Archive for September, 2008

Oklahoma’s Jennings Public Schools received a George Washington Portrait from Mount Vernon. The framed replica of Rembrandt Peale’s Porthole Portrait of George Washington is now displayed in a place of honor at the school.   Jennings’ 7^th and 8^th grade students stand proudly by the picture of the leader who shaped our country.  For schools to receive a similar FREE limited-edition portrait, please send a letter on school letterhead from the principal to the address listed below, specifically noting: 1) the space where the portrait will hang; and 2) the school’s street address for UPS delivery.    

Ann Bay, Associate Director for Education, George Washington’s Mount Vernon Estate & Garden, P.O. Box 110,  Mount Vernon, VA 22121

At the recent Oklahoma A+ Mini Institute a group of teachers learned about George Washington and the Electoral College-the A+ way!  Since our first President never actually “ran” for the office, the educators designed election posters for the General and several other former presidents.  After some collaboration, art construction, group singing, and disco dancing, the teachers understood how an Oklahoma A+ Secondary School creates a learning environment for students’ different learning styles.  Oklahoma A+ Schools make education interactive, meaningful, and memorable.  Oklahoma A+ Schools is one of the partners with Mount Vernon in the George Washington Oklahoma Teaching Ambassador Program.

Mrs. Liz Butcher’s Advanced Placement Government Classes at Moore High School spent the day with the Oklahoma George Washington Teaching Ambassador.  It was September 17-Constitution Day-so the discussion centered on Washington’s impact on the calling of the Convention, his leadership during its creation, and his behind-the-scenes effort in the ratification process.  Students learned that the General had the “gift of silence” (as John Adams quipped); so using signs that related major points of his life, they created a human timeline without saying a word.  After much maneuvering (and a few laughs) the classes put the time of Washington’s life in order!

The Claremore High School Government and U.S. History classes of Mrs. McGovern and Mrs. Pearson participated in a George Washington Oklahoma Ambassador lesson.  The students compared various resumes of past presidents and leaders.  The resumes were not listed by names but by numbers. After the classes discussed leadership qualities, selected their top candidates, and created tape art campaign posters for their number candidates, the names were revealed.  Although there were some surprises, the vast majority of student groups selected George Washington as the best leader!

On Wednesday, August 24, 1785 Washington noted in his diary, “Receiv’d Seven hound sent me from France by the Marqs. de la Fayette, by way of New York.” (Twohig, D. George Washington’s Diaries An Abridgment. University of Virginia Press, 1999). Washington had asked Lafayette to send him some French hounds.  The seven consisted of four female and three male dogs.  They were accompanied from France by a young John Quincy Adams who later became our sixth president.  The hounds were kept in a kennel on the Estate. Some of the names of Washington’s dogs were Droner, Mopsey, Ragman, Sweetlips, Truelove, Venus, Vulcan, and Madame Moose!

Ever the hostess, Martha Washington (the apparent parrot lover) loaned Jan McClaren her fan for a hot, sultry Virginia evening.

Pet Trivia: Records also contain many references to pet birds at Mount Vernon. One of the first mentioned was a parrot, which was acquired from the captain of a West India trading ship that had stopped here. Over the years there seem to have been several other parrots as well, including a cockatoo, which was a special pet of Martha Washington.

Thanks to a grant from the Donald W. Reynolds Foundation, George Washington’s Mount Vernon Estate and Gardens, and Mount Vernon’s Oklahoma Partners-The Oklahoma Foundation for Excellence, A+ Schools, the Oklahoma History Center, the Kirkpatrick Foundation, and the Oklahoma Department of Education, FREE workshops for teachers and FREE classroom experiences about George Washington are available across the state. As Oklahoma’s George Washington Teaching Ambassador, Jan McClaren is the state’s resource for educators. She will gladly come to your classroom to do a lesson about George Washington, tailoring it to your needs. Teachers and classes may choose from such lessons/workshops as: Washington, Leadership, and Elections, Washington and the Revolutionary War, Washington-Art and Architecture of his Period, Farmer Washington, and many more. Jan will be happy to create workshop themes as requested. She can also come to your school for your staff’s professional development, demonstrating how to use Washington across the curriculum. Please email her at jmcclaren@mountvernon.org .  Jan is looking forward to visiting with students and teachers.  For further information and to set dates for the experiences. Jan is looking forward to visiting with students and teachers.

Cokie Roberts, contributing senior news analyst to National Public Radio, and I converse on Washington’s piazza with the Potomac River in the background.curriculum.