DC - Day 1

Today was such an eventful, exciting, sobering, and most of all, tiring day in DC.

We started off the day at our Nation's "most sacred shrine" - Arlington Cemetary. I was so excited to experience it, the last time I was in DC the power went out in the Metro and we were never able to make it. From the moment we made it to the top of the Metro escalator, something changed. Before we had a chance to lecture the students about the need to act mature and respectful (and believe me, if you would have spend the previous night with them you would have been worried) their entire countenance changed. It was a really amazing place, and the students could sense it. As we walked through the cemetary the students (and I) were captivated by the seemingly endless rows of tombstones.

Winding our way up the path to JFK's final resting place, we were stopped by cemetary workers who were asking visitors for silence as we neared the burrial ground. Near JFK's site was a scenic overlook. Looking down you could see the rolling hills of tombstones and DC in the distance. If you turned around to look up, you saw General Robert E. Lee's, the Civil War commander of the Confederate troops, home looking over the entire cemetary. Lee was asked by President Lincoln to command the Union troops, but being from Virginia, he turned down the offer and later led the Confederacy. I don't think it was a coincidence that they then burried the union soldiers in his backyard. Looking out over the hallowed grounds I couldn't help but feel so small, "who/what am I in comparison to these thousands of men who served our country, and what have I done to be worthy of ALL of this?"

Standing in the silence I turned to read a quote that was inscribed on the nearby wall. Out of the corner of my eye I noticed that one of our students was crying. Although his, yes his, eyes were covered by a pair of aviator sunglasses, you could see the tears streaming down his face. It was the kind of moment that teachers live for. The kind of moment that makes the the long hours and horrible pay checks worth it. Not that I played any part in that learning moment, but I couldn't help but feel proud that the students were soaking it all in, and for some, it was just too much to handle.

We continued up the path to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Another amazing experinece. The tomb is guarded 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, rain, snow or shine. I could not believe the precision and dedication of those soldiers.

We spent the rest of the day visiting Ford's Theatre (where Lincoln was shot), the Peterson home (where Lincoln actually died), the National Archives, and the Holocaust Museum. My feet are killing me. Where is Gub when I need a foot rub?



Arlington Cemetary



Robert E. Lee's home overlooking the cemetary



The overlook at JFK's burrial



The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier



The National Archives