate those experiences into his/her teaching to get the children excited about something, regardless what subject s/he teaches.

but again if a world-traveler teacher who happens to teach jamestown feels s/he is too cool for a trip there, that's a different story.

[Anonymous]

I'm an elementary teacher and I've been to Jamestown many times, but so what? It's nice but so much can be learned by reading and looking at primary source documents. You haters are awful. You don't know how hard most teachers work. I'm a career switcher and teaching is much more work than my office jobs. Your presumptions and arrogance make me sick.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm an elementary teacher and I've been to Jamestown many times, but so what? It's nice but so much can be learned by reading and looking at primary source documents. You haters are awful. You don't know how hard most teachers work. I'm a career switcher and teaching is much more work than my office jobs. Your presumptions and arrogance make me sick.

This! Former teacher who understands how draining teaching can be. Much more than most other jobs. It is satisfying, but demanding and stressful.

You know, when I taught school, I almost always did a unit on dinosaurs. I never went to the dinosaur zoo. But, we learned about them anyway.
I've taught about sharks, too. And, believe me, I have never had any desire to swim with sharks.
My own fifth grade teacher loved mythology and we learned about Greek mythology for weeks. I doubt she ever had the opportunity to visit Greece.

OP needs to open her mind.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm an elementary teacher and I've been to Jamestown many times, but so what? It's nice but so much can be learned by reading and looking at primary source documents. You haters are awful. You don't know how hard most teachers work. I'm a career switcher and teaching is much more work than my office jobs. Your presumptions and arrogance make me sick.

This! Former teacher who understands how draining teaching can be. Much more than most other jobs. It is satisfying, but demanding and stressful.

You know, when I taught school, I almost always did a unit on dinosaurs. I never went to the dinosaur zoo. But, we learned about them anyway.
I've taught about sharks, too. And, believe me, I have never had any desire to swim with sharks.
My own fifth grade teacher loved mythology and we learned about Greek mythology for weeks. I doubt she ever had the opportunity to visit Greece.

OP needs to open her mind.

My 5th grade teacher told me about her trip to Greece and how it opened her mind.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Again, I wonder what OP's position is on teachers who've traveled the world but have never been to Jamestown? Fairfax is full of such people.

not OP but i think this is great if the teacher also makes an effort to share or integrate those experiences into his/her teaching to get the children excited about something, regardless what subject s/he teaches.

but again if a world-traveler teacher who happens to teach jamestown feels s/he is too cool for a trip there, that's a different story.

Agree. A teacher traveling to Paris and Netherlands but doesn't have the time and money to visit historic places 1 or 2 hrs away from his/her home???

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Again, I wonder what OP's position is on teachers who've traveled the world but have never been to Jamestown? Fairfax is full of such people.

not OP but i think this is great if the teacher also makes an effort to share or integrate those experiences into his/her teaching to get the children excited about something, regardless what subject s/he teaches.

but again if a world-traveler teacher who happens to teach jamestown feels s/he is too cool for a trip there, that's a different story.

Agree. A teacher traveling to Paris and Netherlands but doesn't have the time and money to visit historic places 1 or 2 hrs away from his/her home???

There are hundreds of significant historic sites within a few hours of here. Maybe the teacher has already visited many that have sparked more of an interest to him/her than Jamestown. Or maybe the teacher is more interested by science and spends his/her time at science centers. Or maybe the teacher is a bookworm and loves reading new books. Or maybe the teacher has family commitments. Who knows?

I honestly don't care what a teacher does in his/her personal time. I care about the knowledge, energy, and expertise that they bring to the classroom.

Whether someone has visited historic sites/museums/etc - or not - is not an accurate measure of a teacher's quality or commitment to his/her work.

[Anonymous]

Whether someone has visited historic sites/museums/etc - or not - is not an accurate measure of a teacher's quality or commitment to his/her work.

YES! signed a teacher who HAS been to Jamestown. Wouldn't it be great to think that a trip to Jamestown would ensure that your child had a wonderful teacher? Doesn't work that way.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I was at Jamestown over the weekend with my kids. We thought a Williamsburg trip for a couple days would be fun and we went to Jamestown for a few hours. It's fascinating if you've never been. It only took 2 hrs/25 mins to get there, so you could easily go up and back in a day. It cost about $40 for my whole family to get in.

I'm actually with OP. I'd be surprised if a history teacher that lives in this area has not been to Jamestown. It's significant to U.S. history, not just Virginia history. I do think it shows a lack of intellectual curiosity. Plus, children learn better from teachers who are both informed and excited by the subject matter. And hands on projects and field trips make the subject matter "stick" for kids.

Sure you were, OP.

I'm not the OP. My inlaws got a deal on a condo for the week so we made a side trip. It was fun and educational. And I'm not even a teacher...just someone out there who actually likes to learn something once in a while.

The above poster is not OP. I am OP. Hey, there are other key historic places to visit in VA, not just Jamestown. My mom, who was an ES teacher, put my brothers and I in the car and took us to many exciting places during the day. It is not about asking for reimbursements, it is about intellectual curiosity as the previous poster pointed out.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I was at Jamestown over the weekend with my kids. We thought a Williamsburg trip for a couple days would be fun and we went to Jamestown for a few hours. It's fascinating if you've never been. It only took 2 hrs/25 mins to get there, so you could easily go up and back in a day. It cost about $40 for my whole family to get in.

I'm actually with OP. I'd be surprised if a history teacher that lives in this area has not been to Jamestown. It's significant to U.S. history, not just Virginia history. I do think it shows a lack of intellectual curiosity. Plus, children learn better from teachers who are both informed and excited by the subject matter. And hands on projects and field trips make the subject matter "stick" for kids.

Sure you were, OP.

I'm not the OP. My inlaws got a deal on a condo for the week so we made a side trip. It was fun and educational. And I'm not even a teacher...just someone out there who actually likes to learn something once in a while.

The above poster is not OP. I am OP. Hey, there are other key historic places to visit in VA, not just Jamestown. My mom, who was an ES teacher, put my brothers and I in the car and took us to many exciting places during the day. It is not about asking for reimbursements, it is about intellectual curiosity as the previous poster pointed out.

She should have cut down on the number of road trips so she could have worked on grammar with you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I was at Jamestown over the weekend with my kids. We thought a Williamsburg trip for a couple days would be fun and we went to Jamestown for a few hours. It's fascinating if you've never been. It only took 2 hrs/25 mins to get there, so you could easily go up and back in a day. It cost about $40 for my whole family to get in.

I'm actually with OP. I'd be surprised if a history teacher that lives in this area has not been to Jamestown. It's significant to U.S. history, not just Virginia history. I do think it shows a lack of intellectual curiosity. Plus, children learn better from teachers who are both informed and excited by the subject matter. And hands on projects and field trips make the subject matter "stick" for kids.

Sure you were, OP.

I'm not the OP. My inlaws got a deal on a condo for the week so we made a side trip. It was fun and educational. And I'm not even a teacher...just someone out there who actually likes to learn something once in a while.

The above poster is not OP. I am OP. Hey, there are other key historic places to visit in VA, not just Jamestown. My mom, who was an ES teacher, put my brothers and I in the car and took us to many exciting places during the day. It is not about asking for reimbursements, it is about intellectual curiosity as the previous poster pointed out.

She should have cut down on the number of road trips so she could have worked on grammar with you.

I lowered my grammar just to know what is like being at your level.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I was at Jamestown over the weekend with my kids. We thought a Williamsburg trip for a couple days would be fun and we went to Jamestown for a few hours. It's fascinating if you've never been. It only took 2 hrs/25 mins to get there, so you could easily go up and back in a day. It cost about $40 for my whole family to get in.

I'm actually with OP. I'd be surprised if a history teacher that lives in this area has not been to Jamestown. It's significant to U.S. history, not just Virginia history. I do think it shows a lack of intellectual curiosity. Plus, children learn better from teachers who are both informed and excited by the subject matter. And hands on projects and field trips make the subject matter "stick" for kids.

Sure you were, OP.

I'm not the OP. My inlaws got a deal on a condo for the week so we made a side trip. It was fun and educational. And I'm not even a teacher...just someone out there who actually likes to learn something once in a while.

The above poster is not OP. I am OP. Hey, there are other key historic places to visit in VA, not just Jamestown. My mom, who was an ES teacher, put my brothers and I in the car and took us to many exciting places during the day. It is not about asking for reimbursements, it is about intellectual curiosity as the previous poster pointed out.

She should have cut down on the number of road trips so she could have worked on grammar with you.

I lowered my grammar just to know what is like being at your level.

Whatever you need to tell yourself to feel better...

Anyway, leave the poor teacher alone so she can focus on teaching your kid. Find ways to support her instead of tearing her down.