Signals from Sam

The George Washington Teaching Ambassador was scheduled to spend the day at the Oklahoma Christian School, so I left my house at about the same time George Washington started making his rounds on the farms (the General got up at 4:00—I slept late—until 4:30!). It was a beautiful day as I ventured into the school’s parking lot, wondering where to stop and unload my equipment. Suddenly I noticed a giant “blow-up” Uncle Sam beckoning me with his arm to come forward (O.K., so maybe it was the “wind sweeping down the plain” that was making his arm move). As I looked closer at that American icon, I noticed a large sign that said, “Welcome Jan McClaren.” What a delightful salutation! The BEST parking spot had an American flag flying, reserving the space for me. Janet Bass, the school’s Media Specialist, came running out to greet me.

As I entered her library, I was amazed to see the entire domain was decorated in red, white, and blue, dozens of books about Washington were displayed, tables were covered with crisp, white tablecloths, and beautiful budding red flowers adorned each one. After explaining Washington’s innovative farming techniques to the youngest pupils, singing, “General Washington had a Farm in Ol’ Vir-gin-i-a” to the tune of Old MacDonald had a Farm, and discussing the first President’s leadership qualities with the older students, the school provided a wonderful faculty luncheon in my honor. In the afternoon, winners of a reading contest were invited to a Tea with “Martha Washington” (me). The students bowed and curtsied as they entered the room. The children (and Martha) enjoyed tea and biscuits while listening to some of Washington’s favorite music. As I repacked my car and backed out of the parking space, I noticed that the wind must have changed for Uncle Sam was now waving good-bye to a tired, but happy, George Washington Ambassador as she sailed away to her next Oklahoma destination.

This entry was posted on Sunday, April 26th, 2009 at 9:41 pm and is filed under George Washington. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.