Mayflower descendants keep their eyes open for bits of information that reveal the lives of Pilgrim and Native people of the 1600s. That’s what happened to me when I came across a flower and its ties to Leiden,…
I enjoyed my first year of formal homeschooling when my oldest child was in kindergarten. I even managed with two younger kids in tow. As a public school-trained, certified PK-12 teacher and someone supremely organized and even creative, my…
What do we really know about the English who came to the New World in 1620? What was it about the religious climate that propelled the Pilgrims to leave England? Was the Mayflower Compact significant – or not? Did Pilgrims…
Working in the field of history, I’m sure it’s obvious I enjoy true stories. Wherever I go, I listen to the stories of others and often include them in my resources. One time, a British couple shared stories…
On Facebook, there was an anonymous post where someone wrote, “Somewhere in between a military veteran and a civilian you will find me. I’m a BRAT. I straddle the fence separating both worlds, never totally belonging in one or…
During a New Year sermon, the pastor asked ushers to pass baskets of stars. Each star had a word on it that was to be our focus for the year. I was singing alto in the chancel choir, which…
“To avoid cultural appropriation, music educators need to take the time to explore the source culture and approach the traditions of others in a respectful manner…” writes Karen Howard, professor of music at University of St. Thomas. The issue…
It seems that each year, more archeological evidence emerges concerning the first years of the Plymouth settlement in the 1620s. It’s now agreed that the three-day 1621 harvest served as a diplomatic event and included many more Native…
BACKGROUND In 2016, while on Spring Break from teaching at a high school in Switzerland, I visited friends in Spain. They took me to a café where I met a few British expats. In the course of the conversation, one…
NEW BOOK RELEASE “We had no water - just a cistern, no bathroom - just an outside three-holer, no telephone, no electricity and just a black iron stove in the kitchen which used coal and wood, but life was wonderful.…
Military Brats, U.S. Life-Saving Service, Mayflower “I should have been a university professor,” shares Rebecca Locklear. “I thoroughly enjoy research.” Even without the university status, the pandemic 2021 year closes with quite a bit of research complete with Rebecca publishing…
In the blog post titled Motivating Students, I mentioned a group of second graders that came into my reading room on the first day of school. All of these boys were known to be difficult. As they shoved their way…